The U.S. prison system is a mess.  It costs too much, has too much gang violence, and fails to provide prisoners who generally have poor job skills with the training they need to become productive citizens when they get out.   Also, many prisoners suffer from health and mental problems, drug addiction, or learning disabilities, and those who have committed lesser crimes would be better served in treatment facilities.  Plus there is much to learn from other countries about rehabilitation programs. 

            These are just some of the observations and recommendations that criminal justice expert Paul Brakke has made about the problems in the U.S. prison system and what to about them in his insightful and extensively researched book: The Costly U.S. Prison System.

            Now he has created a series of social media posts with videos to introduce the book and highlight some of the major problems with the U.S. prison system and what to do about them. In many cases, his recommendations echo some of the Trump administration's recent proposed criminal justice reforms, such a recommendation to create more severe penalties for drug traffickers.  While Brakke's proposed solutions are on the state and local level, they complement the administration's initiatives.

            The series features 20 videos on topics such as these

            Why Our Costs for Prisoners Are Out of Control

            How U.S. Prisons Contribute to Racial Conflict

            Dealing with Prisoners Over 50

            Dealing with Mentally Ill and Addicted Prisoners

            Dealing with Prison Gang Violence

            Dealing with Women in Prison

            The Advantages of Probation and Parole

            The Effect of Imprisonment on Families of Prisoners

            The Poor Job Skills of Prisoners

            Learning from Other Countries about Better Prison Policies

            The Advantages of Rehabilitation in Prison

            The Advantages of Restorative Justice

            All of these videos and much more are featured on the American Leadership Books YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfHgXXiW3jgODnaypgcYZFw.  The videos will also be featured in a video gallery on the American Leadership Books website at www.americanleadershipbooks.com.

            This video gallery additionally includes a series of videos from Brakke's previous book: Dealing with Crime by Illegal Immigrants and the Opioid Crisis.  These videos feature various ways to deal with these problems by increasing penalties for drug trafficking, much of which is carried on by illegal immigrants.  They also suggest ways to learn from other countries, such as Singapore and China, on what they have been doing effectively to reduce the drug problem.

            Aside from writing this book and creating these videos, Paul Brakke has been involved in setting up a series of radio interviews and podcasts  to bring his message of how to reform the criminal justice system to the general public.  He writes from a conservative political perspective, so his emphasis is on practical solutions which are designed to be cost effective while promoting stronger family bonds, reducing overly harsh sentences for those committing lesser crimes, and providing prisoners with the needed job skills training and treatment, so they can return to their communities as more productive, law-abiding citizens.

For more information:

Jana Collins

Jones & O'Malley

Toluca Lake, California

jana@jonesomalley.com

(818) 762-8353