Nearly half of the U.S. prison population is now serving time for a violent offense, including assault and robbery. While the First Step Act and other criminal justice reforms have limited the number of people imprisoned for drug crimes, they have yet to meaningfully reduce excessive penalties for violent crimes. Thenextstep to ending mass incarceration must include scaling back excessive penalties for people convicted of violent crimes.
The Sentencing Project hosted a conversation with criminal justice reform advocates who have made inroads in fighting for this critical nextstep.
COVID-19 has led state advocates to demand prison and jail systems decarcerate to stem outbreaks in facilities often challenged by poor conditions and overcrowding. Decarceration practices or calls for reform have been documented in at least 31 states and the District of Columbia to reduce health risks for incarcerated persons vulnerable to COVID-19.
“Misogynoir” against black female prosecutors, Alabama’s diversion programs confronts racial wealth gap, the struggle to correct a flawed police-use-of-force study, and more in Race & Justice News.
