Mass Incarceration — State and Local Issues — Galsworthy Criminal Justice Reform Program

Galsworthy Criminal Justice Reform Program

State and Local Issues

Because 90% of all prisoners in the United States are in state facilities, the work that states are doing to reduce their prison populations is crucial. Attempting to end mass incarceration necessitates realizing this is a situation requiring not one national solution, but fifty state solutions. Below are current state solutions that could be effectively modeled by other states for meaningful reform.

Posts in Mass Incarceration

1A Across America: Mass Incarceration in the Deep South

“Alabama's prison system is the deadliest in the nation. Fifteen inmates died by suicide there in 15 months — from December 2017 to this March. The homicide rate inside that system is six times the national average. The Justice Department has condemned these conditions. This April, the DOJ released a report on the men's section of the prisons that detailed widespread violence, sexual assault, overcrowding and understaffing. How did things get so bad? And what can be done about it?“

NPR

November 14, 2019

Overcriminalization, Mass IncarcerationPhillip ReevesNovember 14, 2019NPR, Alabama, 1AComment

Since you asked: Is it me, or is the government releasing less data about the criminal justice system?

“We’ve heard this question from a few advocates and journalists who, like us, depend on the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) and other government data sources for timely information about the justice system. And while monitoring changes in federal data collections isn’t a core part of our work, we have observed a troubling trend: Since 2017, data releases are slowing down.“

Prison Policy Initiative

November 14, 2019

Mass Incarceration, OvercriminalizationPhillip ReevesNovember 14, 2019Prison Policy Initiative, Bureau of Justice StatisticsComment

It's Time to Fight the Democratic Mayors Who Are Champions of the Carceral State

“De Blasio isn’t the only Democratic mayor in a major city branding himself as a progressive while embracing the carceral state. Although the 2020 presidential race has taken center stage in the media, people who care about policing and incarceration need to pay far more attention to mayors like de Blasio, London Breed in San Francisco, and Lori Lightfoot in Chicago. Big-city mayors control the largest police departments in the country and play a pivotal role in deciding what jails are closed or constructed.“

The Appeal

November 4, 2019

State Reforms, Mass IncarcerationPhillip ReevesNovember 4, 2019The AppealComment

5 facts about crime in the U.S.

“Donald Trump made fighting crime a central focus of his campaign for president, and he cited it again during his January 2017 inaugural address. His administration has since taken steps intended to address crime in American communities, such as instructing federal prosecutors to pursue the strongest possible charges against criminal suspects. Here are five facts about crime in the United States.“

Pew Research Center

October 17, 2019

Mass IncarcerationPhillip ReevesOctober 17, 2019Pew Research CenterComment

Is Mass Incarceration Inevitable? Part 3. What About Violent Crime?

“Reducing the national incarceration rate is a test of our political will. Keeping a lot fewer people behind bars might well lead to an uptick in crime, especially if we release more inmates without paying for the support they need for successful reintegration once they are released (more on this in the next post). And the reform efforts to date suggest that our commitment to reducing the prison population may not be matched by our willingness to take the risks necessary to make it happen. This can been seen most clearly in our treatment of those who commit violent crimes.“

Reason Magazine

October 9, 2019

Mass IncarcerationPhillip ReevesOctober 9, 2019Reason Magazine, Andrew LeipoldComment

Is Mass Incarceration Inevitable? Part 2. Much Smaller is Still Very Large

“In a prior post I suggested that there were significant barriers to reducing the size of America's prison and jail populations, a necessary step if we are to overcome what is now routinely called "mass incarceration." This is the first of three posts dedicated to addressing those barriers.“

Reason Magazine

October 8, 2019

Mass IncarcerationPhillip ReevesOctober 8, 2019Reason Magazine, Andrew LeipoldComment

Is Mass Incarceration Inevitable? Part 1. What's the Problem?

