Justice and public safety strategies to strengthen families
Justice and public safety strategies can reduce levels of incarceration, help formerly incarcerated individuals successfully re-enter society, and improve neighborhood safety, all of which strengthen family stability.
Children in families that do not experience incarceration or violence see better outcomes at every life stage.
How do justice issues impact family well-being?
- Low-income individuals who have never been incarcerated experience higher rates of upward economic mobility. 1
Among individuals from very low-income families, individuals who have been incarcerated are twice as likely to remain in the bottom quintile of earnings in the long term than individuals who are never incarcerated.
- Individuals and families who have not experienced incarceration have higher earnings. 2
While a father is incarcerated, family income is 22 percent lower on average than before the father was incarcerated. A year after a father is released, family income remains 15 percent lower than it was prior to incarceration. Individuals who have been incarcerated experience $179,000 in decreased earnings over the course of their lives, on average.
- Children whose fathers have never been incarcerated are less likely to be expelled or suspended from school. 3
23 percent of children whose fathers have been incarcerated are expelled or suspended from school, compared to 4 percent of children whose fathers have not been incarcerated.
- Being stopped by police negatively affects adolescents’ mental health and may increase engagement in criminal behavior. 4
Adolescent boys who are stopped by police report greater psychological distress and more frequent engagement in delinquent behavior 6, 12, and 18 months later, independent of prior delinquency. The younger boys are when they are first stopped, the stronger the negative effects.
- As of 2010, 2.7 million children had an incarcerated parent. 5
Two-thirds of incarcerated parents are imprisoned for non-violent offenses.
Categories of successful interventions
- Diversion programs: Court-mandated programs that provide alternatives to incarceration, including education, rehabilitation, community service, or restitution
- Mentoring, counseling, and case management: Clinical and social supports that seek to address trauma, improve mental health, and increase general well-being
- Re-entry programs: Programs that help individuals returning from prison find housing, employment, and other support services
Evidence-based interventions
Intervention | Type | Category | Evidence Level |
---|---|---|---|
Adult reentry programs | Strategy |
|
Strong (second-highest tier) |
Alcohol outlet density restrictions | Policy |
|
Proven (highest tier) |
Center for Employment Opportunities | Program |
|
Proven (highest tier) |
Cognitive behavioral therapy for offenders | Strategy |
|
Strong (second-highest tier) |
Corrections-based adult basic and secondary education | Strategy |
|
Strong (second-highest tier) |
Drug courts | Policy |
|
Strong (second-highest tier) |
Family treatment drug courts | Strategy |
|
Proven (highest tier) |
Juvenile diversion programs | Strategy |
|
Strong (second-highest tier) |
Mentoring programs for delinquency | Strategy |
|
Proven (highest tier) |
Multisystemic therapy for juvenile offenders | Strategy |
|
Proven (highest tier) |
Rapid Employment and Development Initiative (READI) | Program |
|
Promising (Third-highest tier) |
Restorative justice programs | Strategy |
|
Strong (second-highest tier) |
Roca | Program |
|
Promising (Third-highest tier) |
School-based prevention programs for aggressive and disruptive behavior | Strategy |
|
Proven (highest tier) |
School-based violence and bullying prevention programs | Strategy |
|
Proven (highest tier) |
School-wide positive behavioral interventions and supports | Strategy |
|
Proven (highest tier) |
Treatment for serious juvenile offenders | Strategy |
|
Proven (highest tier) |