The IRAA and SLAA: Moving Beyond Nonviolent Drug Offenders to Address Mass Incarceration

Jonathan Blanks“Mass incarceration” has become the term to describe the millions of people held in jails and prisons throughout the United States. The oft-cited statistic that Americans make up roughly5 percent of the world ’s population but hold 25 percent of the global prisoners remains true. Part of the reason for this is that the United States incarcerates individuals for much longer sentences than most of the rest of the world. And while nonviolent drug offenders serving decades-long draconian sentences have gotten the most attention in legislation, presidential debates, andexecutive commutations, the data show that most people who are serving time in prison are in for violent offenses. Now, what “violent” means varies by jurisdiction—illegal possession of firearms, being a driver of a getaway car, and burglaries against vacant properties can nevertheless be considered violent in some states—but meaningfully reducing our incarcerated population will unquestionably require releasing p eople who have been convicted of serious violent crimes.If you just flinched a bit, bear with me.Most people who are sentenced to prison are going to be released at some point. They will at some point be expected —indeed, obligated—to rejoin society. So, for most inmates, the issue of release is a question of “when” not “if.” It follows, then, that if we want to reduce the prison population, we may be able to use early release as a mechanism for doing so while prese...
Source: Cato-at-liberty - Category: American Health Authors: Source Type: blogs