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Criminal Justice Reform: How Do We Reach Our Goals?

Giving Compass' Take: • The Open Philanthropy Project discusses the many issues with overincarceration in the U.S., and what role philanthropy can play in improving the system. • With both front-end and back-end reforms discussed (including policy research, advocacy and education initiatives), there is plenty of ground covered. How can nonprofits and other groups put thought into action? • Here's how data can help in the efforts to reform the criminal justice system. What is the problem? The United States incarcerates a larger proportion of its residents than almost any other country in the world and still has the highest level of criminal homicide in the developed world. It has been argued to us that, while initial increases in the incarceration rate may have reduced crime, a rate this high does not have large benefits for public safety and represents indiscriminate incarceration of offenders whether or not prison is the appropriate punishment. In particular, it seems plausible that the United States incarcerates too many low-risk offenders for too long. Incarceration has large fiscal costs. We believe that it also has large human and economic costs. Community corrections (such as probation and parole), which are one of the main alternatives to incarceration, may also need improvement, as evidenced by the 40% revocation rate for persons on probation. What are possible interventions? Proposals for criminal justice reform can broadly be divided into two categories. Front-end reforms affect individuals at their first point of contact with the criminal justice system. Back-end reforms affect individuals after they have already entered the criminal justice system. Strategies to promote these reforms include policy research, legislative advocacy, technical assistance to policymakers or practitioners, litigation, communication and public education, direct services, and pilot projects. Read the full article about interventions for criminal justice reform at Open Philanthropy Project.