When it comes to criminal justice reform efforts, states are leading the charge. Programs such as the Justice Reinvestment Initiative (JRI), a structured criminal justice reform process designed to help states more safely and cost-effectively manage their corrections populations, as well as Louisiana’s recently enacted bipartisan, data-driven legislation highlight states’ ongoing work to enact evidence-based reforms and data-driven solutions.

But the ongoing discussion on criminal justice reform has put forth varied messages about what really improves outcomes for communities and what the possibilities are for additional reform.

Fortunately, research helps us answer those questions. Here’s the truth about recent criminal justice reform efforts:

Myth: Reducing prison populations will increase crime.

Fact: Reserving prison beds for people who need them the most, which can reduce the prison population, does not increase crime.

Myth: Longer sentences enhance public safety.

Fact: “Right sizing” prison sentences or providing alternatives to incarceration improve public safety.
Evidence shows that lengthy prison sentences do not have the public safety returns once believed, and they do not reduce recidivism when compared with shorter sentences.

Read the source article at Urban Institute