The Promise of Research to Advance Smart Decarceration

2020 ◽  
Vol 48 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-9
Author(s):  
Matthew W. Epperson ◽  
Amy Blank Wilson ◽  
Gina Fedock
Keyword(s):  
Criminal Justice ◽  
Criminal Justice System ◽  
Justice System ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Mass Incarceration ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The United States ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
And Behavior ◽  
Health And Well Being

This paper describes the concept of “Smart Decarceration” and introduces the special issue of Criminal Justice and Behavior entitled “Research to Advance Smart Decarceration Policies, Programs, and Interventions.” The concept of Smart Decarceration originated nearly a decade ago as the United States reached a tipping point in mass incarceration, and it focuses on three interrelated outcomes: substantially reducing the use of incarceration and other forms of punishment; reversing racial disparities and other inequities in the criminal justice system; and promoting safety and well-being, particularly for communities that have been most impacted by mass incarceration. Ultimately, Smart Decarceration efforts should prioritize reducing the overall footprint of the criminal justice system, while building capacity outside of the system to support safety, health, and well-being. Research plays a critical role in advancing Smart Decarceration, as new forms of knowledge and evidence must be developed to replace ineffective and unjust policies and practices associated with mass incarceration. The paper discusses approaches to research that move beyond typical criminal justice outcomes and focus on the multifaceted goals of Smart Decarceration. The six articles in this special issue are introduced, highlighting their foci across ecological levels and the breadth of the criminal justice continuum, centering populations most impacted by incarceration, and identifying practice and policy innovations.

The Criminal Justice System and the Racialization of Perceptions

2013 ◽  
Vol 651 (1) ◽  
pp. 104-121 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aliya Saperstein ◽  
Andrew M. Penner ◽  
Jessica M. Kizer
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Criminal Justice ◽  
Longitudinal Data ◽  
Social Interactions ◽  
Criminal Justice System ◽  
Justice System ◽  
Mass Incarceration ◽  
The United States ◽  
Racial Categories ◽  
Racial Perceptions

Recent research on how contact with the criminal justice system shapes racial perceptions in the United States has shown that incarceration increases the likelihood that people are racially classified by others as black, and decreases the likelihood that they are classified as white. We extend this work, using longitudinal data with information on whether respondents have been arrested, convicted, or incarcerated, and details about their most recent arrest. This allows us to ask whether any contact with the criminal justice system triggers racialization, or only certain types of contact. Additional racial categories allow us to explore the racialization of crime beyond the black-white divide. Results indicate even one arrest significantly increases the odds of subsequently being classified as black, and decreases the odds of being classified as white or Asian. This implies a broader impact of increased policing and mass incarceration on racialization and stereotyping, with consequences for social interactions, political attitudes, and research on inequality.

Mass Incarceration in the United States and its Collateral Consequences

Sociology ◽  
2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Meaghan Mingo ◽  
Anna R. Haskins
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Criminal Justice ◽  
Criminal Justice System ◽  
21St Century ◽  
Justice System ◽  
Mass Incarceration ◽  
Spillover Effects ◽  
The United States ◽  
Policy Changes ◽  
Collateral Consequences

Mass incarceration is characterized by comparatively and historically extreme rates of imprisonment in the United States, which rose drastically from the early 1970s through 2007 or so. Disproportionately affecting young, Black men from neighborhoods of concentrated disadvantage, many factors contributed to the steady increase in incarceration from the early 1970s forward. While rising crime rates and harsh societal attitudes toward those convicted of crimes played a part, scholars largely argue that increases in both the likelihood of imprisonment for committing a crime and the length of prison sentences drove the increase in incarceration. Supported by more-intensive and place-based forms of policing, individuals and entire communities faced increasing contact with the criminal justice system. Underlying these policy changes lay deeper social, political, and economic drivers, which often varied by state or other jurisdictions. Ultimately, policy changes mandating longer sentences for repeat offenses (such as three-strike laws) and state and federal laws that increased the length of prison sentences for drug-related and violent crime led to a rising incarceration rate, which meant that far more Americans were serving time and for much-longer sentences than ever before. While the rate of incarceration for men has started to decline slightly, rates for women have risen. During the first two decades of the 21st century, researchers have increasingly focused their efforts on understanding and documenting the collateral consequences of mass incarceration. Beyond the individuals directly impacted, incarceration affects the lives of children and families, neighborhoods, communities, and broader society. Individuals and families especially experience detrimental effects in the education, labor market, and health spheres, while communities suffer “spillover effects,” with even those not directly touched by incarceration affected. With nearly one in thirty-six adults living under some form of correctional supervision (whether in prison or jail, or on probation or parole), and many others “marked” by their past experience with the system, mass incarceration has touched the lives of millions of Americans. Further, racial disparities throughout each phase of the criminal justice system, including in policing, arrest, conviction, and sentencing, have resulted in Americans of color disproportionately experiencing incarceration and its attendant effects. As such, mass incarceration is understood to be a major contributor to 21st-century American inequality along lines of race, class, and gender.

