Smart Decarceration
Published:
| Author: Carrie Pettus
This article describes the onset of smart decarceration approaches, the historical context from which smart decarceration stems, and the societal momentum that led to the conceptualization of smart decarceration. Smart decarceration is a social work lead strategy and is one of the 12 Grand Challenges for Social Work. This article concludes with an overview of the current status of smart decarceration and details shifts and initiatives to pursue at the intersection of social work and smart decarceration.
Category: Smart Decarceration
Guideposts for the Era of Smart Decarceration
Published:
| Author: Carrie Pettus-Davis, Matthew Epperson, Annie Grier
Despite the expansion of efforts to reduce jail and prison populations and reform criminal justice policy and practice, a comprehensive, inclusive, and actionable approach has been relatively absent from the conversation. Such an approach is only possible if criminal justice stakeholders agree upon the foundational objectives that can generate lasting decarceration. In this report, we offer guideposts and actionable strategies for the era of smart decarceration in America.
Category: Smart Decarceration
Deferred Prosecution Programs: An Implementation Guide
Published:
| Author: Carrie Pettus-Davis, Matthew Epperson, Annie Grier, Megan Kraatz, Leon Sawh, Stephanie Kennedy
Deferred prosecution is one prosecutor-led diversion mechanism that has the potential to reduce criminal justice involvement and incarceration rates while maximizing public safety.
Category: Smart Decarceration, Diversion, Deferred Prosecution
Smart Decarceration Practice Behaviors for Social Work Competencies
Published:
| Author: Phillipe Copeland, Daniel Jacob, Diane Young, Annie Grier, Stephanie Kennedy, Stephen Tripodi
This tool was conceived by a members of the “Promote Smart Decarceration” Grand Challenge Education Working Group to provide guidance for social work administrators, instructors, and students on how to effectively incorporate “smart decarceration” as a focus for social work education using the CSWE social work competencies.
This tool incorporates smart decarceration-related practice behaviors for ready application into both classroom curricula and field practicums.
Category: Grand Challenges, Smart Decarceration
Smart Decarceration: Achieving Criminal Justice Transformation in the 21st Century
Published:
| Author: Matthew Epperson, Carrie Pettus-Davis
Smart Decarceration is a forward-thinking, practical volume that provides innovative concepts and concrete strategies for ushering in an era of decarceration -- a proactive and effective undoing of the era of mass incarceration. The text grapples with tough questions and takes up the challenge of transforming America's approach to criminal justice in the 21st century.
Category: Smart Decarceration
Reverse Civic and Legal Exclusions for Persons with Criminal Charges and Convictions
Published:
| Author: Carrie Pettus-Davis, Matthew Epperson, Annie Grier
Civil disability policies entangle persons with criminal convictions in a web of civic and legal exclusions
that revoke or restrict their rights and limit access to services needed for an individual’s successful
community reintegration. These policies—also known as collateral consequences—extend the reach of
criminal justice punishment long after contact with the formal system has ended. There are now an
estimated 40,000 civil disability policies nationwide—policies that affect the daily lives of individuals,
Category: Collateral Consequences of Incarceration, Smart Decarceration
REVERSE CIVIC AND LEGAL EXCLUSIONS FOR PERSONS WITH CRIMINAL CHARGES AND CONVICTIONS
Published:
| Author: Carrie Pettus-Davis, Matthew Epperson, Annie Grier
Civil disability policies entangle persons with criminal convictions in a web of civic and legal exclusions
that revoke or restrict their rights and limit access to services needed for an individual’s successful
community reintegration. These policies—also known as collateral consequences—extend the reach of
criminal justice punishment long after contact with the formal system has ended. There are now an
estimated 40,000 civil disability policies nationwide—policies that affect the daily lives of individuals,
Category: Collateral Consequences of Incarceration, Smart Decarceration
Policy Recommendations for Meeting the Grand Challenge to Promote Smart Decarceration
Published:
| Author: Carrie Pettus-Davis, Matthew Epperson
What lies before us is a historic opportunity to promote smart decarceration by building social capacity to reduce incarceration rates in ways that are effective, sustainable, and socially just. To succeed, smart decarceration requires policy innovations that substantially reduce the use of incarceration, redress existing disparities in the criminal justice system, and maximize public safety and well-being.
Category: Grand Challenges, Smart Decarceration
From Mass Incarceration to Smart Decarceration
Published:
| Author: Carrie Pettus-Davis, Matthew Epperson
The Grand Challenges for Social Work are designed to focus a world of thought and action on the most compelling and critical social issues of our day. Each grand challenge is a broad but discrete concept where social work expertise and leadership can be brought to bear on bold new ideas, scientific exploration and surprising innovations.
Category: Grand Challenges, Smart Decarceration
From Mass Incarceration to Smart Decarceration
Published:
| Author: Carrie Pettus-Davis, Matthew Epperson
Through decarceration, the lives of millions of people can be vastly improved, and the nation as a whole can leave behind this short-sighted and shameful period of mass incarceration. But how will this be accomplished, and by whom? Seldom before in the nation’s history has the need for applied social innovation been more urgent.
Category: Smart Decarceration
Smart Decarceration: Guiding Concepts for an Era of Criminal Justice Transformation
Published:
| Author: Carrie Pettus-Davis, Matthew Epperson
The era of mass incarceration, which made the United States the world’s leading jailer, appears to be coming to an end. What is likely to follow is an era of decarceration, aimed at reducing the incarcerated population. In this working paper, we discuss the problems associated with mass incarceration and the current climate that is likely to make decarceration a reality. We discuss the importance of developing a “smart decarceration” approach—one that is effective, sustainable, and socially just.
Category: Smart Decarceration
Reverse Social Work's Neglect of Adults Involved in the Criminal Justice System: The Intersection and an Agenda
Published:
| Author: Carrie Pettus-Davis, Matthew Epperson, Annie Grier
Social work has neglected adults involved in the criminal justice system for nearly four decades. This neglect has been attributed to value conflicts between social work and criminal justice professionals, perceived limited effects of interventions with adults involved in the criminal justice system, and lack of social work training in services to those involved in the criminal justice system.