Revenue Over Public Safety in the USA

Financial incentives throughout the criminal justice system encourage punitive enforcement and sustain mass incarceration. Realigning them will require action from municipalities to the federal government.

Bipar­tisan efforts to change the crim­inal justice system have gained momentum around the coun­try in recent years. Nearly all 50 states, many counties, and the federal govern­ment have sought to reduce impris­on­ment and mitig­ate its harms. A remark­able wave of legis­la­tion has shortened custodial sentences and widened eligib­il­ity for sentences served in the community. States and local­it­ies have also inves­ted in rehab­il­it­a­tion and reentry services.

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