The prison population in America is growing at an alarming rate, and an increasing percentage of state budgets are consumed by corrections costs to the detriment of other programs and state commitments, and without a clear public safety return on the financial investment.

The nation can no longer afford - in terms of economics, public safety, or social justice - to ignore the devastating personal and community effects of concentrated poverty, the entrenched racial disparity of America's criminal justice system, or the mass institutionalization of young men of color that is occurring.

Likewise, the nation can no longer afford to ignore the profound connections that exist between a cycle of incarceration that disproportionately impacts the poor and communities of color, and inadequately-addressed social and economic conditions.  This cycle of incarceration is fueled by criminal justice policies that emphasize incarceration over human service and community-strengthening strategies that promote the development of healthy individuals, healthy families, and healthy communities by addressing the individual, family, school, and environmental risk factors for delinquent or criminal behavior.

Guiding Principles

      We are guided in our collaborative efforts by mutual acknowledgment of the following:

1.     Profound connections exist between intergenerational cycles of incarceration, particularly among the poor and communities of color, and such inadequately-addressed social and economic conditions as inferior schools, unemployment, inadequate housing, child abuse and neglect, poor health outcomes, poverty, and racism.

 2.    Living in poverty – particularly in areas of concentrated poverty – puts multiple stressors on families and communities, and triggers individual, family, social, and community risk factors for court involvement while failing to support many of the protective factors that might counter-balance those risks.

3.     Over-burdened and under-resourced education, healthcare, child welfare, housing, and employment systems play a key role in increasing the risk of court involvement among the poor and communities of color.  The “school to prison pipeline” is a prime example of a “system failure” directly impacting a person’s life trajectory into the criminal justice system.

 4.    Moreover, America’s criminal justice and corrections policies overly rely on incarceration as the principal means of dealing with crime and other social problems – eroding rather than enhancing public safety, and significantly impacting state budgets without delivering a clear return on public safety.

 5.     America’s criminal justice system is marked by a clearly discernible pattern of disproportionate numbers of the poor and people of color entering into and cycling through the criminal justice system. While the sheer numbers of people in America’s jails and prisons are rapidly increasing, America’s criminal justice and corrections policies have had a particularly acute impact on communities of color:

·      African Americans are incarcerated at nearly six times the rate of whites, and one in every three black males (32%) can expect to serve time in prison at some point in their lives.

·      A growing proportion of the Hispanic population entered prisons and jails over the past decade, and 17% of Hispanic males can expect to serve time in prison at some point in their lives.

·      Black men in their early 30’s are more likely to have been in prison than to have graduated from college.

·      Nine percent (9%) of all black children have a father in prison or jail.

 6.   A shift in this flawed policymaking paradigm is critical:  policymakers should reorient the use of tax dollars to align resources, opportunities, and services with human and community needs – to promote the development of healthy individuals, healthy families, and healthy communities by addressing the issues fueling the cycle of incarceration.

 7.    A more integrative approach to justice offers a promising means of strengthening communities, increasing public safety, and addressing significant budgetary concerns.  Such an approach utilizes multi-disciplinary collaboration, research, advocacy, and policymaking to address the underlying, interrelated social and economic issues that fuel the cycle of incarceration, and to create safe, fair, and equitable communities in which all are able to thrive, particularly those at greatest risk for court involvement.

 8.    The most effective crime prevention strategies prevent at-risk youth from becoming court-involved by investing in them early and often.  Public investments in positive youth development will provide the services and opportunities young people need to develop the sense of competence, usefulness, belonging and empowerment to rebound from adversity and achieve healthy development and successful learning in the face of the issues fueling the cycle of incarceration.  Providing the developmental resources and wrap-around supports that young people need for success in life includes insuring the presence of caring adults in their lives, safe places in which to live and grow, a healthy start in life, an effective education, and opportunities to help others.

 9.     Increased public investments in safe and affordable housing, high quality education, early childhood development, comprehensive health care, and robust, non-discriminatory employment opportunities are among the policy choices that will promote the development of the healthy, positive environments and functioning systems needed to break the cycle of incarceration.

 10. Community problem-solving and community-based resources, opportunities, and services are critical components of efforts to break the cycle of incarceration.