Prisons and jails are violent; they don’t have to be.
Prisons and jails are violent; they don’t have to be.
Jails and prisons, often overcrowded and understaffed, are frequently dangerous, dehumanizing, and traumatizing places where violence is largely “ unavoidable .” Take, for example, Illinois, where frequent reports of violence and abuse led the Federal Bureau of Prisons to announce the closure of…
You're viewing a single thread.
Living in a Restoring Promise unit during their incarceration decreased young adults’ odds of being convicted of a violent infraction by 73 percent.
This is huge. It might seem like common sense to us, but I love that they're actually doing studies on this. Unfortunately, the prison industrial complex as a whole encourages recidivism -- otherwise they don't get paid.
I do feel like they may have buried the lede a little bit here, though.
And finally, although it is necessary to improve current conditions, the most effective way to heal families and communities while also reducing the number of people behind bars in overcrowded environments is decarceration. On any given day, more than 400,000 people are detained pretrial. Many remain jailed not because of the danger they pose to their communities but simply because they cannot afford bail. According to research by the Brennan Center for Justice in 2016, nearly 40 percent of the U.S. prison population—576,000 people—were behind bars for no compelling public safety reason. Bail and sentencing reforms are a few of the many necessary changes that would help reduce jail and prison populations.
Fix disgusting bail systems that only benefit the wealthy and you can help protect communities. Not exactly a shocker.