A better path forward for criminal justice
The death of George Floyd and too many others at the hands of police have added new urgency and momentum to the drive to reform America's criminal justice system. In a collection of papers from the Brookings-AEI Working Group on Criminal Justice Reform, experts offer analysis and recommendations to drive meaningful change. See highlighted chapters below or explore the full report.
Delivering sensible police reform. To help transform law enforcement in America, Rashawn Ray and Clark Neily share a series of critical reforms centered around around accountability, finances, culture, and communities.
Reimagining pretrial and sentencing. Pretrial release and sentencing policies have disparate effects on the poor and people of color, are not cost effective, and often result in punishment that is disproportionate to the seriousness of the crime. Pamela Lattimore, Cassia Spohn, and Matthew DeMichele outline ways to slow the flow of people into America's jails and prisons.
Improving the prisoner reentry experience. Over 640,000 people return to U.S. communities from prison each year. More than half of the formerly incarcerated are unable to find stable employment within their first year of return and three-fourths of them are rearrested within three years of release. Annelies Goger, David J. Harding, and Howard Henderson discuss how to change the paradigm.
