From decriminalizing marijuana to repealing mandatory minimum laws, states are thinking long and hard on what can be done to reduce the number of incarcerated Americans. With four percent of the world’s population and 25 percent of its prisoners, the U.S. is hemorrhaging billions of dollars on corrections costs.
In an informative article, Reducing our Reliance on Incarceration: A Look at Promising State-Level Reforms in 2013, the American Civil Liberties Union ACLU highlights the progress that has been made in criminal justice reform without compromising public safety. Pointing out that the average annual cost of incarcerating an individual is $31,000, the article examines what states from Maine to Hawaii have done, or are considering, in order to implement a more effective and sensible solution to our country’s flawed criminal justice system.
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