In his weekly message, Gov. Jack Markell talked about transforming the state’s criminal justice system.
He cited skyrocketing rates of mass incarceration and the $270 million dollars Delaware’s prison system costs the state every year.
Markell spoke of nonviolent offenders who await trial in a jail cell - a group that makes up 23 percent of people in prison.
"We must reserve prison space for truly dangerous individuals, not low-risk defendants who are unable to pay. It’s not working when a single mom gets stuck in detention because she can’t come up with a hundred bucks and has little to no family support, but a dangerous drug dealer can get his minions to bail him out," he said.
Markell highlighted the Rick VanStory Center, which connects defendants to substance abuse treatment and other key social services and ensures they attend court hearings and comply with the terms of their release.
"By transforming our criminal justice system to use our jail cells for individuals who actually need and deserve them, we’ll better serve our communities, use our state resources more effectively, and honor the fact that most people deserve a second chance," he said.
Full text of Gov. Markell's weekly message:
Our country’s approach to criminal justice over the past few decades has driven unsustainable and unjust rates of incarceration. Less than 25 years ago, fewer than 700,000 people populated the entire state and federal prison system. Now that system releases 700,000 people in one year. The number of African-American men with a criminal record approaches 80 percent in some major cities. In a state of less than one million people, it’s costing us $270 million a year, while destroying families. And it’s not making us any safer. One vital area in which we must change course is how we treat people awaiting trial. Twenty-three percent of our incarcerated population consists of these pre-trial detainees, many charged with non-violent offenses. We’ve got to focus on programs like the one we recently celebrated at the Rick VanStory Center. Partnering with the state, the center connects defendants to substance abuse treatment and other key social services, while ensuring they attend court hearings and comply with the terms of their release. That effort recognizes that an ineffective bail system means barriers are created for people to be productive citizens even before being convicted of a crime. We must reserve prison space for truly dangerous individuals, not low-risk defendants who are unable to pay. It’s not working when a single mom gets stuck in detention because she can’t come up with a hundred bucks and has little to no family support, but a dangerous drug dealer can get his minions to bail him out. By transforming our criminal justice system to use our jail cells for individuals who actually need and deserve them, we’ll better serve our communities, use our state resources more effectively, and honor the fact that most people deserve a second chance. And that will keep Delaware moving forward.