NO DEMAND, NO SUPPLY
Before we reform the Criminal Justice System, we need to take a closer
look at the Foster Care System
President
Obama is calling for a fairer and more equitable criminal justice system. This
would entail a federal review of solitary confinement, the restoration of voting
rights to former felons, and the passage of a sentencing reform bill by
Congress.
I agree with
the President. The criminal justice system has been out of balance for a long
time. As a nation, we must face the fact that while we represent roughly 5% of
the world’s population, the United States makes up 25% of the worlds total
prison population. Simply put, we imprison our citizens at a higher rate than
any other nation!
I believe
that there is more to the issue than simply passing sentencing-reform bills. We
need to understand who is in prison, and why. Where do these prisoners come from?
On a personal and socio-economic level, what if anything do they have in
common? When asked about prisons and inmates the average American believes in
generalizations like the idea that inmates come from low-income households,
raised by single mothers from urban areas. It's stereotyping at its best. However,
there is one common thread that (in some estimations) unites over 80% of the United
States prison population: at one point in their lives, they were all foster
children!
We have
known for decades about the foster-care-to-prison pipeline, yet we continue to
do nothing to address the source of the problem. For decades, politicians have
called for reform to the criminal justice system, the prison system, and
increased spending on law enforcement. While at the same time, our society
continues to cut programs in schools, sports and extra-curricular activities
for children. It seems, that music, art and social wellbeing aimed at single
parent households and children are the first to go.
In tough economic times, families struggle
to make ends meet. Many times they are unable to provide for their children.
Desperation can lead to bad choices and result in the system taking control of
their children. With over 400,000 children currently in foster care, we are at
a point of critical mass. Caseworkers are overwhelmed. Qualified foster parents
are in short supply. Sometimes, we remove children from a situation only to
place them in a new home that is no better than where they came from. Without a
review and overhaul of the foster-care system, we may never see the results in
the criminal justice system that we so desperately want and need.
Over the
years, my husband, a criminal defense attorney, has dealt with many people in
crisis. He has expressed his frustration at how difficult it is to get out of
the system, once it gets it grip on a person. Many times, with costs, fines and
conditions of probation, single parents are set up to fail. He understands that
the system itself, from judges, public defenders, prosecutors and probation
officers are overwhelmed. He says that it could be as simple as “without
demand, there is no need for supply.” He is referring to the cheap heroin that
is overtaking our small Northern Michigan community.
After there
was a crackdown on the ability for people to get prescriptions for serious pain
medications, they resorted to the purchase of illegal narcotics. With that
increased demand, there was a flood of small time drug dealers willing to
satisfy their need. Thus, without the demand, there would be no suppliers.
Applying
this simple economic principle, if we create reform designed to eliminate the
conditions in our society that impact impoverished parents, help restore
educational programs, and address the theories of the Adverse Childhood
Experiences (ACE’s) study, we will produce fewer desperate families and thus
less of a potential supply for the foster care and criminal justice system.
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