Main Discussion
We find the current US, State and County corrections system to be:
- Costly to both taxpayers and the people
- Unevenly applied to the clients
- Ineffective in facilitating rehabilitation
- Ineffective in providing for public safety
We believe the root causes of deficiencies in our correctional systems to be:
- Inequality of educational, economic, and personal opportunities for our people
- Unequal administration of law enforcement
- A corrections system often indifferent to “what works” in rehabilitation or unfunded to put proven approaches in place
- Systemic racism
Proposals
- We propose the following steps to address the deficiencies in the corrections system.
- The primary scope of these proposals is reform of State, County, and City organizations – these are not prioritized.
- Replace “Offender Badge” ID with standard WA State ID
- Eliminate “cash bail” with more equitable incentives to show up at court
- Focus on Prison and Jail education programs – especially online classes
- Encourage more effective court models such as Family, Drug, Mental Health and Bankruptcy Courts
- Challenge quality and costs of Private Prisons and Jails
- Seek opportunities to work with others in the Faith Community for these goals