decarceration

[ dee-kahr-suh-rey-shuhn ]

noun

1. the act of freeing a person or people from prison:

   One goal of the project is the decarceration of youth in California.

2. policy or actions intended to reduce the number of people in prison:

   Community food projects can play a role in decarceration.

Word History and Origins

Origin of decarceration¹

First recorded in 1960–65; de- ( def ) + (in)carceration ( def )

Example Sentences

There were deeper problems with the proposal, such as the fact that the costs of decarceration fall on rural communities that house prisons while the grants were aimed at urban communities, creating a politically difficult disconnect between costs and benefits.

From Slate

High, a charter school affiliated with decarceration activists at the Los Angeles-based Youth Justice Coalition.

From Los Angeles Times

“We need accountability for the horrific conditions, more urgency put to decarceration through connection to services and finally closing Men’s Central Jail,” Parris said.

From Los Angeles Times

New Jersey has been hailed for its approach to decarceration, including a bail reform law that some advocates see as a national model.

From Slate

We next constructed a comparison unit, composed of a combination of counties that had the lowest decarceration rates during the pandemic.

From Scientific American