A Prosecutor's vision for a better justice system
What can we do to help?
In Adam Foss' A Prosecutor's Vision for a Better Justice System is about how in the American judicial system, the money spent on sending young criminals to jail could be used to help education, mental health treatment, substance treatment, etc, if the crime was prevented in the first place. Around $80 billion is funding a failing prison industry, even though there are 2.3 million Americans in prisons and jails, making America one of the most incarcerated nation on the planet.
The actions of youthful indiscretion should not define people, and being branded a "felon" is only ruining their chances of finding a job. No job means no employment, education, or stable housing. These outcomes increases the chances of them committing even worse crimes, leading to go back to the system. The more contact they have with the system, the probability of them coming back keeps growing.
Rather than sentencing them to death in prison, people should know that crime isn't an option. There would be a lot less inmates in prison if they enforced the punishment in a way that teaches them that what they did was wrong, and at the same time didn't ruin their future.
The actions of youthful indiscretion should not define people, and being branded a "felon" is only ruining their chances of finding a job. No job means no employment, education, or stable housing. These outcomes increases the chances of them committing even worse crimes, leading to go back to the system. The more contact they have with the system, the probability of them coming back keeps growing.
Rather than sentencing them to death in prison, people should know that crime isn't an option. There would be a lot less inmates in prison if they enforced the punishment in a way that teaches them that what they did was wrong, and at the same time didn't ruin their future.