President Trump’s Executive Order on Safe Policing for Safe Communities will help continue the criminal justice reform momentum that began when the FIRST Step Act was signed into law. Importantly, the president’s executive order increases the likelihood that people returning from incarceration who have nonviolent or minor encounters with the police will be connected to the social services that they need in order to live law-abiding lives.

People returning from incarceration experience mental health, homelessness, and addiction issues at a higher rate than the general population. The executive order mandates that the attorney general and the secretary of health and human services identify ways to “increase the capacity of social workers working directly with law enforcement agencies.” In addition, these agencies will “provide guidance regarding the development and implementation of co-responder programs, which involve social workers or other mental health professionals working alongside law enforcement officers so that they arrive and address situations together.” The executive order, like the FIRST Step Act, addresses key social service gaps in our criminal justice system that can lead to safer and more prosperous communities.