The National Academies Press

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Pages 245-260

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From page 245... ... Reducing Harmful Environmental Exposures Chapter 3 draws a connection between concentrated disadvantage and toxic exposures such as lead and air pollution, which have been linked to crime and criminal justice contact. This section describes some of the literature that connects lead exposure as one toxic mechanism for influencing criminal outcomes and as an environmental pathway that contributes to racial inequalities (Sampson and Winter, 2016) Read the entire page →
From page 246... ... . Collective efficacy and community mobilization can catalyze the deployment of environmental interventions to reduce toxic exposures, thereby reducing crime and criminal justice contact (see Chapter 6 for discussion about collective efficacy) Read the entire page →
From page 247... ... . INTERVENTIONS IN OTHER SYSTEMS This section explores interventions that take place in the adjacent social policy systems or institutions -- such as education, child welfare, and health systems -- that can perpetuate, compound, or mitigate racial inequality in and outside of the criminal justice system. Read the entire page →
From page 248... ... . Strengthening Families and Protecting Children Part I of this report documents how issues related to parenting and f amily stability, such as the loss of a child's relationship to a parent, can make children more vulnerable to later criminal justice system involvement. Read the entire page →
From page 249... ... . Protecting Ties between Incarcerated Parents and Their Children and Families Parental incarceration is one reason children may be fast-tracked to adoption under the Adoption and Safe Families Act, which requires states to file for the termination of parental rights for any child in foster care for 15 of the most recent 22 months (Children's Bureau, 2021) Read the entire page →
From page 250... ... . Parenting Inside Out2 is one such program that uses parenting coaches to teach both mothers and fathers involved in the criminal justice system. Read the entire page →
From page 251... ... Jail,6 can create a more welcoming environment for children in what can otherwise be an intimidating or tense environment. Reducing the barriers to communication between incarcerated parents and children can support relationship development. Read the entire page →
From page 252... ... . Head Start, the public preschool program for children from disadvantaged backgrounds, is one example of an ECE program that has been associated with reduced likelihood of criminal justice involvement. Read the entire page →
From page 253... ... . Not only do high-quality ECE programs reduce criminal justice involvement, but they also result in long-term societal cost-savings, which in large part can be attributed to crime reduction (García et al., 2020) Read the entire page →
From page 254... ... To date, the direct evidence that attending No Excuses charter schools reduces criminal justice involvement for minority youth in disadvantaged urban communities is limited. The students in many of these studies have not been followed into their adult lives. Read the entire page →
From page 255... ... Given that educational attainment and employment are strongly associated with the absence of a criminal record, there are good reasons to believe that these expanded opportunities may reduce their involvement in the criminal justice system as well. Read the entire page →
From page 256... ... finds that unequal treatment based on race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, or disability status results in disparate outcomes for children, as out-of-school suspensions are highly predictive of future involvement with the criminal justice system and reduced educational achievement. Recent initiatives have sought to reduce the suspensions and expulsions of youth of color from schools, but to date these initiatives have been small in scope. Read the entire page →
From page 257... ... . Another program that has shown promise in reducing racial disparities in the juvenile justice system is the Philadelphia Police School Diversion Program. Read the entire page →
From page 258... ... A report by the Brookings-AEI Working Group on Criminal Justice Reform documents some of the negative consequences of SRO programs and offers the following strategies for reforming these programs to promote safety and to reduce harm. Over the short term, the Brookings-AEI group recommends these reforms: • Providing staff training and resources so students have support services; and • Having school leadership strictly limit the roles and responsibilities of SROs. Read the entire page →
From page 259... ... By disrupting pathways that lead to criminal justice involvement, such as expulsions and SRO referrals for non-criminal behaviors, schools can be a promising site of intervention for reducing racial disparities in criminal justice contact and arrests for youth. Promoting Health and Well-being The racial inequalities in crime and justice that are discussed throughout this report are also reflected in health and well-being indicators. Read the entire page →
From page 260... ... These additional disparities may further compound the disadvantage of justice-involved Black, Latino, and Native populations compared with non-Hispanic White persons. With this complex relationship in mind, it is important to understand health disparities in the context of the criminal justice system and to explore potential interventions that mitigate the detrimental effects of criminal justice system involvement on health. Read the entire page →

From page 245...

... Reducing Harmful Environmental Exposures Chapter 3 draws a connection between concentrated disadvantage and toxic exposures such as lead and air pollution, which have been linked to crime and criminal justice contact. This section describes some of the literature that connects lead exposure as one toxic mechanism for influencing criminal outcomes and as an environmental pathway that contributes to racial inequalities (Sampson and Winter, 2016)