"We Need More Carrots"

U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald delivered an unexpected message to business leaders at a Chicago lunch yesterday - that they should hire felons. Only by offering parolees with options for a post-prison life can we begin to ease the crush of our overcrowded cells and our overheated corrections budgets, Fitzgerald said.

"How in the world can we incarcerate our way out of the problem when we are outnumbered that much?" he  said.

Fitzgerald said research has shown that parolees who have attended a one-hour forum held by Project Safe Neighborhoods are 30 percent less likely to return to jail. The forum gives parolees job options and warns them that they'll be thrown back in prison if they cross the line.

While there are felons who don't want to return to the gang life, Fitzgerald said, they're released back into a neighborhood lacking infrastructure and support. They see no other opportunities, he said. "When they got there, they tried to open the door, and it was locked," he said.

…"We have lots of sticks," Fitzgerald said. "We need more carrots."

It’s refreshing to hear a prominent prosecutor utter these words, but not surprising that they come from Fitzgerald, who isn’t afraid to challenge the status quo. And the success of Project Safe Neighborhoods reminds me of a Stanford University study I profiled here last month showing that the first 72 hours were absolutely crucial to success of a parolee’s reintegration into society. If we really want to wean ourselves off our addiction to incarceration, we need to start thinking about policy beyond the prison walls.