Transportation Access and the Criminal Legal System

Some of the most achievable ways to disentangle people from the criminal system are hidden in plain sight, in the fight for access to transit.
Read the ReportSome of the most achievable ways to disentangle people from the criminal system are hidden in plain sight, in the fight for access to transit.
Read the ReportBeing unhoused and getting arrested go together: each one makes the other more likely. A person who has been arrested is more likely to be at risk of losing their housing, and once a person has been incarcerated, the risk of being unhoused skyrockets.
Read the ReportWe must confront the fact that we cannot empty our prisons and jails without addressing the influx of people pushed through community supervision into incarceration.
Read the ReportOur legal system targets poor people, and then makes it more likely that they will both stay poor and stay in legal trouble.
Read the ReportAccess to public benefits may be an under-appreciated public safety mechanism. When people are able to pay their rent, support their families, not go hungry, have a roof over their heads, and have access to healthcare, they are less likely to engage in crime.
Read the ReportIn addition to promoting programs that help people secure housing, we must deliberately shrink the criminal legal system in order to expand housing access.
Read the ReportIn its current form, the American carceral system robs people of opportunity, tears families apart, and destabilizes entire communities. Unlike police, prisons, and prosecutors, public defenders are uniquely situated to empower those facing the criminal legal system, shrink the system itself by reducing incarceration, and transform our approach to public safety.
Read the ReportInteracting with the police, being arrested, or spending time behind bars make it more difficult for a person to get a quality education and access to opportunity. If we care about improving opportunity—and public safety—through education, we must consider shrinking the criminal legal system itself.
Read the ReportWe must stop using jail as a substitute for care.
Read the ReportJust a few years behind bars can increase risk of death by 80% and shave a decade off a person's life.
Read the ReportIt turns out income, housing, and access to care are key in creating public safety.
Read the ReportThe criminal legal system is keeping people poor.
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