The statistic shocks each time you read it because it doesn’t square with who we think we are as a society: the U.S. has become the world’s leading jailer, housing 22.4 percent of the world’s inmates, but with only 4.6 percent of the world’s population. It’s a troubling figure, particularly to a group of Catholic laymen of all political persuasions who gathered together over the last few years to research the topic and advocate for reform.

The result is “The Justice Imperative: How Hyper-Incarceration Has Hijacked the American Dream.”  Published by the Malta Justice Initiative (2014), the 173-page paperback is as much an act of conscience as it is a meticulously researched work. Though it includes many charts and detailed footnotes, the book is easily accessible and makes a compelling and highly readable case for prison reform.

John Santa of Southport, Chair of the Malta Justice Initiative and a leading advocate of rebuilding the criminal justice system, served as the driving force for the project along with William J. Fox, director of the Malta Initiative. Brian E. Moran acted as lead writer of the volume, which benefited from the collaboration of a writing committee.

Connecticut’s prison population has soared from 3,800 to 17,000 since 1980, mostly with non-violent drug users. Annual spending on prisons now exceeds $1 billion, with a cost of $51,000 per head to house each inmate.  Yet, the book points out that over 95 percent of Connecticut’s prisoners are eventually released, most without adequate supervision and ill-equipped to succeed on the outside. Half end up back in prison. The rate of recidivism exacts an enormous cost in the state budget and a devastating human toll. Beyond that, it just isn’t working. As the authors note, the staggering and budget-breaking price tag of this hyper-incarceration is often justified by the myth of low crime rates, when it has often yielded diminishing returns.

How did we get to a point with so many people locked up and such disappointing results? There is plenty of blame to go around, but The Justice Imperative is not interested in pointing the finger. It is more committed to building consensus to make significant changes in the system and restore the American dream.

The book explores a wide range of issues beyond cost. It offers a hard look at what goes on inside of Connecticut prisons, what part of the population is in prison, and the ongoing “scarlet letter” that makes it difficult and often impossible to re-integrate prisoners into society. But unlike many books that stop with critical analysis, The Justice Imperative explores “no- entry” diversion and  prevention programs, juvenile justice in- school programs, and other best practices that can lead to reform. It is also very detailed about goals and recommendations, out lining suggested legislative changes, incarceration alternatives, and re-entry processes. Along the way it looks at the rising rate of incarceration of women, with its tragic consequences for children and families, and makes strong recommendations of “evidence- based” reform.

While offering a convincing look at the need for reform and more humane policies, the book does not take its eye off the suffering of victims and the impact of crime on their lives. “In advocating for reform, we recognize that victim’s rights must not be minimized. Many offenders have committed heinous crimes. Such crimes warrant severe punishment, including the removal of offenders’ status as free members of society and the curtailment of their ability to inflict further harm on the general public,” says Fox, noting that the losses suffered by crime victims is often devastating and irreparable.

But the book makes it clear that the present system isn’t working well for anyone, and it’s a very costly incursion in the