Simone Monasebian is a New York City attorney with more than 30 years of experience advancing human and civil rights through domestic and international legal work. Since beginning her career in 1992 at the Law Offices of Michael Kennedy, PC, she has handled complex civil rights and criminal matters, achieving notable outcomes in trial and appellate courts. Her work expanded globally when she served as a Trial Attorney for the United Nations International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, prosecuting high-profile war crimes cases. She later held leadership roles with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, focusing on criminal justice reform and the protection of women and girls. Today, her role as Chief Program Officer at Sanctuary for Families reflects a continued commitment to justice reform, aligning closely with efforts to address systemic issues such as mass incarceration.

Ending Mass Incarceration Through Justice Reform

The United States has the highest incarceration rate in the world. Although Americans make up less than five percent of the global population, the country holds nearly 25 percent of all prisoners. The Brennan Center for Justice describes mass incarceration as a leading civil rights crisis. US prisons and jails currently confine about two million people. The Sentencing Project reports that incarceration has risen by 700 percent since 1970, despite crime rates falling.

Addressing this crisis requires a fundamental shift in sentencing laws so incarceration is reserved for individuals who pose a genuine threat to public safety. Research from the Brennan Center for Justice indicates that nearly 40 percent of incarcerated people are imprisoned without a strong safety-based justification. According to the Brennan Center for Justice, replacing prison with drug treatment, probation, or community service for lower-level offenses could reduce the prison population by more than 500,000 people.

A 2023 report from The Sentencing Project supports “second look” policies for people serving extreme sentences. These laws allow judges to review sentences after 10 to 15 years, recognizing that many individuals age out of criminal behavior. Reducing excessive sentence lengths frees resources that can be reinvested into community-based safety and prevention programs.

The pretrial phase is a major area in need of reform, as nearly 500,000 people are jailed without a conviction. The Brennan Center for Justice explains that cash bail punishes poverty by keeping people locked up because they can’t afford release funds. Detention decisions should be based on public safety risk, not personal finances. Ending wealth-based detention would better reflect the presumption of innocence principle.

However, some states are moving in the opposite direction. For instance, in 2024, the Georgia Assembly passed Senate Bill 63 to restrict bail funds. These policies may increase jail populations by limiting release options for low-income defendants. Real reform requires expanding fair pretrial release, not restricting it.

The 2018 First Step Act shows that federal decarceration works. Among the nearly 30,000 individuals whose release has been expedited by the First Step Act, nearly nine in every 10 have not been rearrested or reincarcerated. This 12% recidivism rate lies in stark contrast to the more typical 45% recidivism rate among people released from federal prison. These outcomes demonstrate that reducing incarceration can improve public safety.

Future reforms should also include passage of the EQUAL Act, which would eliminate the sentencing disparity between crack and powder cocaine offenses. Ending this disparity would address longstanding racial harms to Black communities and enhance the justice system’s fairness and credibility. Additional measures, such as the Safer Detention Act, would correct administrative barriers preventing elderly prisoners from qualifying for compassionate release. Similarly, the First Step Implementation Act would apply reforms retroactively, allowing individuals serving outdated sentences to seek relief.

Notable, mass incarceration costs governments and families at least $182 billion each year, including policing, courts, corrections, and related costs. Investing in community-based rehabilitation is a more efficient use of taxpayer funds. The Ballard Brief, a student-led social issue research library dedicated to publishing original analysis of relevant and Important social issues, highlights the Delancey Street program, which provides vocational training and reports a two percent recidivism rate. Therefore, shifting focus from confinement to skill-building fosters long-term stability.

Incarcerated people experience mental illness at far higher rates than the general population; for example, one review found that 14.5% of men and 31% of women in jail have a mental illness, much higher than in the community at large. Prisons often function as inadequate mental health facilities, which can exacerbate trauma. A human-centered agenda would move individuals with health needs into treatment settings instead of cells. This change would protect human dignity while improving safety for everyone.

Moreover, restoring civil rights is equally vital for successful reintegration into society. The Ballard Brief reports that approximately 6.1 million Americans are disenfranchised due to felony convictions. Evidence from states like New York and New Jersey shows that policy reforms can reduce prison populations by over 50 percent without increasing crime. Between 1999 and 2020, these states saw violent crime rates drop while they reduced their reliance on incarceration.

About Simone Monasebian

Simone Monasebian is Chief Program Officer at Sanctuary for Families, where she oversees services supporting survivors of domestic violence, trafficking, and gender-based harm. Her career includes civil rights litigation in New York and international roles with the United Nations, including prosecuting genocide cases and leading justice reform initiatives. She has focused extensively on strengthening legal systems, advancing the rights of women and girls, and improving access to justice through policy and program leadership.