This week, Pennsylvania Corrections Secretary John E. Wetzel
headlined the Council of State
Governments Justice Center and the Association
of State Correctional Administrators’ “50-State Summit on Public
Safety,” in Washington, D.C.
The Summit emphasized the fact that reform means much more
than reining in abusive police officers or cutting prison populations, reported
The Crime Report.
In opening remarks Wetzel called on fellow justice officials
to abandon the “stovepipe approach” of handling issues in isolated silos of the
justice system and seek cooperation with experts in other areas.
Wetzel’s remarks set the tone for the meeting, which was
aimed at presenting officials in each state with a detailed analysis of their
crime issues, including trends in arrests, recidivism and “behavioral health,”
and help them come up with evidence-based solutions.
Summit attendees include all state prison directors, 41
state legislators, 35 state behavioral health directors, 15 police chiefs, and
12 sheriffs.
A major theme that surfaced early in the session is that
issues often labelled as “criminal justice” problems, such as mental illness
and addiction, can be handled just as well by public health authorities.
To read more CLICK HERE
Posts
1 comment:
Which such a high percent of repeat crimes occurring, something has to change. The system has to do something to address the overcrowding of prisons, especially if there are an overwhelming amount of mental illness and addiction cases and these people can be helped.
Post a Comment