Prison Policy Initiative updates for December 4, 2024 Exposing how mass incarceration harms communities and our national welfare |
 |
34 criminal legal system reforms that can win in 2025In a new report, we highlight reforms that are ripe for victory in the new year and provide tips for advocates to oppose lawmakers pushing for failed "tough-on-crime" lawmaking.Today, we released our annual list of actionable and specific criminal legal system reforms state legislators can pursue as they return for the new legislative session. This sweeping resource offers examples of reform victories that policymakers can emulate to make the criminal legal system fairer without making it bigger. The 34 reforms focus on eight areas:
Each reform provides critical context about the problem it seeks to solve, points to high-quality research on the topic, and highlights solutions and legislation that have already been implemented in other states. The list is not intended to be a comprehensive platform. Instead, we’ve curated it to offer policymakers and advocates straightforward solutions that would have a significant impact without further investments in the carceral system. We particularly focused on reforms that would reduce the number of people needlessly confined in prisons and jails. Additionally, we selected reforms that have gained momentum in recent years, passing in multiple states. 2024 carried several big setbacks for those pushing for an end to mass incarceration. In response, this year’s report includes a new section, offering tips for advocates to oppose their legislators backsliding into “tough-on-crime” lawmaking. We sent this list to roughly 700 lawmakers, in all 50 states, from all political parties, who have shown a commitment to reducing the number of people behind bars in their state and making the criminal legal system more just and equitable. As they craft legislation for the upcoming legislative sessions, this list will provide them with actionable solutions to some of the most pressing challenges their states’ criminal legal system faces. The full report is available at: https://www.prisonpolicy.org/reports/winnable2025.html. Support our work in your end-of-year givingWhile we don't send fundraising emails, our work is only possible because of private donations from people like you. As you plan your end-of-year giving, can you help us keep going? We can accept tax-deductible gifts online or via paper checks sent to PO Box 127 Northampton MA 01061. Thank you! |
Other news:Who is jailed, how often, and why: Our Jail Data Initiative collaboration offers a fresh look at the misuse of local jails
Jails play an outsized — and often overlooked — role in mass incarceration. But getting details about who is locked up in them is nearly impossible. In this new briefing, we use a novel data source to examine the flow of individuals booked into a nationally-representative sample of jails along lines of race, ethnicity, sex, age, housing status, and type of criminal charge. You are receiving this message because you signed up on our website or you met Peter Wagner or another staff member at an event and asked to be included. Prison Policy Initiative |
Tweet this newsletter
Forward this newsletter