John,
Today, The Sentencing Project released a new research brief, “Incarceration & Crime: A Weak Relationship,” highlighting how 46 U.S. states have reduced both incarceration and crime levels in the past decade. The brief also notes the limited contribution of mass incarceration to the historic crime drop since the 1990s. This evidence underscores the fact that we don’t have to return to a punitive playbook in the face of recent crime upticks. 46 States Have Reduced Incarceration & Crime Levels |
But experiencing declines in crime and incarceration has not prevented some states from reversing recent decarceration in the face of crime upticks. Instead of investing in mass incarceration, the report recommends evidence-based reforms to address the underlying safety needs of communities, including: -
Reducing unnecessary justice involvement through an investment in expanded substance abuse treatment programs, improved access to harm reduction services, expanded diversion programs, and investments in violence prevention programs.
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Leveraging non-carceral responses to crime, such as community supervision programs, for individuals who do not pose serious threats to public safety.
- Eliminating lengthy and extreme sentences with a cap at 20 years of imprisonment with limited exceptions.
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Permitting a “second look” at lengthy and extreme sentences after 10 years of imprisonment so that sentences reflect the latest knowledge and standards.
- Eliminating bias through the use of racial impact statements to help lawmakers evaluate potential disparities of proposed legislation before their adoption and implementation.
We hope this research brief will help to educate both policymakers and the public about the fact that crime rates and incarceration levels are not closely related. We don’t need to rely on mass incarceration to promote community safety. |
