If I told you that, on average, we spend $214,000 to jail a single juvenile for a year, how would that make you feel? Frustrated? Shocked? Well, according to a meta-analysis done by the Justice Policy Institute, we see that this is exactly the case.
“40 states and Washington, D.C. report spending at least $100,000 annually per confined child, with some states spending more than $500,000 per youth per year,” the study cites. On top of that, “Black, Native American, and Latinx youth are incarcerated at 5, 3, and 1.7 times the rate of white youth, respectively, with disparities increasing as youth move deeper into the system.”
In a society where many of us complain about our school classrooms being overcrowded andunderfunded, the fact that we spend so much on incarceration should disturb you. It disturbed me and led me to look for solutions to these issues.
Along my journey, I sat down with the expert Dr. Douglas Posey, a medical professional who’s board-certified in Forensic, Anatomic, and Clinical Pathology. In our discussion, we spoke about potential solutions that we can collectively take to not only raise awareness of these issues, but also to bring about lasting change.
With his blend of medical and forensic expertise, Dr. Posey is pioneering a groundbreaking initiative. “I propose a different approach,” he says with a conviction born out of four decades in the trenches of forensic pathology. “My team and I would sit down with judicial officials and propose that first-time, nonviolent, non-sexual offenders complete a crime-based curriculum rather than incarceration.” The concept is revolutionary: transform potential prison cells into classrooms of opportunity, offering diplomas instead of criminal records.
The initiative aims at the heart of a persisting issue, leveraging education as the tool for change. Dr. Posey’s passion for reform is palpable as he describes the transformative potential of his approach. “The path forward involves reimagining our traditional school system to support our teachers and reform the alternative schooling system to ensure it truly serves as a platform for Growth.”
But what of the boys already at the mercy of an unforgiving system? Dr. Posey offers a solution that intertwines education with real-life scenarios. “Imagine projects that tackle issues like peer pressure, substance abuse, authority conflicts, and disorderly behavior,” he suggests, painting a picture of a world where young boys of color are empowered through engagement, not ensnared by punishment.
These projects aren’t just hypothetical. They are real, actionable plans that Dr. Posey and his team are working to implement. “We’re not just talking about ‘what ifs,'” he asserts. “We’re building a curriculum that can be a beacon of change for these children.” It’s a curriculum designed to give troubled youth the keys to unlock their potential and redirect their trajectories.
As we wrapped up our conversation, the importance of Dr. Posey’s work could not be overstated. In a nation where the cost of incarcerating youth surpasses many individual’s lifetime earnings, the fiscal sensibility of his proposal is matched only by its moral imperative. It’s a testament to the idea that the strongest societies are those that nurture their most vulnerable members, rather than casting them aside.
Dr. Posey’s approach is a call to action for communities, educators, and policymakers alike. It is an invitation to pivot from a punitive model to a restorative one, where each child is seen not as a potential statistic in the prison system but as a promising student of life. In doing so, we don’t just save funds; we save futures.
And so, as the conversation shifts from what is to what could be, we see a vision materialize—a vision where the measure of our success is not in the wealth we accumulate, but in the well-being of our children. It’s a vision Dr. Posey has dedicated his life to realizing, one diploma at a time.
