Ep. 350: Are We Rehabilitating Criminals … or Just Recycling Them?

Does “tough on crime” actually work? Could Ban the Box policies backfire? Jen Doleac, PhD, is Executive Vice President of Criminal Justice at Arnold Ventures, a philanthropy maximizing evidence based policy & minimizing injustice. She is an economist & the author of The Science of Second Chances who prefers the reliable lens of data over personal values & has a particular interest in how measurable data can give rise to positive societal change.In this episode, she breaks down when prison actually works versus when it just creates more prisoners & walks through how the minefield of rules in probation may not prevent new crime in the way we think. You’ll also hear the re-entry policies that worked vs flopped & the real life results from policies developed through data. If you liked this episode, you’ll also like episode 195: ROUNDING UP SUSPICIOUS WOMEN? THE AMERICAN PLANGuest:Book: https://a.co/d/0aZzqCMt https://x.com/jenniferdoleac https://www.linkedin.com/in/jdoleac/ https://jenniferdoleac.comhttps://www.probablecausation.com/ Newsletter https://probablecausation.substack.com/arnoldventures.org Sponsors: https://www.historicpensacola.org/about-us/  2:44 Homicide is basically a coin flip4:36 Probability vs. severity of punishment5:56 The evidence against harsh sentencing8:15 Are we confusing retribution with safety?9:03 Digital crimes and the Undress Me app case12:10 Policymakers blocking unfavorable research14:47 "Tough on crime" politics vs. data24:11 DNA profiles vs. 23andMe: what's actually stored35:04 DUIs: breathalyzers and officer discretion37:56 South Dakota's 24/7 Sobriety program40:43 Re-entry: Ban the Box backfires42:51 Hiring bias and insurance as a fix45:06 Rehabilitation certificates work47:24 Housing barriers and halfway house surprises49:16 Mental health gaps post-release50:14 Medicaid's inmate exclusion52:14 Reentry waivers and continuity of care54:43 Head Start, prevention, and crime58:15 Lead poisoning and the serial-killer hypothesis1:04:08 The four reasons we punish people1:06:10 Book, podcast, and what's next for JenRequest to join my private Facebook Group, MFR Curious Insiders: https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1BAt3bpwJC/Follow me in all the places:https://www.meredithforreal.com/  https://www.instagram.com/the_curiousintrovert/ [email protected]://www.youtube.com/meredithforreal https://www.facebook.com/curiousintrovert