The chief advocacy officer at the Reform Alliance said people returning to society after prison face numerous “collateral consequences” and often “find themselves cycling right back into jail” over technical violations.
Jessica Jackson with the criminal justice reform advocacy group told Hill.TV on Wednesday that 4.5 million people are on some form of probation or supervision in the U.S. and are constantly threatened with re-imprisonment.
“Sometimes you’ll see technical violations for things that are prohibited by state law, sometimes you’ll see technical violations for things that are just everyday life, like spending time with a relative,” she said.
Jackson discussed the case of rapper Meek Mill, who was sent back to prison for popping a wheelie, as one of those technical violations. Meek Mill showed up to a probation reform bill signing last year with then-Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam (D).
Jackson said probation violation policies sending people back to prison for seemingly minor infractions are the result of a tough-on-crime approach, which she said has failed.
“What we need to do is impose a smart-on-crime approach,” she said. “Programs like getting people educating while they are incarcerated, or making sure we have job fairs where employers are showing up and helping people get jobs … instead of discriminating against them because they have a record.”
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