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How U.S. Prisons could be different



Prisons could have sanitary conditions / pest control

Psychiatric / addiction care for homelessness could be coordinated by the state rather than county

Parents could be able to get residential treatment for mentally troubled / violent children before crimes are committed

Prisoners could or could not have cell phones / tablets with restrictions

Prisons could have language translators

Gang involvement could be confronted inside prisons

Nonviolent offenders could be separated from violent offenders in smaller prisons to prevent prison gang recruitment / increased crime

Medication-assisted treatment could be more available for opioid addiction

The Back on Track program could be used with nonviolent offenders instead of prison

Prisoners could receive trauma-informed therapy

Prisoners could be able to defend themselves in courts

Released prisoners could go to homestays

U.S. citizen payments to government could be easier to pay and less punitive

Prisons and domestic violence / homeless shelters could have pets from animal shelters

Parents and children could be kept together, adequate beds/living facilities/healthcare could be available, and processing could be quicker in U.S. immigrant detention facilities

Involuntary sterilization could not happen in prisons

Prison guards could be coaches / mentors

Pedophiles could get therapy and psychiatric / hormonal drugs

Minor crime arrests, racial and religious profiling, stop and frisk, police quotas, fines, and seizure of property could create community distrust and resentment of police

Rehabilitation programs could be used instead of or in jail

Fines, violations, license suspensions, and increasing debts could not negatively impact the poor

Marijuana and other drug charges could be dropped or changed

District Attorneys, prosecutors, and judges could reform the U.S. criminal justice system

Dyslexia could be screened for in kindergarten and prisons

Vulnerable prison inmates could be housed in separate areas

Plea bargains could reformed or not used

Participatory defense could involve families and communities in criminal trials

The U.S. could take additional steps to lower prison populations, cost, and excessive punishment

Prisoners could be able to share conditions of jails and treatment

Restorative justice could be used to help both perpetrators and victims

U.S. prisoners could receive better / less negligent healthcare

More U.S. prisoners could be eligible for parole

Prison, inner city, nursing home, and hospital residents could have access to nature

Drugs could be decriminalized with available treatment options

Prisoners could have access to Pell Grants

Prisons could have newspapers

Prisoners could have access to book, magazines, and newspapers

Juveniles could not be tried, sentenced, and incarcerated as adults

U.S. child support could depend on a current income or be by providing child care

Cash bail / waiting times in jail for non-violent, pretrial defendants could improve

Prisons could be rehabilitative

Prisons could have regulated temperatures

Prisoners could not have to pay to stay in jail depending on their income level

Community accompaniment programs or electronic monitoring could be used instead of immigration detention centers

Mandatory minimum and three strike sentencing laws could be reformed for nonviolent offenses

Prison labor could be paid more, have labor protections, and prepare people for employment after release

Juvenile detention could be improved to rehabilitate

Public defender offices could be fully funded

Prisons could have dog training programs

Prisoners could receive education and job training before release

Judges could limit pretrial detention to defendants whom pose a danger or could be flight risks

Child support orders could be based on current income and assist with job placement/retention

Solitary confinement in prisons could be limited or abolished

Private prisons could be banned, limited, have increased oversight / incentives to keep people out of prison, and/or turn into nonprofit

Community-based alternatives to prison could be used to lower recidivism rates and prison populations