“People, Not Charges”: Combating Racial Disparities through Early Diversion
As Los Angeles County has recently shown, decreasing incarceration overall doesn't necessarily reduce racial disparities in the criminal legal system. Early diversion programs can make a much-needed difference.
For someone faced with an arrest, prosecutors are arguably the most powerful figures in the legal system. Can this power be leveraged to reduce, rather than expand, the harms of incarceration?
Any time in jail can be life-threatening for incarcerated people, many of whom are awaiting trial and cannot afford to pay bail. The rising death tolls on Rikers Island and in jails across the country underscore the need for safer, more humane responses to the challenges facing our communities.
Safety is more than the absence of crime. It's about building power within communities. See how communities define safety for themselves, and our approach to helping them achieve it.
