Since the 70’s America has approached public safety with a “tough on crime” approach. 50 years later, we are still attempting the same approach with no upward trend in curtailing public safety. The more we study human nature, mental health and criminal trends, we find that taking a “tough on crime” approach only makes the public less safe. As parents are incarcerated, families take on many of the same hardships that are placed on the loved one inside prison walls, especially the children. Inhumane treatment only adds to the mental health issues that lead to the actions of committing the crimes. The average education level of an incarcerated individual is 6th grade. If education is scarce, so is the knowledge of life skills and coping skills. Instead of focusing on lengthy sentences, we need to take a focus on restorative justice. Restorative justice works to make amends for the actions committed, help the individual have empathy and remorse for their actions and grow as a human being. By putting work into these individuals, we are putting work into our children and our communities. 80% of these individuals will return to a community near you and it’s important to equip them with the education, skills, and knowledge to thrive in society eliminating the chances of creating more victims.