Prison Break: Why Conservatives Turned Against Mass Incarceration

The Department of Justice designated the last week of April 2016 as National Reentry Week. As part of ongoing national attention to criminal justice reform, Steven Teles and David Daganâ??s new book â??Prison Break: Why Conservatives Turned Against Mass Incarcerationâ? chronicles the rise of the conservative-led prison reform movement.

A panel of experts responded to the bookâ??s policy suggestions and historical value. Vikrant Reddy corroborated many of Dr. Telesâ?? assertions, drawing from examples of successful criminal-justice reform in Texas and other states, but expressed some reservation that conservative â??elitesâ? can still affect large political shifts in todayâ??s political climate. Harold Pollack noted that change is brought about when humane policy aligns with political incentives and called for evidence-based optimism in tackling prison reform. Heather MacDonald expressed concern over associating crime rhetoric with racial appeals and maintained that incarceration was still a key component of effective criminal justice and intelligent policing, especially as it pertains to violent crimes.