Transforming American Prosecution

2021 ◽  
Vol 34 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
Emily Bazelon
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Criminal Justice ◽  
Criminal Justice System ◽  
Justice System ◽  
Mass Incarceration ◽  
The United States

My goal in this paper is to tell you a story, a story about race, about crime, about discretion, and about hope. I want to suggest that mass incarceration in the United States is not necessary or wise. It is the product of a criminal justice system that has ballooned beyond reason or recognition from its design.

scholarly journals Mitigating Racial Inequity by Addressing Racism in the Criminal Justice System: A Behavior Analytic Approach

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julia Rose ◽  
Cormac MacManus ◽  
Jacquelyn M. Macdonald ◽  
Diana Parry-Cruwys
Keyword(s):  
Criminal Justice ◽  
Verbal Behavior ◽  
Criminal Justice System ◽  
Justice System ◽  
The United States ◽  
Analytic Approach ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
System A ◽  
International Attention ◽  
And Behavior

Racial inequity in the United States’ criminal justice system is a long-standing problem that has recently garnered international attention. This paper frames the problem of racial inequity in a behavior analytic context and offers potential solutions based on existent research and behavior analytic principles. We draw a parallel between the analysis of racist behavior enabled by the definitions provided by Kendi in How to Be an Antiracist and the analysis of verbal behavior made possible by the terminology posited by Skinner in Verbal Behavior in order to highlight the pertinence of applying a behavior analytic approach to the problem of racial inequity upheld by racist behavior. Immediately actionable steps to address racism in the criminal justice system and beyond are offered on a cultural, organizational and individual level.

Homelessness and Crime

Criminology ◽  
2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brianna Remster
Keyword(s):  
Criminal Justice ◽  
Criminal Justice System ◽  
Justice System ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Mass Incarceration ◽  
The United States ◽  
Direct Result ◽  
Stable Housing ◽  
History Of ◽  
Shared Risk

There is considerable overlap between the homeless and correctional populations in the United States. Individuals with a history of criminal justice contact are overrepresented among the homeless and those who have recently been homeless are disproportionately concentrated among correctional populations. Such overlap is in part due to shared risk factors. Poor, low skill, men of color, and individuals with mental illness and substance abuse and dependency issues are concentrated among the homeless and incarcerated. Said marginalized persons end up in correctional facilities, shelters, and the streets primarily because of two large-scale American policies: (1) the criminalization of homelessness and (2) mass incarceration and its detrimental consequences. Concerning the former, homeless individuals typically enter the criminal justice system for minor offenses that are often the direct result of being homeless (e.g., public disorder or petty theft). Yet because they are often unable to afford an attorney or bail and have no place to go if released, homeless individuals frequently remain in jail longer than individuals with stable housing, and over time they accrue lengthy criminal histories. Notably, such practices are not new; homelessness has long been criminalized. For instance, in colonial America, the homeless were sent to poor houses, which in many cases resembled modern prisons. Today, an emerging literature suggests that mass incarceration may contribute to homelessness. Indeed, the time trends overlap: contemporary homelessness grew in tandem with incarceration, beginning in the early 1980s. Over 641,000 individuals exit prison annually, of which a portion become homeless. Obtaining stable housing is not only indicative of successful reintegration, but other forms of reintegration such as employment are often dependent on having stable housing. Furthermore, homelessness is associated with recidivism. Reintegration challenges combined with the consequences of incarceration and the concentration of standard correlates of homelessness in this population help explain why individuals leaving prison are at an elevated risk. The data challenges for studying homeless and justice-involved populations are considerable. Without a permanent address, these highly mobile individuals are missing from many traditional forms of data used by social scientists such as household surveys. As a result, much of the work on this topic is theoretical in nature. Empirical assessments rely heavily on administrative data, such as correctional and emergency shelter records, and ethnographic work. Overall, much work remains to be done to understand the pathways between homelessness and the criminal justice system. Nonetheless, homelessness is a form of severe social exclusion and when combined with the stigma of incarceration, individuals may be doubly disadvantaged. Indeed, individuals with a history of prison or jail spells are among the most disadvantaged homeless, experiencing lengthy and/or repeated homelessness. However, the overlap between homelessness and the criminal justice system can be effectively reduced. Indeed, access to affordable housing saves taxpayer money while maintaining public safety.

