NCJ Number
219197
Journal
Corrections Today Magazine Volume: 69 Issue: 2 Dated: April 2007 Pages: 38-40
Date Published
April 2007
Length
3 pages
Annotation
This article discusses the consequences of the increased use of incarceration and reports on the Mayoral Policy Caucus on Prisoner Reentry, convened in May 2004.
Abstract
According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the numbers of offenders under correctional supervision is ever-increasing. Some statistics on the correctional population of Illinois and Chicago are offered before the author turns to an analysis of the impact of mass incarceration and correctional supervision on communities. The analysis focuses on the consequences of incarceration in terms of money/resources, effectiveness, community safety, community health, families, race, and invisible punishments such as the denial of housing and employment. The discussion shows how the mass incarceration of Illinois residents, and in particular, Chicago residents, has had reverberating effects across communities in terms of destabilized families, limited resources, community violence, and charges of racial discrimination within criminal justice systems and processes. In response, Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley convened the Mayoral Policy Caucus on Prisoner Reentry to offer recommendations about how to ease reentry problems and strengthen families and communities harmed by crime. Although a wide range of important topics was identified, the Caucus agreed to focus on four priority areas: employment, health, family, and community safety. The final report of the Caucus was released on January 2006 and contained numerous statewide recommendations for prisoner reentry as well as recommendations specific to Chicago. Ultimately, the recommendations are about giving individuals with criminal backgrounds a second chance to become law-abiding and productive citizens. A Web site address is provided to access the report. Endnotes