Joy Walk Talk
Transform Criminal Justice to Prevent Crime and Violence
Although there are frequent calls to reform the criminal justice system, reform is the equivalent of Henry Ford attempting to make a faster horse instead of a combustion engine. It won’t get us to the future we want. We must work to transform criminal justice to prevent crime and violence using science. The current criminal justice system was developed using economic theory. Psychology and sociology didn’t even exist when the criminal justice system we use was developed.
We can do better. We should do better. We may have a moral imperative to do better.
During the past few decades, advances in the science of human thriving have provided insights that can take us into a future that is better for everyone. When crime prevention is focused on early enough, crimes can be prevented in ways that prevent potential criminals from even contemplating the crimes that would occur if early interventions weren’t implemented.
Key to Transforming the Criminal Justice System
The key to transforming the criminal justice system is the knowledge that individuals who are stressed commit crimes. Happiness is an indicator of low-stress levels. When we teach children how to manage stress well, they are far less likely to ever commit a crime.
The results of long-term research with at-risk children revealed that better stress management reduces crime and improves graduation rates, decreases drug and alcohol use, and improves college admittance rates, mental health, and teen pregnancy statistics.
Crime is a universal problem. Even if your children aren’t considered at high risk of becoming a criminal, if they live in a world where others become criminals, they are at risk of becoming a victim.
The strategies that prevent crime also help individuals who have committed crimes. Research with high-risk youth, so high the researchers thought they were a lost cause, showed that a relatively brief intervention reduced criminal behavior by 44%.
During a talk on transforming the criminal justice system you’ll learn:
- About the connection between criminal behavior and stress.
- Stress management strategies that reduce stress before the problem is solved.
- Why stress reduction strategies help individuals find healthy solutions to their challenges.
Whether you’re interested in preventing violence including mass shootings, domestic violence, or recidivism, you’ll learn about proven strategies that will move our world in the direction we all want.
Prevent Crime and Violence
Talks can look at transforming the criminal justice system through multiple lenses including.
•Preventing Violence
•Preventing Mass Shootings
•Preventing Domestic Violence
•Crime Prevention
•Recidivism Reduction
•Transform criminal justice to prevent crime and violence
Research that points to the potential benefits from working to transform criminal justice to prevent crime and violence is available in the science section of this website. The bottom line is that happy people aren’t doing bad things to other people. Stress reduction skills increase happiness and reduce crime.