Racial Justice and Criminal Justice

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew Valls
Keyword(s):  
Criminal Justice ◽  
African Americans ◽  
Criminal Justice System ◽  
Justice System ◽  
Racial Inequality ◽  
Racial Bias ◽  
The United States ◽  
Black Communities ◽  
Racial Justice ◽  
Black Neighborhoods

The criminal justice system in the United States both reflects racial inequality in the broader society and contributes to it. The overrepresentation of African Americans among those in prison is a result of both the conditions in poor black neighborhoods and racial bias in the criminal justice system. The American system of criminal justice today is excessively punitive, when compared to previous periods and to other countries, and its harsh treatment disproportionately harms African Americans. In addition, those released from prison face a number of obstacles to housing, employment, and other prerequisites of decent life, and the concentration of prisoners and ex-prisoners in black communities does much to perpetuate racial inequality.

scholarly journals Special Issue on Mental Health and Well-Being in Adolescence: Environment and Behavior

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (6) ◽  
pp. 2975
Author(s):  
Javier Ortuño-Sierra ◽  
Beatriz Lucas-Molina ◽  
Félix Inchausti ◽  
Eduardo Fonseca-Pedrero
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Psychological Problems ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
Children And Adolescent ◽  
Environment And Behavior ◽  
And Behavior ◽  
Health And Well Being

Psychological problems in children and adolescent populations range from 10% to 20% [...]

scholarly journals Mercy towards decarceration: Examining the legal constraints on early release from prison

Incarceration ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 263266632097780
Author(s):  
Alexandra Cox ◽  
Dwayne Betts
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Criminal Justice ◽  
Criminal Justice System ◽  
Justice System ◽  
Family Members ◽  
The United States ◽  
Early Release ◽  
The Us ◽  
Legal Constraints ◽  
Release From Prison

There are close to seven million people under correctional supervision in the United States, both in prison and in the community. The US criminal justice system is widely regarded as an inherently unmerciful institution by scholars and policymakers but also by people who have spent time in prison and their family members; it is deeply punitive, racist, expansive and damaging in its reach. In this article, we probe the meanings of mercy for the institution of parole.

Seeing Justice

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mary Angela Bock
Keyword(s):  
Criminal Justice ◽  
Public Sphere ◽  
Criminal Justice System ◽  
Critical Discourse Analysis ◽  
Justice System ◽  
Participant Observation ◽  
The United States ◽  
Detailed Examination ◽  
Visual Media ◽  
The Way

Seeing Justice examines the way criminal justice in the United States is presented in visual media by focusing on the grounded practices of visual journalists in relationship with law enforcement. The book extends the concept of embodied gatekeeping, the corporeal and discursive practices connected to controlling visual media production and the complex ways social actors struggle over the construction of visual messages. Based on research that includes participant observation, extended interviews, and critical discourse analysis, the book provides a detailed examination of the way these practices shape media constructions and the way digitization is altering the relationships between media, citizens, and the criminal justice system. The project looks at contemporary cases that made the headlines through a theoretical lens based on the work of Michel Foucault, Walter Fisher, Stuart Hall, Nicholas Mirzoeff, Nick Couldry, and Roland Barthes. Its cases reveal the way powerful interests are able to shape representations of justice in ways that serve their purposes, occasionally at the expense of marginalized groups. Based on cases ranging from the last US public hanging to the proliferation of “Karen-shaming” videos, this monograph offers three observations. First, visual journalism’s physicality increases its reliance on those in power, making it easy for officials in the criminal justice system to shape its image. Second, image indexicality, even while it is subject to narrative negation, remains an essential affordance in the public sphere. Finally, participation in this visual public sphere must be considered as an essential human capability if not a human right.

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