Criminal justice reform in America: Policing and pretrial detention

The United States incarcerates more people per capita than any other country in the world. Recidivism rates continue to be high as millions of people cycle in and out of the criminal justice system and deal with a cumbersome pretrial detention process. Black people are disproportionately more likely to die from police violence, and racial and ethnic minorities are simultaneously over- and under-policed. After 50 years, it is clear there are a plethora of unintended consequences of the War on Crime and the War on Drugs, which have led to issues across the criminal justice system.

In a report by Brookings and the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), contributing authors present insights around the following core criminal justice issues: pretrial detention, prison culture, youth and juvenile justice, desistance, training and employment, and reentry. The experts also explore strategies and recommendations for critically needed reforms in these areas.

On April 30, Governance Studies at Brookings and AEI cohosted a webinar to present the report and discuss policing and pretrial detention reforms outlined in the paper. Speakers discussed short-, medium-, and long-term reforms to the frontend of the criminal justice system.

Viewers can submit questions for speakers by emailing [email protected] or via Twitter at @BrookingsGov by using #CJReform.