Abolish or Reform Criminal Justice in the United States? A Forensic Social Work Perspective

As the federal government strives to become more efficient and reorganizes multiple national agencies, Americans are contemplating whether the criminal and juvenile justice systems should also be transformed. Are they indeed systems of justice – why or why not - and if not, should they be abolished or reformed? What is the role of forensic social work in this potential transformation? What role do we all play in this process? To address these questions, the scope of, contributors to, and disparate effects of incarceration in the United States are first examined. Major tenets of the Abolition and Reform Movements are then presented along with their critiques. The analysis extends to compare ideological perspectives, explore the paradoxical alignment between conservative government reduction initiatives and progressive abolitionist aims that fundamentally reimagine criminal justice as well as whether social work education is developing advocates, protesters, or both; and consider how this distinction mirrors the reform/abolition divide to impact future social workers. To contextualize the issues and advance the conversation, the histories and philosophies of the Grand Challenge for Social Work – Promote Smart Decarceration and the National Organization of Forensic Social Work, now the Forensic Social Work Alliance, are also presented in detail. The goal of this scholarship is to encourage and inform a wide audience – those affected by law and legal systems, students, scholars, lawyers and law enforcement, service providers, policymakers, etc., to enter into dialogue regarding what justice systems could be and should be. The article concludes with next steps that can prepare all types of leaders to foster justice in their own jurisdictions.