NAACPCC Criminal Justice Report

Last month's City of Champaign Human Relations Commission meeting (agenda here) included a presentation of the local NAACP report on criminal justice. Thomas Moore argued that the report is an educational tool as opposed to a road map and what we've tried over the past forty years hasn't worked. He argued for a new focus on the ineffectiveness of punishment in the system of mass incarceration. He noted that jails are a big part of the problem and a local issue. Video is available here and the NAACP of Champaign County report begins at the 6:20 mark. There were many ideas discussed and listed in the News-Gazette yesterday:

Among the suggestions discussed during Monday's meeting:

— Allowing those incarcerated to register to vote and cast votes while in prison.

— When drawing up legislative district boundaries, assigning prisoners to the locality they come from instead of the prison site.

— Advocating for more humane policies that stress restorative justice.

— Having the NAACP form a partnership with local libraries to develop a crime-and-punishment bibliography and establishing a repository of books and articles on incarceration, public safety and justice.

— Advocating for the collection of data on the justice system "to develop more grounded responses to crime and punishment."

— Developing justice reform that gives a prominent role to the faith community.

— Exploring programs that restore civil rights for those incarcerated and awaiting trial.

— Developing a pretrial-assessment protocol in Champaign County.

— Integrating restorative practices within both the Champaign Unit 4 and Urbana 116 school districts.

Full article here. One item not mentioned in this list was their support of the recommendations of the Racial Justice Task Force (more information on that here). The conclusion of the report sums up the systematic approach of the full report looking at how racial disparities by both design and accident have survived to the current state of mass incarceration. In spite of so-called "colorblind" legalese and ideology, those disparities have been amplified by racial bias at each and every step of the system — often in spite of sincere attempts to ensure equal treatment.

It can be uncomfortable and even unbelievable to many who believe that we've solved many of the issues raised. The report provides evidence and references to supporting information that shows how the problems persist, and in some ways become even more segregated in effect. Citizens in the same city can have an extremely different experience with the criminal justice system beyond just negative outcomes, but including whether they interact with it at all.

From the report:

It is questionable whether the law and order campaigns that gave birth to mass incarceration were ever really about fighting crime and enhancing public safety. Punishment is not the only society response to crime however, once crime became politized the following agenda ignored all other possible altertive responses. Now after a forty year experiment it is obvious punishment is bankrupt not resulting in any of the promises of safety, reduced crime, affordability, and most of all justice. When we wade through the foundational crime myths of those seeking and holding  political power, we see clearly that ideological reform on crime, punishment, and justice, not solely criminal justice (process) reform, is needed. We are in danger of repeating past mistakes, if we retain the punitive imperative and incarceration as the go-to tool. Instead, we need to pursue  policies and practices that restore and empower people and communities. We are in desperate need of a criminal justice transformation.

How we got here is both accidental and planned. The crime rate began to climb in the 1960’s into the 80’s. Beginning in 1964 political campaign pledges vowed to free the nation from violence, and to restore order. Mandatory minimum sentencing from the 1973 Rockefeller drug laws placed more people in prison for longer periods of time around possession of marijuana and other drugs. In 1984 the federal government created the United States Commission on Sentencing. It instituted sentencing guidelines, and abolished parole for federal crimes. By the end of the century over half the states had adopted “three strikes and you’re out laws.

Racism also has played, and continues to play, a significant role in the levels of incarceration. As Equal Justice Initiative founder Bryan Stevenson states, "I don't think you can understand the tremendous increase in the incarceration rates, the targeting of black people and menacing of communities of color and poor communities without understanding this history. We have to understand enslavement in a new way.” In African-American families and communities, mass incarceration has contributed to the rise of crime. It has devastated the informal social control of families and communities, shattered social relationships, and robbed families and communities of the opportunity to pursue their dreams. The Brennan Center reports that over time incarcerations have very little effect on crime, and sadly it continues. While there is no silver  bullet to reduce crime they say some police practices, and social and economic factors have a greater effect on reducing crime than incarcerations do. It is to our advantage as a nation to move away from what does not work and embrace that which has a better chance of reducing crime. Incarceration is a failed social experiment.

I'd strongly encourage anyone who disputes these conclusions to check out the referenced books and studies, such as "The New Jim Crow" to see if it addresses some of the assumptions and concerns often involved. It may not change anyone's mind, but it can certainly help understand the perspective. In a nation founded on liberty, it's certainly not a point of pride to incarcerate and revoke the rights of such a massive portion of our population compared to the rest of the free world and even dictatorships:

(click to enlarge)

This is a follow up of a previous post with new links and information (for those who noticed something familiar).