Calling for policy solutions to dismantle the US system of criminal punishment and the inequalities and white supremacy that this system promotes and perpetuates, Alec Karakatsanis, the executive director of Civil Rights Corps, and 116 other human and civil rights groups released a comprehensive fourteen-point plan to \u201ctransform the existing system into one of respect and justice,\u201d Jessica Corbett reported for Common Dreams in September 2019.<\/p>\n
The groups\u2019 \u201cVision for Justice\u201d plan<\/a> advocates an expanded view of public safety, prioritizing investments in education, housing, employment, healthcare, and other public programs, guided by three core themes: ensuring equity and accountability in the criminal-legal system, building a restorative system of justice, and rebuilding communities. The plan\u2019s fourteen specific recommendations\u2014such as creating a new framework for pretrial justice, and decriminalizing poverty\u2014are rooted in human rights and the practice of restorative justice, Corbett reported.<\/p>\n A study by the Prison Policy Initiative (PPI), released in August 2019, underscored the need for comprehensive criminal justice reform. The study<\/a>, titled \u201cArrest, Release, Repeat: How Police and Jails are Misused to Respond to Social Problems,\u201d showed that people imprisoned as repeat offenders are likely to be poor, unemployed, or homeless, Victoria Law reported for Truthout. Although police and jails ought to promote public safety, law enforcement is more and more frequently \u201ccalled upon to respond punitively to medical and economic problems unrelated to public safety issues,\u201d according<\/a> to the PPI study. Consequently, people in need of medical care and social services \u201ccycle in and out of jail without ever receiving the help they need.\u201d The study\u2019s authors found that repeated arrests are \u201crelated to race and poverty, as well as high rates of mental illness and substance use disorders.\u201d<\/p>\n According to the study, in 2017 at least 4.9 million individuals were arrested and booked, with the vast majority charged with nonviolent crimes. To better address the conditions that lead marginalized individuals to have contact with the police in the first place, the study\u2019s authors recommended \u201cpublic investments in employment assistance, education and vocational training, and financial assistance.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n As of May 2020, neither the \u201cVision for Justice\u201d policy platform of the coalition of 117 rights groups nor the Prison Policy Initiative\u2019s report on how police and jails are misused to respond to social problems appear to have received any coverage by the establishment press.<\/p>\n Jessica Corbett, \u201c\u2018Vision for Justice\u2019: 117 Rights Groups Offer Roadmap to Transform US Criminal-Legal System,\u201d Common Dreams, September 5, 2019, https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/news\/2019\/09\/05\/vision-justice-117-rights-groups-offer-roadmap-transform-us-criminal-legal-system<\/a>.<\/p>\n Victoria Law, \u201cArrest, Release, Repeat: New Report Exposes Vicious Cycle of Imprisonment,\u201d Truthout, August 27, 2019,\u00a0https:\/\/truthout.org\/articles\/arrest-release-repeat-new-report-exposes-vicious-cycle-of-imprisonment\/<\/a>.<\/p>\n Student Researchers:<\/b>\u00a0Xavier Rosenberg (San Francisco State University) and Carina Ramirez (Sonoma State University)<\/p>\n Faculty Evaluators:<\/b>\u00a0Kenn Burrows (San Francisco State University) and Peter Phillips (Sonoma State University)<\/p>\n The post #20. A Comprehensive Framework for Transforming the Criminal-Legal System<\/a> appeared first on Project Censored<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n
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