noncarceral
Noncarceral refers to policy approaches within criminal justice that aim to reduce or replace confinement with noncustodial means. It emphasizes addressing underlying causes and focusing on safety and community well-being.
It includes restorative justice practices, victim-centered accountability, community-based supervision, diversion from courts to treatment or services,
It appeals to decarceration and abolitionist reforms by reducing prison populations, lowering costs, and mitigating harms
Critics argue about potential risks to public safety, adequacy of accountability, risk of net-widening, resource constraints,
The term is used across reform movements and scholarly work and is often contrasted with carceral approaches.