Does Criminal Punishment Keep Us Safe? | A Slice of the Community | Nashville PBS

Rethinking Public Safety and Punishment

The discussion challenges the assumption that criminal punishment is the primary way to create public safety. Host Jerome Moore and his guests describe safety as freedom from fear, stable and predictable lives, and supportive community relationships—not simply the presence of police or the removal of people who have caused harm.

The History and Limits of Punishment

Dr. James Pratt places the U.S. focus on punishment in historical context. He says policing and punishment have often served to protect property and economic interests, pointing to Southern slave patrols and lynching in the West as part of that history. Preston Shipp adds that people are taught to equate justice with punishment, and argues that this belief should be reconsidered.

The guests say conventional criminal proceedings often focus on the offense and punishment rather than the person harmed. Victims may be left unheard and uninformed, without answers about why they were targeted or whether they are safe. Shipp notes that while punishment may remove someone from the street, victims often say they want to recover and return to ordinary life.

The panel supports approaches that listen to victims and address their needs while also holding people who caused harm accountable.

Restorative Justice and Healing

Rahim Buford describes restorative justice as a process that brings affected people together and focuses on healing. Some harms cannot be undone, he says, so transformation may be a more fitting goal. The person responsible must recognize the harm, while survivors should have a say in what healing and safety mean to them.

Shipp says that meeting incarcerated people who had worked toward rehabilitation changed his views as a former prosecutor and contributed to his decision to leave prosecution.

Reentry and the Causes of Harm

Buford describes how incarceration and supervision can leave people feeling unsafe after release. He questions whether the system promotes public safety, noting that, according to him, more than 70% of people released from prison return within five years and 95% of people in prison will eventually be released.

Pratt argues for examining decisions made throughout the justice process, including plea deals, and addressing the circumstances that contribute to harm. The panel characterizes policing and incarceration as largely reactive and poorly suited to addressing mental-health needs, addiction, and other social problems.

Prevention and Support for Young People

The guests emphasize prevention through relationship-building, conflict mediation, restorative practices, and stronger community connections. They urge schools and families to reconsider corporal punishment and punitive discipline, and to use age-appropriate, trauma-informed consequences.

Shipp stresses that young people are still developing and should not be treated as adults. Buford emphasizes listening to children and understanding the experiences behind their behavior.

During the audience discussion, speakers raise the need for:

• Mentoring for youth affected by incarceration
• Support for children who lack safe homes or schools
• Involvement from churches, universities, and communities

The panel favors collaborative relationships over top-down intervention. It also highlights patience, love, play, creative learning, and giving young people meaningful choices.

Presenters and Contributors

• Jerome Moore (host)
• Rahim Buford
• Preston Shipp
• Dr. James Pratt
• Timothy Hughes
• Rishi Kidd
• Felisha (teacher)