Does “tough on crime” actually work? Could Ban the Box policies backfire?
Jen Doleac, PhD, is Executive Vice President of Criminal Justice at Arnold Ventures, a philanthropy maximizing evidence based policy & minimizing injustice. She is an economist & the author of The Science of Second Chances who prefers the reliable lens of data over personal values & has a particular interest in how measurable data can give rise to positive societal change.
In this episode, she breaks down when prison actually works versus when it just creates more prisoners & walks through how the minefield of rules in probation may not prevent new crime in the way we think. You’ll also hear the re-entry policies that worked vs flopped & the real life results from policies developed through data.
If you liked this episode, you’ll also like episode 195: ROUNDING UP SUSPICIOUS WOMEN? THE AMERICAN PLAN
Guest:
Book: https://a.co/d/0aZzqCMt
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https://www.probablecausation.com/
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arnoldventures.org
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https://www.historicpensacola.org/about-us/
2:44 Homicide is basically a coin flip
4:36 Probability vs. severity of punishment
5:56 The evidence against harsh sentencing
8:15 Are we confusing retribution with safety?
9:03 Digital crimes and the Undress Me app case
12:10 Policymakers blocking unfavorable research
14:47 "Tough on crime" politics vs. data
24:11 DNA profiles vs. 23andMe: what's actually stored
35:04 DUIs: breathalyzers and officer discretion
37:56 South Dakota's 24/7 Sobriety program
40:43 Re-entry: Ban the Box backfires
42:51 Hiring bias and insurance as a fix
45:06 Rehabilitation certificates work
47:24 Housing barriers and halfway house surprises
49:16 Mental health gaps post-release
50:14 Medicaid's inmate exclusion
52:14 Reentry waivers and continuity of care
54:43 Head Start, prevention, and crime
58:15 Lead poisoning and the serial-killer hypothesis
1:04:08 The four reasons we punish people
1:06:10 Book, podcast, and what's next for Jen
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