Effective Alternatives to Incarceration

This publication examines the problems created by decades of growth in the U.S. prison population, and the role of police in community-based alternatives to prison. It examines police involvement in programs around the country, which are effective in dealing with crime, while keeping low risk offenders in the community. Interventions profiled include: the Juvenile Detention Alternative Initiative (JDAI), a program developed by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, where juvenile courts have adopted policies which keep low-risk offenders out of detention and lower juvenile crime rates at the same time; Mental Health Courts and Crisis Intervention Teams (CIT), where police, corrections and mental health professionals work together to find treatment for and lower the unnecessary confinement of the mentally ill; Restorative Justice Community Boards, where offenders meet with victims and community members to repair the harm caused by their crimes; and traditional collaborations between police.