Misdemeanor — State and Local Issues — 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.

Opinion: Why We Need to Rethink Misdemeanor Justice

“In sum, New York City offers the outlines of a model that takes seriously the kinds of misbehavior that undermines community quality of life, shrinks the footprint of the justice system and judiciously uses the power of the state to help people improve their lives. Police should be encouraged to use their discretion to issue warnings and not routinely make arrests when they encounter people engaged in minor rule-breaking.“

Governing Institute

March 12, 2019

OvercriminalizationPhillip ReevesMarch 12, 2019Greg Berman, Governing Institute, MisdemeanorComment

State and Local Issues

Galsworthy CJR Program

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