What is the smart justice movement?
The ACLU Campaign for Smart Justice is an unprecedented, multiyear effort to reduce the U.S. jail and prison population by 50% and to challenge racism in the criminal legal system.
Does Pennsylvania have a problem with mass incarceration?
Pennsylvania is in the midst of a mass incarceration crisis. With 96,000 people behind bars, Pennsylvania has the highest incarceration rate in the Northeast. When factoring in people who are on probation or parole, Pennsylvania has the second highest rate of incarceration in the country.
Why does the US have the highest incarceration rate?
A 2014 report by the National Research Council identified two main causes of the increase in the United States’ incarceration rate over the previous 40 years: longer prison sentences and increases in the likelihood of imprisonment.
What is the basic idea of the criminal justice system?
Criminal justice seeks to deter future crimes by creating penalties for criminal conduct and rehabilitate criminals through incarceration. It is a system that delivers “justice” through a punishment proportionate to the crime.
Can be categorized as a total institution?
A total institution is a place of work and residence where a great number of similarly situated people, cut off from the wider community for a considerable time, together lead an enclosed, formally administered round of life.
How many prisons does Pennsylvania have?
23 state correctional institutions
There are currently 23 state correctional institutions, one motivational boot camp, one central training academy, 14 community corrections centers, and the DOC contracts with approximately 40 contractors across the Commonwealth that provide transitional services.
How many people are in jail in PA?
According to worldpopulationreview.com, Pennsylvania had the sixth-highest prison population among the states with 45,485 inmates in 2019.