23 high-impact policy ideas

Prison Policy Initiative updates for December 12, 2019 Showing how mass incarceration harms communities and our national welfare

The criminal justice reforms state legislators should tackle in 2020 [[link removed]] We list 23 high-impact policy ideas for state legislators looking to reform their criminal justice systems. [[link removed]]

by Wanda Bertram [[link removed]]

State legislatures can determine the future of mass incarceration. That's why we just published — as we do every December — a report on 20+ winnable criminal justice reforms [[link removed]] that state legislators can take on.

We publish this report as a PDF with links to more information and model bills, and we'll soon send it to state legislators across the country. This year, our list of reforms ripe for legislative victory includes:

Eliminating probation fees and regulating privatized probation services Banning Departments of Corrections taking kickbacks from prison retailers Decreasing state incarceration rates by reducing jail populations Repealing ineffective and harmful "sentencing enhancement" zones Offering medication-assisted opioid treatment to reduce deaths in prison Protecting in-person visits and letters from home in local jails Ending automatic driver's license suspensions for nonpayment of fines and fees, and for drug offenses unrelated to driving Capping maximum probation terms Reducing or eliminating jail time for technical violations Reducing barriers to housing for formerly incarcerated people

Our full report [[link removed]] on winnable criminal justice reforms includes more ideas for reducing state prison populations, eliminating burdensome costs for incarcerated people, supporting people leaving prison, and promoting public health and community safety.

Will your state be working on any of these reforms? We're looking forward to the progress we can make together in 2020!

Please support our work [[link removed]]

We need your help to put data-driven articles like this one into the conversation about ending mass incarceration. From now until the end of the year, you can double your impact: every dollar you give will be matched by a generous donor (up to $250,000). Join us today to take a stand against mass incarceration.

We can accept tax-deductible gifts online [[link removed]] or via paper checks sent to PO Box 127 Northampton MA 01061. Thank you!

Other news: What should your state legislators be focusing on? Our reports have the answers [[link removed]]

We've published three major 50-state reports in the past year: State of Phone Justice [[link removed]] (about bad phone contracts in prisons and jails), Correctional Control [[link removed]] (showing which states overuse probation and parole), and Grading the Parole Release Systems of All 50 States. [[link removed]] Read our reports and tell your legislators what they should be focusing on.

Or visit our state profiles pages [[link removed]] to learn more about mass incarceration in your state.

Please support our work [[link removed]]

Our work is made possible by private donations. Can you help us keep going? We can accept tax-deductible gifts online [[link removed]] or via paper checks sent to PO Box 127 Northampton MA 01061. Thank you!

Our other newsletters Ending prison gerrymandering ( archives [[link removed]]) Criminal justice research library ( archives) [[link removed]]

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Northampton, Mass. 01061

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Prison Policy Initiative

PO Box 127 Northampton, Mass. 01061

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