As Nassau County’s director of probation for six years before retiring in early 2016, after 38 years “in the system,” I was committed to meaningful justice reform. By any objective measure, our criminal and juvenile justice systems are broken. The financial costs are unsustainable and the offender outcomes unacceptable. Moreover, the very individuals and institutions that should be the champions of change are the most invested in maintaining the status quo. Whether by happenstance or design, and most likely both, we have created a justice industry with the primary goal of ensuring its own continuity.
Increasingly, non-system observers are viewing our policies, programs and impact through a procedural justice lens, and so should we. Simply stated, when the system is perceived as respectful and fair, or can otherwise lay claim to legitimacy, individuals tend to be increasingly law-abiding and they and the community more accepting of system outcomes, including when these outcomes are negative. Too often, however, the system is viewed as unfair and lacking respect.
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