Expanding prisons for low-risk detainees ignores systemic flaws in pre-trial detention systems
Original framing: “It costs a million dollars a day to keep low-risk defendants on remand. More prisons aren’t the answer” — The Conversation - Global
The expansion of prisons in the 20th century was driven by policies like the War on Drugs, which disproportionately targeted communities of color. Historical parallels show that prison expansion is often a response to political and economic pressures rather than actual public safety needs.
The systemic overuse of pre-trial detention is rooted in a combination of structural inequities, prosecutorial overreach, and a lack of investment in community-based alternatives.
By examining this issue through the lens of Indigenous justice models, historical patterns of mass incarceration, and cross-cultural legal systems, we see that the solution lies not in expanding prisons but in transforming the justice system itself. Marginalized voices reveal the human cost of this system, while scientific evidence supports the effectiveness of bail reform and restorative practices. Future modeling and policy evaluation can guide a shift toward a more just and humane system that prioritizes rehabilitation and community safety over punishment and control.