“But while the recent decline in prison populations is real, there are also reasons to wonder. Given the size of the U.S. inmate population and the extremely high rate at which we put people behind bars, will any reform efforts be enough to shed the "mass incarceration" label? Over the next few posts I will be discussing this question, and (to cut to the chase) conclude that the answer is, sadly, no. There are both obvious and subtle barriers to reducing the inmate population to levels, ones that range from difficult to near-impossible to overcome.“

Reason Magazine

October 7, 2019

Mass IncarcerationPhillip ReevesOctober 7, 2019Andrew Leipold, Reason MagazineComment

Almost empty: “Monument” to punishment-heavy ’90s sees sharp population decline

“The number of inmates held at Northern — a level-five maximum security facility that at one point could hold up to 584 sentenced prisoners — has fallen precipitously since January of this year. According to the Department of Correction, there were 270 inmates at Northern on January 1, 2019. By Aug. 23, shortly after two of its housing units were closed, there were just 76, a 71.8% decrease in just seven months.“

The CT Mirror

September 4, 2019

State Reforms, Mass IncarcerationPhillip ReevesSeptember 4, 2019The CT Mirror, ConnecticutComment

Will Fear of Crime Dampen Support for Ending Mass Incarceration?

“Although there’s widespread consensus among experts that spending time in prison “might be exacerbating the crime problem rather than easing it,” few authorities at the state or federal levels appear willing to risk the political problems that might accompany transformative change, argued Andrew W. Leipold, Edwin M. Adams Professor at the University of Illinois College of Law, in a recent article in the American Criminal Law Review. That, he suggested, should make us skeptical about the expectations raised by the reformers’ rhetoric.“

The Crime Report

August 23, 2019

Mass IncarcerationPhillip ReevesAugust 23, 2019The Crime Report, Andrew LeipoldComment

Between 2007 and 2017, 34 States Reduced Crime and Incarceration in Tandem

“Between 2007 and 2017, 34 states reduced both imprisonment and crime rates simultaneously, showing clearly that reducing mass incarceration does not come at the cost of public safety (for sources and definitions for crime data, see our latest crime report). The total number of sentenced individuals held in state prisons across the U.S. also decreased by 6 percent over the same decade. And these drops played out across the country.“

Brennan Center for Justice

August 6, 2019

Mass IncarcerationPhillip ReevesAugust 6, 2019Brennan CenterComment

What's wrong with America's criminal justice system? 6 questions for an expert

“With nearly 2.3 million prisoners behind bars, the United States has the highest incarceration rate in the world. Rachel Barkow, who served on the U.S. Sentencing Commission from 2013 to 2019, examines how we got to this point and what can be done to help reform the country's justice system. She currently serves as the vice dean and professor of regulatory law and policy at the NYU School of Law. In her recent book, "Prisoners of Politics: Breaking the Cycle of Mass Incarceration," Barkow argues that years of bad policies resulted in a vicious cycle. However, there is a path to undo some of the damage. “

CBS

August 2, 2019

Mass IncarcerationPhillip ReevesAugust 2, 2019CBS, Rachel BarkowComment

Beyond One-Liners: A Guide to the Democratic Debate on Criminal Justice

“Wednesday night’s debate saw the first extended discussion of criminal justice issues as the Democratic presidential candidates jockey in a crowded and competitive field. Several candidates teed off those issues to score political points and jab at opponents. While their exchanges covered a wide range of topics, there were also critical issues that no one even mentioned. Here’s a guide, curated by our experts here at The Marshall Project, to what’s behind the one-liners and talking points—and what was left out. We include suggestions for further reading for those who want to delve deeper.“

The Marshall Project

August 1, 2019

2020 Election, Mass IncarcerationPhillip ReevesAugust 1, 2019The Marshall ProjectComment

Michigan jails fill as crime sinks and nobody seems to know why

“It’s a riddle at the heart of Michigan’s efforts to reform its criminal justice system: How can it be that the state’s county jail population has tripled over the past 50 years even as crime rates have plunged to levels not seen in generations? Nobody seems to know. One major reason is nobody at the state level knows much about the inmates being housed in county jails, or why they are there.“

Bridges Magazine

July 24, 2019

Mass IncarcerationPhillip ReevesJuly 24, 2019Bridges Magazine, MichiganComment

Colorado’s prison population was projected to balloon. Now analysts aren’t so sure.

