Justice reinvestment is an evidence-based approach to reducing crime by investing in human capital, rather than infrastructure. It aims to rehabilitate offenders through education, counseling, and social support systems, rather than punishment. The approach is pragmatic and aims to reduce the overall burden of crime on society. It differs from traditional approaches, which are often driven by public opinion and emotions.
Justice reinvestment is an approach to reducing the negative impacts of crime in a community through investment in human capital. This approach contrasts with investing in infrastructure to curb criminal behavior. It is a method in which scientists collect and analyze empirical data and then make recommendations to reframe existing measures to reduce crime. When a justice reinvestment program is initiated in a community, newly designed initiatives can subsequently be targeted less at incarceration and traditional punitive measures. Instead, the emphasis is usually on addressing the underlying causes of criminal behavior.
Traditional approaches to community management of criminal behavior typically involve taking punitive measures for offenders. These can include incarceration, assignments to public work crews, or placing an offender on probation. The latter approach usually involves a probation officer supervising the offender through a series of in-person visits scheduled over a period of time.
These measures usually require the construction and management of infrastructure, such as prisons and jails. In contrast, justice reinvestment programs focus less on enactment of punishment as a moral imperative and more on rehabilitating offenders through investments in education, counseling, and other social support systems. Typically, the operational viewpoint in justice reinvestment programs is to reduce the cost of crime to society through the acquisition and application of scientifically collected data.
In this approach, political pressures occurring within a justice system to punish an offender can be addressed by presenting evidence of the effectiveness of a particular crime reduction initiative. The findings can later be applied to changing crime management methods. Often the declared objective is to invest more pragmatically in human capital, through the rehabilitation of offenders. Proponents of this approach generally believe it will reduce the overall burden on society caused by criminal behavior.
Justice reinvestment programs generally operate on a pragmatic basis. This approach has similar goals in common with traditional crime management methods, such as a more peaceful society that is not shackled by overriding fears of crime. This approach differs, however, in that measures taken to prevent and reduce crime are based more on scientifically derived empirical evidence and less on public opinion.
Traditional approaches to criminal behavior in a community have often been driven in part by bereaved relatives who want to see justice done. Criminal behavior often evokes strong emotions such as fear and pain in those who have been victimized or fear becoming a victim of criminals. Consequently, it is common for politicians to influence crime reduction strategies, as they are confronted with crime outcomes among their constituents. Pragmatism can be difficult to achieve in these circumstances. Some believe that the reinvestment of justice offers a logical and evidence-based framework that seeks to reduce the human cost of criminal activity, by compensating victims and providing a safer environment for citizens.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
