Giving Compass' Take:

• In this Chan Zuckerberg Initiative post, the organization's Head of Policy & Advocacy, David Plouffe, makes the case for a bipartisan, holistic approach to criminal justice reform with new tools and models.

• The areas identified for change are transforming prosecution, expanding opportunities for those with criminal records and reaching new constituencies. Which partnerships would be most effective in these areas?

• Read about how behavioral science can help improve criminal justice.

In America today, there are 2.3 million people currently incarcerated and up to 100 million people carrying criminal records. These staggering numbers — which disproportionately represent the poor and communities of color — tell me not that the justice system is broken, but that it’s working as designed: to punish and incarcerate rather than rehabilitate. With nearly half of all children in the U.S. impacted by a parent with a criminal record, it’s clear that, without a dramatic shift, our nation’s failed experiment with mass incarceration will cast a long shadow on future generations.

The good news is that change is happening across the country.

Though the fight for reform isn’t new, there’s a rare moment right now where people from across the political spectrum, and from inside and outside the system, are working for change. A new wave of prosecutors is testing innovative approaches to enhance community safety while putting fewer people behind bars; formerly incarcerated people are mobilizing and making their voices heard in the push for reform; organizations are leveraging technology to help system actors make better-informed decisions; and state-based coalitions are challenging the harsh laws that contribute to mass incarceration, passing critical legislation that gives more people a fair chance.

At CZI, we want to help more people and organizations do more work like this, and we see an enormous opportunity to test and scale new tools and new models that will make practices in the justice system more equitable, accountable, responsive and data-driven.

Read the full article about reimagining criminal justice by David Plouffe at Chan Zuckerberg Initiative.