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.
“In the weeks since, their colleagues have put forth other proposals aimed at helping Pennsylvania’s aging prison inmates and those serving life sentences. Here’s a rundown of all the criminal justice proposals that have come through the Senate so far this year.“
Pennsylvania Capital Star
March 16, 2019
Read More“Smith’s bill, House Bill 212, would increase it to a Class D felony — punishable by as many as 160 months, or more than 13 years, in prison. That’s the same punishment as for crimes like voluntary manslaughter. And it’s more serious than the punishment for crimes like injuring law enforcement officers or taking indecent liberties with children.“
Raleigh News & Observer
March 13, 2019
Read More“But on Monday, their good faith was put to the test as President Trump released his budget priorities for 2020. Only $14 million was explicitly listed to finance the act’s programs. It’s unclear if additional funding could come from savings that could result from the early release of eligible prisoners under the measure or from reducing expenses elsewhere within the Department of Justice, as some advocates for the programs hope. The White House did not respond to questions.“
The Marshall Project
March 12, 2019
Read More“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
Read More“But recently talking about the site’s history didn’t seem like enough for Sean Kelley, senior vice president and director of interpretation. Two years ago, after discussions about how the museum addressed the rising number of people incarcerated in the United States — especially people of color — Mr. Kelley helped rewrite the museum’s mission statement, declaring that Eastern State would no longer be neutral in recognizing mass incarceration as a crisis.“
New York Times
March 12, 2019
Read More“If you are hearing these types of statistics for the first time and are very surprised, you are not alone. Most are very surprised. And as you might suspect, our unique incarceration habit is a very expensive one. It is a budget-busting endeavor that is eating an ever-increasing percentage of state budgets around the nation, and it is doing so at the expense of other worthwhile and necessary public investments.“
Mississippi Clarion Ledger
March 11, 2019
Read More“Allen never faced criminal trial on the sexual assault charges. He was never convicted or sentenced for the alleged crime, but has nonetheless spent almost four decades behind bars. He had agreed to participate in something called a “civil commitment,” which under Illinois law allowed for his indefinite incarceration.“
WBEZ 91.5 Chicago
March 7, 2019
Read More“In order to differentiate among the 2020 candidates, it's sometimes helpful to compare their stance on various issues. In fact, if you're looking for some insight into what 2020 candidates think about criminal justice reform, this list will give you an idea of how they have approached the issue. Generally, it seems that most candidates believe that criminal justice reform is a necessity, but they differ in the reform issues that they have prioritized.“
Bustle
March 5, 2019
Read More“Some of the bill’s highlights include: Doing away with mandatory minimum sentences for certain, nonviolent drug trafficking charges. Setting up for the creation of an entrepreneurship program to teach inmates new skills while in prison. Keeping inmates at prisons within a 300-mile radius of their families. Allowing for nonprofits or other non-governmental organizations to offer reentry programs in prisons. Offering less severe penalties for those who commit “technical violations” of their probation such as failing a drug test of missing curfew. Providing inmates who are released a document that lists all the outstanding terms of their sentence, including court fees and restitution“
Tampa Bay Times
March 4, 2019
Read More“Many conservatives agree with progressives on important policies despite philosophical differences. Since the 2000s, red states such as Texas have begun to reduce incarceration, enhance in-prison rehabilitation programs, expand aid to former prisoners re-entering society, and even close prisons. The First Step Act—which received 87 votes in the GOP-controlled Senate—should provide Republican governors and state legislators with political cover to build on past success.“
Slate
March 1, 2019
Read More“Grace explained that many judges, especially in Cook County, are using electronic monitoring as a “risk mitigation tool.” As an understanding emerges across the country that excessive bail is keeping too many people in jail because they can’t afford to pay, some judges remain hesitant to release individuals without restrictions. Meanwhile, the understanding of the risks of electronic monitoring is low, Grace said, as there have been few studies or reports. “
The Appeal
February 28, 2019
Read More“From arrest to sentencing, the process of sending someone to prison in America is full of rules and standards meant to guarantee fairness and predictability. An incredible amount of attention is given to the process, and rightly so. But in sharp contrast, the processes for releasing people from prison are relatively ignored by the public and by the law. State paroling systems vary so much that it is almost impossible to compare them.“
Prison Policy Initiative
February 26, 2019
Read More“That reality, combined with the fact that the generational cutback in the size of the federal prison system has caused no evident problems, suggest the First Step Act should be considered just that — a first step. The extremely broad coalition that supported the First Step Act can reasonably aim higher in its next round of proposed reform, returning the federal prison system to its traditional role as an important — but small — part of the U.S. correctional system.“
Washington Post
February 25, 2019
Read More“These injustices could be fixed, criminal justice experts said, if only state and local authorities would improve coordination. What officials appear to have done, instead, is blame each other: The sheriff’s office denied responsibility when reached for comment, blaming the Department of Corrections (DOC). DOC declined to comment citing pending litigation, but in court transcripts it has pointed the finger at the sheriff’s office.“
New Orleans Times Picayune
February 21, 2019
Read More“Which brings me to a feature of the new policy that everybody should find objectionable: It is thoroughly undemocratic. The criminal laws that govern D.C. Superior Court are written by the D.C. Council, whereas the criminal laws that govern federal courts are written by Congress. As a result, in a city with no congressional representation, taking cases to federal court means moving them to a place where local citizens have no say in the law.“
Washington Post
February 14, 2019
Read More“Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland took office in 2016 vowing to fight the city’s high violent crime rate by beefing up a dwindling police force. His most novel idea: use an advisory body, the Memphis Shelby Crime Commission, to funnel anonymous private donations from the city’s elite to reward cops who remain on the force.“
The Marshall Project
February 13, 2019
Read More“The idea for a cap is straightforward: No one could be sentenced for any number of charges — not attempted robbery, rape, or murder — for more than 20 years. There should be a limited exception, like there is in Norway, that lets courts extend prison sentences indefinitely for an additional five years at a time, but only if there’s proof that a person still poses a public safety threat.“
Vox
February 12, 2019
Read More“Now Ms. Harris is running for president as a “progressive prosecutor.” She says she sees no contradiction in the term, arguing that a tough prosecutor can also be a force for reforming the criminal-justice system. But already, mere weeks into her candidacy, she is facing a chorus of skepticism, especially from the left. The death penalty episode shows the tricky crosscurrents that she has had to weather — and that are likely to intensify as she tries to square that circle.“
New York Times
February 11, 2019
Read More“But Benjamin, a Black girl, was a homeless teenage mother, and Orleans Parish prosecutors were immediately skeptical of her story despite the fact that she had no criminal record. They acknowledged that Hecker solicited the teenagers for sex and that a struggle ensued afterward. But they also insisted that Benjamin and Desilva did not act in self-defense; they were instead greedy, evil murderers who sought to rob and kill Hecker.“
The Appeal
February 11, 2019
Read More“The First Step Act, which passed with overwhelming support from Republicans and Democrats, takes modest steps to alter the federal criminal justice system and ease very punitive prison sentences at the federal level. It affects only the federal system — which, with about 181,000 imprisoned people, holds a small but significant fraction of the US jail and prison population of 2.1 million. “
Vox
February 5, 2019
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