The ABA Annual Meeting in Chicago has presented its 10 principles for ending pass incarceration and lengthy prison sentences. Read more here
“The working group includes the following in its 10 principles:
• Limit the use of pretrial detention.
• Increase the use of diversion programs and other alternatives to prosecution and incarceration.
• Abolish mandatory minimum sentences.
• Expand the use of probation, community release and other alternatives to incarceration, and create the fewest restrictions possible while promoting rehabilitation and protecting public safety.
• End incarceration for the failure to pay fines or fees without first holding an ability-to-pay hearing and finding that a failure to pay was willful.
• Adopt “second look” policies that require regular review and, if appropriate, reduction of lengthy sentences.
• Broaden opportunities for incarcerated individuals to reduce their sentences for positive behavior or completing educational, training or rehabilitative programs.
• Increase opportunities for incarcerated individuals to obtain compassionate release.
• Evaluate the effectiveness of prosecutors based on their impact on public safety and not their number of convictions.
• Evaluate the effectiveness of probation and parole officers based on their success in helping probationers and parolees and not their revocation rates.”
