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.
“Governors in most states have the power to pardon or commute sentences, either at their sole discretion or with some level of input from a commission. Since most convictions occur at the state level, some governors can wield even greater influence on criminal justice than the president can. But most governors rarely use this power, and few have made it a mainstay of their tenure in office—a major missed opportunity for justice and the public good.“
The New Republic
January 4, 2019
Read More“It’s not really obvious why this is the issue where divisions that often seem so entrenched are breaking down. But the fact that it can still happen in these impossibly divided times is stirring, and makes you wonder whether the same thing can happen on issues beyond criminal justice.“
The Advocate
December 22, 2018
Read More“The idea was to relieve pressure on the overcrowded prison system while also breaking the cycle of incarceration for low-level felons. Instead, more than two decades later, people leaving state jail have a greater chance of reoffending than any other group in the Texas criminal justice system. Nearly 63 percent of people released from state jails are rearrested, compared to 46 percent of inmates released from Texas prisons, according to Legislative Budget Board data.“
Texas Observer
December 11, 2018
Read More“I do what I do because I witnessed a period of time when confinement in Maine didn’t necessarily result in this social destruction – and I am convinced that one way to bring about reform is to return to the progressive prison policies of old.“
The Guardian
December 6, 2018
Read More“Rivera-Forastieri believes the solution lies within the impacted population being included in the conversation. She also proposes eliminating jail time for certain crimes. Guests at the Hartford event were asked to do what they could to continue the conversation once they went back out into the world. Karriem Holness is accepting this challenge by going into work into youth services or by becoming a drug counselor.“
Connecticut Public Radio
November 19, 2018
Read More“With newly elected officials taking office, Rose remains hopeful that change could happen. ‘Every time a new administration comes in, it’s a great opportunity to educate them about these issue and start shifting our approaches,’ she says. ‘You have different people with a fresh set of eyes. It helps that Ford sits on the advisory commission, so he has been able to see all the ways Nevada is lacking when it comes to the criminal justice system’.“
Nevada Current
November 12, 2018
Read More“According to 2016 data from The Sentencing Project, more than 1 in every 4 people disenfranchised in Florida is black, and more than 1 in 5 black people in Florida is disenfranchised. By some estimates, continued disenfranchisement paired with state trends in mass incarceration were predicted to soon yield a Florida “democracy” with 40 percent of black men barred from the ballot box. Forty percent.“
The Marshall Project
November 7, 2018
Read More“The amendment takes effect Jan. 1 and will leave Oregon as the only other state allowing split verdicts. It reverses a Jim Crow-era practice that made it easier to imprison non-whites by allowing as few as 10 members of a 12-member jury to convict defendants in felony cases not involving death sentences.“
US News & World Report
November 6, 2018
Read More“For the first time in at least six years, the number of offenders entering probation was more than those going into prison, corrections officials were told Monday in an annual progress report on the prison population. But the good news came along with more humbling statistics for a prison system already filled beyond its capacity: The number of state prisoners is expected to grow by 0.9 percent annually over the next decade, adding about 1,869 incarcerated people in one of the nation's most heavily incarcerated states.“
Arkansas Democrat Gazette
November 6, 2018
Read More“Without this data, we can’t implement the JRA’s core reinvestment components — reallocating money saved from reducing the prison population to programs and interventions proven to enhance public safety. Because we have no idea how many people have been sentenced, or have not received a mandatory minimum, under the JRA, we can’t identify how much money was saved; it’s impossible to reinvest money we can’t identify. If Maryland fails to produce this data, we will be unable to fund crucial crime prevention programs. This would be a great loss for us all.“
Baltimore Sun
November 5, 2018
Read More“The report says that prison populations have gone down 4.8 percent, and that more violent offenders are in prisons than non-violent offenders. Additionally, more than 80 percent of people eligible to earn time off for probation or parole have complied with the conditions of their supervision and probation officer caseloads have decreased since reform, which allows officers to focus on people who need closer supervision, according to the report.“
KTUU Alaska
November 5, 2018
Read More“It is far too broad of a Constitutional amendment to provide directed and specific solutions for this problem. Constitutional amendments are not laws that can be amended. We will be stuck with this and its consequences. If Issue 1 passes, it will set us back. I’m not prone to hyperbole because I believe people want the facts. The fact is that most of the addicts I encounter and work with have expressed if it weren’t for the fear of incarceration, they never would have sought treatment, and many state the life they were leading was heading to death. This is not a political issue, it’s a matter of public safety. Please support your local criminal justice practitioners and treatment providers. Vote “No” on Issue 1.“
Delaware Gazette
November 2, 2018
Read More“While all eyes are on district attorney races in several states where reform-minded candidates are running on promises to end “mass incarceration,” further down the ballot voters will have a chance to decide on measures that will shape how millions of Americans interact with the criminal justice system. A few themes emerge:“
The Marshall Project
November 1, 2018
Read More“Here are some of the most pressing criminal justice issues on the ballot this November, covering debates over the war on drugs, mass incarceration, policing, crime victims’ rights, and more.“
Vox
October 30, 2018
Read More“Following Ring's advice: decriminalizing marijuana and expunging records, abolishing the death penalty, and creating a path to parole for lifers doesn't make Pennsylvania any less safe. In fact, it will save money, reduce the size of government, and be an important step toward racial justice. It can also bring us together in a time of growing polarization.“
Philadelphia Inquirer
October 29, 2018
Read More“The recent jail growth in Indiana is reminiscent of the decades when mass incarceration was being built up across the country. In many states, from the early 1980s until the early 2000s, a 32 percent increase in jail population over two years was not uncommon. But around the mid-2000s, growth in the U.S. incarceration rate began to slow. Declines, rather than rapid growth, became the norm.”
Vera Institute
October 20, 2018
Read More“Despite Florida’s low crime rates and despite prison admissions declining for nine of the last 10 years, Florida’s prison and jails budgets are higher than ever. Due to long sentences, the inmate population has stayed stubbornly near its all-time high, and this past year, the state budget gave $2.3 billion for the Department of Corrections, and even that wasn’t enough — the agency hit a $79 million deficit.“
Florida Times-Union
October 19, 2018
Read More“What’s most striking about this program is hearing prison officials talk about a newfound sense of purpose. They no longer reduce success to statistics about arrests or disciplinary infractions. They tell stories of individuals gaining control of their lives and reconnecting with estranged family members. And they use the word “dignity” a lot, much like their counterparts in Europe. They take pride in the idea that they are truly a department of correction.“
The Marshall Project
October 9, 2018
Read More“Kansas is in a crisis. For several weeks, the prison population has soared beyond capacity. In fact, our prison population has quadrupled since the 1980s despite steady declines in crime. Our gubernatorial candidates have not mentioned this crisis. The candidates talk about education, taxation and industry, but not about the horrifically expanding prison system that likely would scuttle advances in each of these areas.“
Topeka Capital-Journal
October 3, 2018
Read More“Reducing the number of people in Arkansas prisons is one of the goals of gubernatorial candidate Jared Henderson. Monday Henderson released his plan for reforming Arkansas’s criminal justice system to address what he calls the "epidemic of mass incarceration" in the state.“
Little Rock Public Radio
October 1, 2018
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