Publications and Research
Document Type
Book Chapter or Section
Publication Date
Spring 4-27-2015
Abstract
Mass incarceration. In recent years it’s become clear that the size of America’s prison population is unsustainable – and isn’t needed to protect public safety.
In this remarkable bipartisan collaboration, the country’s most prominent public figures and experts join together to propose ideas for change. In these original essays, many authors speak out for the first time on the issue. The vast majority agree that reducing our incarcerated population is a priority. Marking a clear political shift on crime and punishment in America, these sentiments are a far cry from politicians racing to be the most punitive in the 1980s and 1990s.
Mass incarceration threatens American democracy. Hiding in plain sight, it drives economic inequality, racial injustice, and poverty. How do we achieve change? From using federal funding to bolster police best practices to allowing for the release of low-level offenders while they wait for trial, from eliminating prison for low-level drug crimes to increasing drug and mental health treatment, the ideas in this book pave a way forward. Solutions promises to further the intellectual and political momentum to reform our justice system.
Comments
This work was originally published in "Solutions: American Leaders Speak Out on Criminal Justice," edited by I. Chettiar, M. Waldman, N. Fortier, & A. Finkelman. The full report available at http://www.brennancenter.org/publication/solutions-american-leaders-speak-out-criminal-justice