Why Everyone Needs Smarter Justice Solutions — Even You.

I often feel isolated in my work as a social work scholar focused on criminal justice matters. For me, social work brings a unique lens to the study of justice policy. As a social worker, I’m less focused on generating criminological theories and more interested in examining the implications of corrections practices for people and communities. The deeper I wade into this work, the more I am convinced that the shortcomings of the U.S. criminal justice system impact all of us in ways we might not recognize. Whether you’re a fellow scholar, a professional who serves criminal justice involved populations, or a community member and voter, this work belongs to all of us. Here’s why:

Correctional institutions fail to “correct” behavior.

Even though our criminal justice system is presumably designed to deter crime and rehabilitate offenders, two out of three people released from U.S. prisons return within three years. By five years post-release, this percentage rises to four out of five. In what other system is a 25% success rate — and this is assuming that avoiding rearrest is the only indicator of success — considered acceptable performance? If the goal of our correctional system is make us safe from crime, it is failing abysmally.

Meanwhile, survivors of crime rarely feel they “got justice.”

While we all have an interest in public safety, the most important stakeholders in the criminal justice system are arguably the victims and survivors of crime. After all, the State seeks justice on behalf of those victimized. Across studies, as many as half of crime victims whose cases are prosecuted are dissatisfied with the process or the outcome of their case. Many crime victims’ needs — including the need for accountability from the person who has caused harm, the need to have their questions answered, and the need to have a voice in the process — are largely unmet by the traditional criminal justice process.

More people behind bars means poorer communities.

Incarceration of an individual offender does not occur in a vacuum. People held in correctional facilities leave behind families that they have little means of supporting financially or emotionally. A growing body of research shows that incarceration has a damaging effect on family and community health. Children of incarcerated parents are more likely to live in financially unstable homes, enter the child welfare system, and become incarcerated themselves. Controlling for other factors, neighborhoods with higher incarceration rates also exhibit greater rates of stress-related mental illness.

You foot the bill for this ineffective service.

In 2010, 40 states spent $39 billion maintaining their prison systems, at an average cost per inmate of $31,286. Federal and state corrections budgets are constituted primarily of taxpayer dollars; yet the outcomes of correctional services include low offender success rates, dissatisfied crime victims, and worse off communities.

RECAP: The current correctional system is ineffective in stopping crime, fails to meet the needs of victims, and saps resources from communities… all on your dime. We’re all in this together!