“We can’t arrest our way out of this situation… It has not worked.”
– Justin Cooper, Colorado Criminal Justice Reform Coalition
Billons of dollars have been wasted on ineffective prison reforms. If we truly want better results – and transformed systems – we have to bet on new strategies. At Public Welfare Foundation, we believe the best ideas bubble up from communities. We believe that funders – including the government – should resource effective community-based solutions rather than continue to rely on what research shows is a failed model.
The good news is that community-based solutions are beginning to take root across the country, and they are transforming the lives of those harmed, improving safety, healing communities, and fostering racial equity.
Today, Public Welfare Foundation is releasing a new video highlighting three programs that are transforming their local jurisdictions of Colorado; Oakland, California; and Washington, DC. Demand More was created to share these success stories with a national audience to encourage others to think about possibilities for community reinvestment in their own local context.
It’s time to change the narrative around the communities that have been most impacted by our nation’s criminal justice system. Rather than being viewed as threats to public safety, communities should be seen – and equipped – to be our first lines of support. Transformation happens when we resource local leaders and let them bring us into a new era of restoration and redemption.
Check out our new video, Demand More, to learn firsthand what happens when we reinvest in communities. These are the types of models that need to be resourced and replicated around the country.
This is the first video in a four-part series. The next three videos will do a deeper dive into each of the highlighted jurisdictions. Subscribe to Public Welfare Foundation’s YouTube channel to be notified when the subsequent videos are released.
