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But they all come back: facing the challenges of prisoner reentry
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2005
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Systemic JusticeLawCriminal LawSocial SciencesIron LawCriminal Justice SystemCorrectional PracticeJeremy TravisPrisoner ReentryPrison ViolencePenologyPublic PolicyDecarcerationPunishmentCriminal JusticeJustice SystemSociologyCarceral SettingSocial Justice
The expansion of U.S. prisons has led to a persistent return of inmates, yet the effects on families, communities, and public safety remain largely ignored in policy debates. Travis seeks to reorganize the criminal justice system around five reentry principles to foster systemic change and spur innovation. He proposes implementing these five principles as a structural framework guiding reentry practices.
As our justice system has embarked upon one of our time's greatest social experiments?responding to crime by expanding prisons?we have forgotten the iron law of imprisonment: they all come back. In 2002, more than 630,000 individuals left federal and state prisons. Thirty years ago, only 150,000 did. In the intense political debate over America's punishment policies, the impact of these returning prisoners on families and communities has been largely overlooked. In But They All Come Back, Jeremy Travis continues his pioneering work on the new realities of punishment in America vis-a-vis public safety, families and children, work, housing, public health, civic identity, and community capacity. Travis proposes organizing the criminal justice system around five principles of reentry to encourage change and spur innovation.