Fireside Chat, Panel
Breaking the Cycle of Mass Incarceration
- Women of color and individuals in the federal system face a risk of dying in prison due to lack of PPE, inadequate conditions, and insufficient release rates during the pandemic, with fears that released individuals will face death due to lack of protective equipment or stable housing.
- Speakers anticipate that the pandemic will accelerate criminal justice reform, including a shift toward "healing" and rehabilitation, the reversal of damage from the 1994 crime bill, and the integration of corrections into legislation addressing police brutality.
- Legislative plans include a bipartisan conversation to develop comprehensive reform approaches, potential provisions for an Emergency Community Supervision Act building on the First Step Act, and future corporate hiring initiatives to employ people with records.
- Organizational and systemic goals involve scaling "Hope House" to five locations by 2021 through partnerships with 450 global corporations, replicating vocational models with recidivism rates under 5%, and restructuring the Department of Justice to transfer prison oversight to the Department of Health and Human Services.
- Economic projections suggest that reducing recidivism through successful reentry could eliminate the $80 billion per year currently wasted on incarceration, while post-pandemic mass unemployment will necessitate new incentives for employers and a rethink of societal trajectories.
- Speakers warn that continuing a war on drugs-driven system ensures failure, whereas data-driven practices and keeping people out of the system can lead to better outcomes, though uncertainty remains regarding the Attorney General's discretion to release vulnerable individuals.
- Material outcomes expected include the realization that 95% of incarcerated people will return to communities, making reentry critical for safety, and the potential for systemic transformational solutions addressing poverty and housing to rebuild community processes.
- Progress is anticipated in 2020 protests involving young and Latino participants, alongside expectations that the crisis will generate new knowledge in education, criminal justice, and healthcare if bipartisan agreement is maintained.