Choosing the Points of Entry: Strategic Framing and the Problem of Hyperincarceration

Abstract

This article is intended to contribute to a radical transformation of the criminal justice system in the United States by placing efforts to build a strategic reframing of the issues in the context of the institutions, actors, and interests that have been tied to particular ways of making sense of the problem of hyperincarceration. After examining key moments in the history of this problem, the article explores the role that strategic framing plays in the development and implementation of transformative social policies. Following an assessment of the problems and potentials inherent in the development of a research-based communications strategy, the article concludes with the identification of the major challenges that will have to be engaged.