Flashback: 2013 Blog on Corrections

 In a 2013 blog post from almost eight years ago, I highlighted the a NY Times article on corrections funding versus police funding.  Many other countries spend significantly more on police than corrections. The article struck a chord with me back then as I believe the formula for successful policing is through the community policing philosophy.  Where many urban cities have gone wrong with community policing implementation is they often don't have sufficient staffing or leaders fail to recognize it is not being practiced at the street level due to internal department disconnects.  

Thursday, January 31, 2013 Chief Gordon Ramsay

Police Resources

The New York Times printed a great story on police and the impact we have on crime.  It also focused on spending for police versus the spending for incarceration.  In the story Lawrence W. Sherman,  an American criminologist on the faculties of the University of Maryland and Cambridge University in Britain is quoted saying “The United States today is the only country I know of that spends more on prisons than police."  “In England and Wales, the spending on police is twice as high as on corrections. In Australia it’s more than three times higher. In Japan it’s seven times higher. Only in the United States is it lower, and only in our recent history.”     The story goes on to focus on the relationship between more police on the street and lower crime rate.  Here's the link to the article http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/26/nyregion/police-have-done-more-than-prisons-to-cut-crime-in-new-york.html?hp&_r=3&pagewanted=all

The NY Times article's focus matches up with a news story by Duluth's ABC station on the additional police stationed in the area of the Last Place on Earth and how their presence is making a difference.  

So, how about cutting the Department of Corrections budget and giving that money to communities with higher crime areas to hire more police officers? 
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If I wrote this today, I would be more specific and stress with additional officers the focus must be on community policing (and as part of that - prevention through actively addressing factors that to lead crime).  For instance, we know if our youth stay in school and graduate from high school, their chances for success in life increase dramatically and their contact with the criminal justice system greatly diminishes.  What is one predictor of graduation rates?  We know if third and fourth graders read at grade level their chances of graduating greatly increases; so WPD officers go into schools and read to youth in an effort to get them interested in reading. Additionally, we have a formal mentoring program through Wichita Public Schools and Big Brothers/Big Sisters.  WPD actively takes a role in helping our youth graduate.

 Lastly, corrections is not correcting those in today's criminal justice system. I see too many parolee's released with no support and they quickly fall into their old ways.  Too many recent crimes in Wichita have been committed by parolees. Our recidivism rate is not discussed enough, but the numbers are a not a good return on our investment.

 

While some talk about police reform and police defunding we should look at our entire criminal justice system and what needs to be done to prevent crime and disorder in our cities in the first place.  

Properly funding police is key to the health of our cities.