Government should operate efficiently and effectively.  However, our nation’s sentencing and corrections systems do not meet that standard.  Corrections costs have risen from $9 billion 25 years ago to $60 billion today, with nearly 1.5 million people in prison—and yet recidivism rates remain stubbornly high. 

Today, citizens and state policy makers are questioning whether current policies are delivering the outcomes they expect: a fair criminal justice system, efficient use of taxpayer dollars and safer communities. 

Two initiatives explore these issues:

• the Justice Project Education Fund seeks death penalty reforms to ensure fairness and accuracy in capital punishment; and
• the Public Safety Performance Project examines how states hold offenders accountable and offers policy solutions to maintain public safety and control corrections spending.

These projects are examples of how Pew studies and promotes nonpartisan policy solutions for pressing and emerging problems affecting Americans.