“‘We have one speaking Russian, one speaking Chinese, one speaking English … and then we’re wondering why we don’t have the data,’ Roper told the committee. ‘If we can’t get our data systems talking to each other, we’re going to be having the same conversation year after year’.“

The Colorado Independent

July 22, 2019

State Reforms, Mass IncarcerationPhillip ReevesJuly 22, 2019The Colorado Independent, ColoradoComment

Everything You Don’t Know About Mass Incarceration

“This Democratic unanimity makes sense in light of the criticism that many of the leading candidates have faced from activists, left-wing media, and other, more “woke,” presidential hopefuls for their earlier acceptance, or even endorsement, of proactive policing, quality-of-life enforcement, and incarceration as reasonable methods of combating crime.“

City Journal

July 22, 2019

2020 Election, Mass IncarcerationPhillip ReevesJuly 22, 2019City Journal, Democratic PartyComment

Rate of Incarceration On the Rise in Kentucky

“I think we've come to a point in our state, and it's been this way for years, where we have to distinguish who we're mad at, and who we're afraid of. Those we're afraid of need to be segregated in a prison and need to serve a sentence. Those we're mad at can be handled safely in the community with much better results.“

News 1 Kentucky

May 19, 2019

Mass IncarcerationPhillip ReevesMay 19, 2019News 1 Kentucky, KentuckyComment

Left and Right Agree on Criminal Justice: They Were Both Wrong Before

“Mr. Levin highlighted measures passed recently in both red and blue states — important developments given that the vast majority of inmates are in state prisons, not federal ones. Oklahoma voters approved a ballot measure downgrading some drug-related felonies to misdemeanors. New Jersey and New Mexico revised their bail systems. Gov. Bill Lee of Tennessee, a Republican, has proposed several changes. “

New York Times

May 16, 2019

Mass Incarceration, OvercriminalizationPhillip ReevesMay 16, 2019New York TimesComment

How'd Illinois Prisons Lose $3.4m Of Stuff?

“The Illinois Department of Corrections did not fare well in a recent state audit. Among the findings was that the agency could not account for 3,568 pieces of equipment. Dig into the numbers and property records, and you’ll find a bigger story about the challenges of pursuing efficiency in state government.“

NPR Illinois

May 16, 2019

Mass IncarcerationPhillip ReevesMay 16, 2019NPR Illinois, IllinoisComment

Opinion: It might soon be time to close another prison

“Given all of this data, it’s safe to assume that our prison population will continue to decline as crime drops. The central indicator underlying this prediction is the extraordinary drop in young adults, persons under 25 years of age, being arrested. For example, the number of 18-year-olds arrested last year was down 63 percent compared to 2009. As you might expect, the number of young adults in prison in our state has declined by about the same amount. Arrests and incarceration of older offenders had declined, but only slightly. Since the farm system for our prison system consists of younger men, I am confident that our Department of Correction will continue to shrink for the foreseeable future.“

CT Mirror

May 14, 2019

Mass IncarcerationPhillip ReevesMay 14, 2019The CT Mirror, ConnecticutComment

How to Fix the Criminal Justice System: Opinion

“What’s the best way to tackle America’s crisis of mass incarceration? This week on “The Argument,” Michelle Goldberg interviews Emily Bazelon, a staff writer at The Times Magazine, about her latest book, “Charged: The New Movement to Transform American Prosecution and End Mass Incarceration.” The book explores how prosecutors around the country are using their power to promote reform. Michelle and Emily talk about Brooklyn’s mandatory minimum sentencing laws for gun possession, Republicans on criminal justice reform and whether Kamala Harris really was a “progressive prosecutor.”“

New York Times

May 2, 2019

Mass Incarceration, OvercriminalizationPhillip ReevesMay 2, 2019New York Times, Emily Bazelon, The ArgumentComment