From Mass Incarceration to Smart Decarceration

From Mass Incarceration to Smart DecarcerationA prolonged era of mass incarceration has led to staggering rates of imprisonment in the United States, particularly among some of the most vulnerable and marginalized groups.Given the rising social and economic costs of imprisonment and tight public budgets, this trend is beginning to reverse (Petersilia Brekke, Ell, Fraser, 2004).Social work can bring siloed social sectors and diverse academic disciplines together to create a rational and effective response as prisons and jails devolve.Smart Decarceration will be proactive, transdisciplinary, and empirically driven.Effective decarceration will be occurring when (1) the incarcerated population in U.S. jails and prisons is substantially decreased; (2) existing racial and economic disparities in the criminal justice system are redressed; and(3) public safety and public health are maximized.