Reformist Interventions and Social Mobility

• In Event: Health Criminology: Pretrial Health

Abstract

Across the United States, criminal jurisdictions are seeking out tools to reduce the social and financial costs of incarceration. Among the most popular reforms are programs that promise rehabilitation and service delivery as alternatives to pretrial detention or formal punishment, including community service hours, electronic monitoring, mental health and substance abuse treatment, and classes on topics such as anger management. The use of these interventions is growing, but research on their use and consequences is limited. Studying these interventions as a group, rather than in isolation, provides important insights into how people navigate and are affected by the various requirements of court supervision. Drawing on courtroom observations and 200 in-depth interviews with people assigned to participate in these interventions in New York State, we examine how participation shapes social mobility and individual well-being.

Authors

• Gabriela Kirk-Werner, Syracuse University

• Mary Ellen Stitt, University at Albany, SUNY

• Caitlin Udas, University at Albany, SUNY