80,000 Hours: EA and Highly Political Causes
this post is now crossposted to the EA forum 80,000 hours is a well known Effective Altruism organisation which does "in-depth research alongside academics at Oxford into how graduates can make the biggest difference possible with their careers". They recently posted a guide to donating which aims, in their words, to (my emphasis) > use evidence and careful reasoning to work out how to best promote the wellbeing of all. To find the highest-impact charities this giving season ... We ... summed up the main recommendations by area below Looking below, we find a section on the problem area of criminal justice (US-focused). An area where the aim is outlined as follows: (quoting from the Open Philanthropy "problem area" page) > investing in criminal justice policy and practice reforms to substantially reduce incarceration while maintaining public safety. Reducing incarceration whilst maintaining public safety seems like a reasonable EA cause, if we interpret "pubic safety" in a broad sense - that is, keep fewer people in prison whilst still getting almost all of the benefits of incarceration such as deterrent effects, prevention of crime, etc. So what are the recommended charities? (my emphasis below) 1. Alliance for Safety and Justice > "The Alliance for Safety and Justice is a US organization that aims to reduce incarceration and racial disparities in incarceration in states across the country, and replace mass incarceration with new safety priorities that prioritize prevention and protect low-income communities of color." They promote an article on their site called "black wounds matter", as well as how you can "Apply for VOCA Funding: A Toolkit for Organizations Working With Crime Survivors in Communities of Color and Other Underserved Communities" 2. Cosecha - (note that their url is www.lahuelga.com, which means "the strike" in Spanish) (my emphasis below) > "Cosecha is a group organizing undocumented immigrants in 50-60 cities around the country. I
imagine you're in a fistfight with a hungry tiger. Do you want it to be a fair fight, or would you like to try and cheat somehow?