Behind the Cycle: A National Summit to Advance an Integrative Approach to Justice Reform

At this national summit on criminal justice, over 300 participants from diverse professions addressed the interrelated risk factors that contribute to delinquency and incarceration. The primary goal of the conference was to promote interdisciplinary collaboration in justice reform and review pre- and re-entry efforts.

With more than one in every 100 adults in America in jail or in prison, and with black men in their early 30s more likely to have been in prison than to have graduated from college, the nation can no longer afford—in terms of economics, public safety, or social justice—to ignore the devastating personal and community effects of concentrated poverty, the racial disparity of America's criminal justice system, or the mass institutionalization of young men of color.

Profound connections exist between what is called a "cycle of incarceration" and inadequately addressed social conditions in such areas as education, economic opportunity, housing, child welfare, and health. This cycle of incarceration is fueled by criminal justice policies that emphasize incarceration over human services and community investments that address the individual, family, school, and environmental risk factors.

The progress that policymakers, advocates, and service providers have made by working together to address re-entry policy issues illustrates the effectiveness of the Behind the Cycle approach.