Public Safety

Discussions about criminal justice policy typically involve lawmakers, judges, corrections officials, prosecutors, defense attorneys, members of law enforcement, advocates, and criminologists, and their opinions are undoubtedly valuable as states deliberate about what works best. But what about the people whose families and communities are affected by these decisions? What do they have to say... Read More

Governor John Bel Edwards (D) signed a broadly bipartisan package of 10 bills June 15 that aims to reduce crime and incarceration by steering less serious offenders away from prison, strengthening alternatives to imprisonment, and clearing away barriers to success during re-entry. With these changes in sentencing and corrections laws, Louisiana is likely to shed its title of the most incarcerated... Read More

Last year, Kansas enacted reforms intended to improve its juvenile justice system by reducing the use of out of home placements and investing in community supervision and rehabilitative services—and they’re already showing early signs of success. Read More

On June 19, 2017, The Pew Charitable Trusts submitted a letter to the President’s Commission on Combating Drug Addiction and the Opioid Crisis, outlining an analysis of whether state drug imprisonment rates are linked to the nature and extent of state drug problems—a key question as the nation faces an escalating opioid epidemic. Pew compared publicly available data from law enforcement,... Read More

Seeking to improve its juvenile justice system, Kansas in 2016 enacted Senate Bill 367, which was based on the recommendations of a bipartisan work group appointed by leadership from all three branches of the state’s government. The law restricts the use of out-of-home placement, focuses intensive system responses on the highest-risk juveniles, and shifts significant resources toward... Read More

Discussions about criminal justice policy typically involve lawmakers, judges, corrections officials, prosecutors, defense attorneys, members of law enforcement, advocates, and criminologists, and their opinions are undoubtedly valuable as states deliberate about what works best. But what about the people whose families and communities are affected by these decisions? What do they have to say... Read More

Governor John Bel Edwards (D) signed a broadly bipartisan package of 10 bills June 15 that aims to reduce crime and incarceration by steering less serious offenders away from prison, strengthening alternatives to imprisonment, and clearing away barriers to success during re-entry. With these changes in sentencing and corrections laws, Louisiana is likely to shed its title of the most incarcerated... Read More

Last year, Kansas enacted reforms intended to improve its juvenile justice system by reducing the use of out of home placements and investing in community supervision and rehabilitative services—and they’re already showing early signs of success. Read More

On June 19, 2017, The Pew Charitable Trusts submitted a letter to the President’s Commission on Combating Drug Addiction and the Opioid Crisis, outlining an analysis of whether state drug imprisonment rates are linked to the nature and extent of state drug problems—a key question as the nation faces an escalating opioid epidemic. Pew compared publicly available data from law enforcement,... Read More

Seeking to improve its juvenile justice system, Kansas in 2016 enacted Senate Bill 367, which was based on the recommendations of a bipartisan work group appointed by leadership from all three branches of the state’s government. The law restricts the use of out-of-home placement, focuses intensive system responses on the highest-risk juveniles, and shifts significant resources toward... Read More

The Pew Charitable Trusts today lauded Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards (D) for signing a comprehensive package of bipartisan criminal justice legislation intended to protect public safety, control corrections costs, and hold people accountable for their crimes. Read More

Utah Governor Gary Herbert (R) today announced the enactment of comprehensive juvenile justice legislation that will promote public safety, hold youth offenders accountable, control costs, reduce recidivism, and improve outcomes for youth, families, and communities. Read More

We look forward to seeing you at the National Association of Black Journalists and National Association of Hispanic Journalists annual convention. Visit our booth in the exhibit hall (#420) to learn about careers at Pew and check out our panel of experts, who will discuss how to best use data to enhance your reporting. Read More

We look forward to seeing you at the NCSL Legislative Summit. Visit our booth in the exhibit hall (#929) to learn about our work across all 50 states, meet policy experts, and spin the wheel to find answers about your state’s fiscal health. Read More

WASHINGTON—Alaska Governor Bill Walker (I) today signed a comprehensive package of criminal justice reforms legislation, S.B. 91, putting his state at the forefront of research-driven policies designed to protect public safety, hold offenders accountable, and control corrections costs. Read More

States are finding new ways to get smart on crime and, in the process, changing how America views crime and punishment. After decades of rising prison populations, reforms in 33 states have helped cut the national incarceration rate by 13 percent since 2007. That data point drives this episode’s conversation about the new approaches, informed by research-based sentencing and corrections policies,... Read More

From 2001 to 2013, the U.S. juvenile commitment rate declined 53 percent, according to data recently released by the Department of Justice’s Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. Rates fell in 49 states during this period, including decreases of over 50 percent in more than half of the states. The nationwide reduction reflects a 42 percent drop in juvenile violent-crime... Read More

The national imprisonment rate declined 1 percent while violent and property crime rates fell 1 percent and 5 percent, respectively, from 2013 to 2014,according to statistics released in September by the U.S. Department of Justice. From 2009 to 2014, the nation’s imprisonment rate fell 7 percent andthe total crime rate declined 15 percent. Read More

On November 17-19, 2014, policy makers, experts, and other key decision-makers from more than 30 states met to discuss the past, present, and future of the Justice Reinvestment Initiative (JRI). The event was co-hosted by The Pew Charitable Trusts, the U.S. Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Assistance, and the Council of State Governments’ Justice Center. Read More

Since 2007, more than half of the states have participated in the Justice Reinvestment Initiative and made research-based policy changes to control prison growth, hold offenders accountable, and protect public safety. Although they vary in scope and significance, these reforms have sought to prioritize prison space for serious and violent offenders while expanding alternatives to incarceration... Read More