Safety and Justice Challenge (original) (raw)
The Safety and Justice Challenge is reimagining and rebuilding local criminal justice systems — reducing jail incarceration and increasing equity for all.
Jails have almost 19x the number of annual admissions as prisons.
Three out of five people held in jail have not been convicted of any crime.
Nearly 75% of people in jail are there for nonviolent traffic, property, drug, or public order offenses.
Black people are jailed at almost 4x the rate of White Americans.
Jails are misused and overused in ways that damage families, devastate communities, and ultimately lead to more crime.
Finding Solutions
The Safety and Justice Challenge invests in locally developed, equity-based solutions that take a balanced approach to protecting public safety, including:
Our goal is to:
Our goal is to support policies and practices that will safely reduce jail populations by 50% across all Safety and Justice Challenge jurisdictions by 2025 and eliminate racial inequities. We’re providing practical support and scaffolding to communities that are taking bold action in response to centuries of institutional and systemic racism, honoring the expertise of directly impacted communities, and working together to achieve transformational change.
57Counties, Cities, and States
16%of the nation's jail beds
22%network-wide jail incarceration reduction to date
FACT: 65% of the country’s incarcerated population suffer from substance use disorder. ALL jails should be providing care for those who need it. #RethinkJails
✍️: @AODNewz, @thehill
Formerly incarcerated individuals face a persistent challenge: securing stable housing. Everyone deserves to have a home, yet those with felony records are ten times more likely to experience homelessness. #RethinkJails
C.J. Rice spent 12 years in prison for a crime he didn’t commit. He’s not alone in facing the injustices of the criminal justice system.
🎥He spoke about his experience with @CNN’s @jaketapper at @TheAtlantic festival. #RethinkJails
California’s Medicaid Reentry Waiver is a game-changer for reentry health care and a model for other states. Learn how 11 @Safety_Justice counties are implementing these changes that will impact 80% of their jail population. #CalAIM #RethinkJails
The troubling truth is that at least 4.9 million people are jailed each year – and more than a quarter of them are jailed multiple times.
Does the system really expect us to believe that it is “reforming” people?
A #HispanicHeritageMonth reminder: Hispanic people in jails deserve to have access to services in their own language. A report from SJC shares findings on how to make the justice system more equitable. #RethinkJails
Good news: The murder rate is going down. ⬇️ Now’s the time to rethink tough on crime policies. #RethinkJails
✍️: @tarangoNYT, @nytimes
“This system routinely allows wealthy individuals charged with serious offenses to walk free while low-risk defendants remain behind bars simply because they cannot afford bail.” - @LiselPetis, @RSI #RethinkJails
💰The Pretrial Fairness Act has provided significant economic benefits for families in Illinois.
It has helped those historically impacted by pretrial arrests AND allows people to go back to work sooner. #RethinkJails
✍️: @corli_jay, @TheTRiiBE
In general, violent crime has remained remarkably steady over the last 15 years – yet jail & prison populations have continued to climb.
No matter how much politicians may try to scare you, reforming the criminal legal system does not lead to more crime.
Before misdemeanor bail reform, two people could be charged the same, but only one would be released immediately because they could afford bail. This new policy reduces justice system disparities. #RethinkJails
✍️: @odowdpeter & @WilderFleming, @WBUR
Pretrial detention neither deters crime nor ensures court attendance. Holding people pretrial
➡️ Immediately disrupts a person’s ability to work
➡️ Increases their risk of death
➡️ Undermines fairness in the legal process
(via @PrisonPolicy) #RethinkJails
The data proves it: Eliminating cash bail doesn’t increase crime. We can #RethinkJails while keeping communities safe.
✍️: @monicaeng, @axios
Tomorrow marks one year without money bail in Illinois.
No longer are families forced to choose between paying rent and paying a ransom for their loved one’s freedom. This makes us all safer.
If you want to understand who incarceration helps and who it hurts, look at how many people in state prisons today grew up with an incarcerated parent.
https://www.prisonpolicy.org/blog/2022/08/11/parental\_incarceration/
Today marks one year since the implementation of the Pretrial Fairness Act began, ushering in a new era of pretrial policy in Illinois where safety, not money, determines who can return to the community pretrial. Read more here:
❗Incarcerated people are dying. It’s time to #RethinkJails, because some health care companies are putting profits over people. Everyone deserves adequate access to medical care.
✍️: @stephenstarr, @guardian
Incarceration takes a toll on families. The Together Home project is making it easier for mothers to advocate for early release and get back to their children sooner. #RethinkJails
✍️: @robertsalonga, @mercnews
“Forcing people to endure these dangerously high temperatures—while confined in metal and concrete and with no way to keep cool—is inhumane and does nothing to advance public safety.” - @Erica_Bryant_, @verainstitute
Poverty traps people in jail—and jail traps people in poverty. Did you know that 83% of people in local jails are legally innocent and awaiting trial? Yet the majority cannot afford bail. We must #RethinkJails. More from @PrisonPolicy. ⬇️