NCJ Number
240780
Editor(s)
Marc Mauer,
Kate Epstein
Date Published
2012
Length
68 pages
Annotation
This collection of essays examines the future of the criminal justice system.
Abstract
These 25 essays contain the perspectives of leading thinkers in the field of criminal justice, including academics, practitioners, and policy advocates. Topics covered include: evidence-based approaches to reducing institutional populations; why a reliance on fiscal arguments has little basis for success absent a shift in the political environment in which these issues are addressed; public education strategies designed to encourage a more rational public debate on criminal justice; assessments about the potential leadership roles to be played by policymakers, practitioners, leaders in disadvantaged communities, and individuals who have been through the criminal justice system; which platforms best convey convincing and comprehensive messages about the need for reform; disseminating information using the success stories of recent years; how to engage in ongoing research to identify strategies for change; the strategic role of race in addressing criminal justice policy; the need to focus on issues specific to women; how to frame juvenile justice policy under a rubric of a "my child" testing that promotes compassionate and effective treatment for all; how to focus on prevention, adopting a human rights framework for justice reform; and finally, a wholesale reconsideration of national drug policy in order to reverse the harmful impacts of recent decades. Also included are commentators from abroad who assess the role of the United States in comparison to, and as influential in, developments in other nations.