The United States has been on a binge of imprisonment for the past four decades. Jail and prison rates quadrupled during that time. There is now a growing consensus that this has become a serious social and economic blunder. Prison does not improve people, and states can no longer afford the costs of mass incarceration. But what to do? Once we have locked up millions of people—with an entire criminal justice system oriented toward this misguided project—how can it be reversed? Promising pathways are being implemented and tested through the Smart Decarceration Intiative.
Projects
Smart Decarceration
Social Justice
We build social capacity to reduce incarceration rates in ways that are effective, sustainable and socially just. This requires major shifts in the criminal justice system.
St. Louis Decarceration Strategy
Smart Decarceration
We collaborate with St. Louis criminal justice entities to research, design, implement, and evaluate evidence-based policies and practices to reduce the incarcerated population.
Promoting Behavioral Health Within Communities to Reduce Criminal Justice Involvement
Smart Decarceration
We engage with community partners in developing a social capacity framework to promote behavioral health for people involved in the criminal justice system.
Support4Families
Smart Decarceration
The Support4Families program is designed to assist families who struggle with the emotional strain of providing support to loved ones releasing from prison.
Innovation Research in Deferred Prosecution
Smart Decarceration
We advance “deferred prosecution” programs. People charged with certain offenses can be diverted from traditional court proceedings and possibly avoid incarceration.
Re-entry Community Linkages
Smart Decarceration
We partner with St. Louis Integrated Health Network, City of St. Louis and others to improve health outcomes for minorities in transition from jail to communities.