BUFFALO, N.Y. — D. Michael Applegarth, PhD, assistant professor in the University at Buffalo School of Social Work, has been named a co-lead for the Grand Challenge for Social Work to Promote Smart Decarceration.
The initiative is one of 14 Grand Challenges, a groundbreaking effort by the American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare to bring together researchers and practitioners around some of the toughest problems facing society.
The United States has the highest incarceration rate of any democracy in the world, with nearly 2 million people in prison, jail or juvenile correctional facilities as of March 2026, according to the Prison Policy Initiative. Thus, the Grand Challenge to Promote Smart Decarceration aims to advance innovations within and outside of the criminal legal system to reduce mass incarceration in ways that are effective and socially just.
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As a researcher, Applegarth focuses on the intersection of mental health and the criminal legal system, especially how society tends to respond to people experiencing mental health challenges before, during and after criminal legal involvement. Ultimately, he hopes to inform policy strategies to support those who are incarcerated, improve reentry services and prevent legal involvement in the first place.
“In my work, I aim to highlight the dignity and worth of the numerous groups impacted by the criminal legal system, promote health and well-being, and build a society that seeks to repair harm rather than seeking retribution,” he explains. “I find a strong alignment with the Grand Challenge’s goals to replace ineffective practices, build collaborations and change society’s expectations of our systems.”
Because social workers practice in many settings with a wide variety of populations, they are likely to work with people who have been directly or indirectly impacted by the criminal legal system. Applegarth says this fact — coupled with the profession’s commitment to social justice and human rights — puts social workers in a unique position to advance progress on this issue.
“Social workers are well-equipped to be leaders in the decarceration movement. We have the training to recognize how systems operate, the skills to engage with individuals within and across systems, and the values to guide decisions on complex issues,” Applegarth says. “There are many perspectives on how our society should move forward in preventing and responding to harm. Social work must have an active role in these conversations. If not us, then who?”
As a Grand Challenge co-lead, Applegarth will help to shape the network’s vision and develop action steps to achieve that mission through research, teaching, policy and practice.
“I plan to emphasize the need for community alternatives, trauma-informed and human rights-based approaches, and responsive interventions for those experiencing behavioral health challenges,” he says. “In addition, I plan to advance discussion on how social work education can better prepare future practitioners, policymakers and leaders to interact with and respond to the criminal legal system while building a society that’s not trapped in carceral logic.”
