Proposition 36 has failed to deliver on its promises of safety, accountability, and mass treatment, instead fueling incarceration, straining local budgets, and deepening racial disparities across California, according to the Prosecutors Alliance and criminal justice reform advocates.
The Trump administration is inflicting unprecedented violence and cruelty on immigrants, with ICE officers making violent courthouse arrests and detaining people with valid legal status for weeks, while legal service providers struggle to protect their clients in an arena with nearly no rules.
Parole systems in the US are broken and need to be fixed to ensure that people who have demonstrated rehabilitation are given a fair chance to be released, as parole can be an important tool for decarceration and reducing prison overcrowding.
A new poll commissioned by Vera Action and conducted by YouGov suggests that a plurality of registered voters view President Donald Trump’s recent National Guard deployments as politically motivated rather than grounded in public safety concerns, and that a majority of voters believe Trump’s federal actions on crime are unrelated to community safety.
Survivors of crime and criminal justice reform advocates are pushing for restorative justice and second chances, highlighting the need for updated sentencing laws that reflect the realities of survivors’ experiences and build public safety through healing and change, rather than punishment alone.
Restorative justice programs and other alternatives to incarceration can help prevent harm and promote healing, while keeping communities safe and reducing mass incarceration.
The New York State DOCCS has limited family visits for incarcerated people, causing stress and disruption to their lives and the lives of their families, and exacerbating the mental health crisis in prisons.
23 incarcerated women at the California Institution for Women received bachelor’s degrees through Cal State LA’s Prison Graduation Initiative, marking the first women’s cohort to graduate from the state’s only in-person prison bachelor’s degree program.
The Restoring Promise initiative, a partnership between the South Carolina Department of Corrections and Vera, has created housing units in South Carolina prisons that foster dignity, accountability, and healing, resulting in a 73% decrease in violent infractions and an 83% decrease in stays in solitary confinement.
The federal government should not use the National Guard to enforce law and order, as it is ineffective, potentially illegal, and risks undermining community trust and civil liberties, and instead should focus on evidence-based, tailored approaches to public safety.
Yolo County prosecutors are opposing California’s compassionate release law, which provides a humane safeguard for terminally ill or permanently incapacitated people, while advocates argue that it is necessary to protect public health and dignity.
People with a history of criminal legal system involvement face significant barriers to employment, but policies and practices can be implemented to reduce these barriers and open job opportunities to help break the cycle of incarceration.
President Trump’s executive orders targeting cashless bail have been met with strong condemnation from reform advocates, who argue that the policy is based on misinformation and fearmongering, and will lead to a return to wealth-based incarceration.
Trump declared “Liberation Day in DC” and announced a federal takeover of the Metropolitan Police Department, while data shows that DC’s crime rates are falling and bail reform is working nationwide.
The Trump administration’s new policy of denying judges the discretion to grant bond to anyone held in ICE detention, coupled with the Laken Riley Act and the One Big Beautiful Bill, threatens to send thousands more people into already appalling conditions while awaiting their immigration trials, compounding injustice and straining an already broken system.
Mass incarceration is a costly and ineffective response to crime, and decarceration can help reduce the carceral system’s footprint and allow for investment in resources and services that improve health and safety.
Incarceration is a public health crisis that affects the health and well-being of incarcerated people, corrections staff, their families, and entire communities, resulting in increased rates of chronic medical conditions, mental health issues, and poor health outcomes.
The proposed One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which would bypass a filibuster, could lead to cuts to Medicaid, SNAP, and Pell Grants, increase spending on immigration detention, and limit the regulation of AI, all of which would likely negatively impact public safety.
AB 690, a bill aimed at ending the use of privatized flat-fee contracts for indigent defense services in California, has passed the Senate Public Safety Committee and now heads to the Senate Appropriations Committee, with supporters arguing that it would improve justice outcomes and save counties money over time.
Crime rates have declined in 2024, with violent crime returning to pre-pandemic levels, and Trump is finally acknowledging the trend, but it’s important to recognize that the decline was driven by government investment in evidence-based strategies and not by Trump’s policies.