“Homelessness, unemployment, drug addiction, mental illness, and illiteracy are only a few of the problems that disappear from public view when the human beings contending with them are relegated to cages…But prisons do not disappear problems, they disappear human beings.”
– Angela Davis, “Masked Racism: Reflections on the Prison Industrial Complex” (1998).
As the country heads into another election season, public safety continues to be a hot-button issue on the campaign trail. On both sides of the aisle, candidates and voters are concerned about security and stability within their communities. Amid all the fiery political debate, it may be worthwhile for us to pause and reflect on what “public safety” really means.
For far too long, the concept of public safety has been associated with punitive approaches, like policing and prisons. When crime rates rise, policymakers have responded by increasing law enforcement presence and hardening sentencing laws. Today’s juvenile justice system is largely the product of this so-called “tough on crime” mentality.
If you find yourself reading this blog, you may already know: tough on crime policies have failed to protect neighborhoods, families, and especially children. For example, the Sentencing Project reports that confinement typically makes young people more likely to reoffend in the future (compared to community alternatives). On the other hand, confinement makes young people less likely to graduate high school, pursue postgraduate degrees, earn a living wage, and maintain their mental and physical health. What’s more, youth punishment is wracked by gross racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic disparities.
Luckily, there’s movement in the right direction. According to the Annie E. Casey Foundation, the juvenile incarceration rate has declined by more than 50% since the first Youth Justice Action Month (YJAM), held in October 2008. (The initiative began as Youth Justice Awareness Month, but it was renamed in 2016 to highlight the need for policy and practice change.) Still, even as carceral models for public safety fail to meet their goals, the U.S. imprisons far more children and young adults than any country in the world.
As a member of the Emerging Leaders Committee, I spend a lot of time thinking about alternative public safety strategies. Echoing the Vera Institute’s Redefining Public Safety initiative, I believe that we need more than incremental reform. We need a “paradigm shift,” whereby our focus on enforcement is replaced with a focus on community. In championing communities to meet their housing, employment, educational, and public health needs, we also address the root causes of arrest and incarceration.
In some states and jurisdictions, community-centered public safety strategies are gaining popularity. For instance, in New York City and Washington, DC, civilian-led credible messenger programs are providing mentorship opportunities in the most vulnerable neighborhoods. Often led by formerly incarcerated local adults who can share lived experience, these programs set up kids for success without escalating their system involvement. Other jurisdictions are reforming and expanding probation services, so that fewer kids face the adverse outcomes associated with confinement.
Community-centered strategies recognize that public safety cannot be achieved merely through the use of force. Rather, public safety approaches must be holistic, restorative, and trauma-informed. They must also recognize the extraordinary potential for young people to heal and grow. Compassion–not force–must be the driving force.