V - Alternatives To Incarceration

The prison population in the United States has risen by 602% (this is not a typo, it is in fact six hundred two percent) from 1970 to 2009 and the incarceration rate has risen by 365% in the same time period.  The simplistic approach to social problems is incarceration and we also saw that that this approach disproportionately targets minorities, specifically African Americans males with an incarceration rate of 4,479 compared to 708 for white males (West,2010).  Comparing prison male population directly is not remarkable with whites at 33% and African Americans at 40.1% but compare this to the nation’s demographics and we have stumbled upon something profound.  Whites account for 79.5% of the population whereas African Americans only account for 12.9% (Census, 2010).

Data from the Bureau of Justice Statistics 2009
and the United States Census, 2010

  

We can fool ourselves or hide from reality for only so long before the reality of our current policy comes to fruition.  There are however, ideas and attempts to combat this problem before we reach the ultimate conflagration.  The movement or at least the idea is called Alternatives To Incarceration (ATI) which seeks ways to deincarcerate or excarcerate.

 There are many programs already developed and working toward this end.  Notably the community corrections movement which includes probation, parole and other rehabilitative programs such as drug-treatment, cognitive behavioral therapies, education, and restorative justice programs to name a few (Weissman, 2009).  But these programs have been around for decades and can’t even see their reflection in the prison industrial complex, much less make a dent.  Wiessman, a professor and advocate for policy changes and alternatives to incarceration says: 

ATI programs are limited by criminal laws and regulations, by institutional and structural racism, and by powerful economic agendas. Factors external to matters of crime prevention and public safety, such as the use of crime issues for political purposes and as a code word for race (known as the “Willie Horton” syndrome), as well as structural changes in American economic and social institutions, have made it difficult to reduce reliance on incarceration through ATI programs (Ibid, p. 247).

It seems to me that until we take an integrated approach to crime reduction by examining all facets of the individual, his behaviors, her social and cultural structure and values, and the structural deficiencies of our society will be able to effect change.  Ken Wilber, a pioneer and founder of Integral Theory, which is holistic and not a criminological theory provides a tool or an approach if you will to examining any situation and it is called the Four Quadrants (Wilber, 2006).   

Image From: integralhealthresources.com

If we use the Four Quadrants as a tool, we can place the individual as the focus and use the upper left quadrant, or the “I” to focus on what will be necessary, as a society, for us to respond to the criminal’s subjective person.  Here, we can effectively use tool such and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) to assist with cognitive distortions-or thinking errors, learning disabilities, anger management, sexual desires or any other mental health issues that will make re-integration difficult for this individual.

If we use the upper right quadrant, or the “It” we can use this as a tool to look at the individual’s personal health, living situation, economic status, job situation, educational status, relationship status, gang involvement, or other risk factors for recidivism and use social tools to respond accordingly.

Using the lower left quadrant, “We” we can use this to focus on the person’s cultural, family, or social values and how these values will affect behavior or the likelihood of strain that these may place on the individual.

The last and I believe the most difficult, from the perspective of change is the structural and organizations that dominate our justice system and this is represented in the lower right quadrant or the “Its”.  It is these structural systems, for example, prison, education, and community correction that are what is required for there to be effective change. 

An integrated approach, without the desire for mass inefficient incarceration, looking at the individuals psychological and physical health, social structure and living conditions, morals and values, disabling risks and a relational model, as opposed to the current adversarial model will be the most productive.

I have over four years’ experience as a counselor working at a residential treatment program for youth with emotional disabilities and we use a relational-containing model and approach that focuses on compassion and effective skill building while building relationships.  And although our model is difficult it is very effective.  A model similar, geared for individuals that have deviated socially, for a plethora of reasons, which requires an integrated relational model to truly understand and provide social services that are best for the individual.

Crime rates are down significantly but incarceration rates are up dramatically.  Mass inefficient incarceration is not the answer, we cannot afford mass incarceration-financially or morally. 

Works Cited

United States Census Bureau. (2010). Retrieved from website: http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/2012/tables/12s0006.pdf

Weissman, M. (2009). Aspiring to the impractical alternatives to incarceration in the era of mass incarcerations. Retrieved from http://www.communityalternatives.org/pdf/Weissman-NYULawSocialChange33.pdf

West, H. C. (2010). Retrieved from U.S. Department of Justice website: http://bjs.ojp.usdoj.gov/content/pub/pdf/pim09st.pdf

Wilber, K. (2006).http://www.kenwilber.com/writings/read_pdf/34. Retrieved from website: http://www.kenwilber.com/writings/read_pdf/34