Pennsylvania’s Justice Reinvestment Initiatives of 2012 and 2019 successfully reduced the state’s prison population while maintaining community safety. But our work is far from over. With a state recidivism rate of 41 percent, now is the time for reforms that promote reintegration into society and enable the criminal justice system to focus its resources where it counts. Pennsylvania can continue to lead the nation in powerful criminal justice reforms that preserve public safety, save taxpayer resources, and promote true rehabilitation.

Criminal Justice Reform

Pennsylvania Prison Postponed, Pork Prolonged

  • February 18, 2011

Yesterday, Gov. Corbett cancelled a planned prison construction project in Fayette County, estimated to cost taxpayers $200 million. In January, Auditor General Wagner called for a halt on…

Media

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Criminal Justice Reform

Criminal Justice Reform Needed

  • January 31, 2011

Auditor General Wagner has warned the Governor and state legislators to begin using alternative-sentencing instead of long-term prison sentences for non-violent offenders, in order to control the ballooning prison…

Media

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Criminal Justice Reform

New PA Task Force on Prison Spending

  • Nathan Benefield
  • February 19, 2010

Following testimony that inmates might riot if the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections didn’t a funding increase, the state House Appropriations Committee decided to create a task force to…

Media

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Criminal Justice Reform

Instituting Meaningful Corrections Reform

  • February 11, 2010

Eric Boehm has a good article on the opportunity to help balance the state budget by reforming prison and probation. The inmate population in Pennsylvania’s prisons is growing at…

Media

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Criminal Justice Reform

Prison Overcrowding Solutions

  • November 16, 2009

Testimony submitted to the Pennsylvania Senate Judiciary Committee We would like to thank the members of the Senate Judiciary Committee for giving us the opportunity to submit testimony on the…

Testimony

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Criminal Justice Reform

Mandatory Minimum Sentences Increase Costs

  • October 30, 2009

A study by the Pennsylvania Commission on Sentencing found that mandatory minimum sentences increase the cost of the corrections system without decreasing crime. Corrections costs are already a major…

Media

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Criminal Justice Reform

Pennsylvania Corrections Spending

  • October 15, 2009

Facing a massive budget deficit, and with sizeable financial obligations looming, Pennsylvania needs to re-examine how taxpayer dollars are spent.  Spending on the Department of Corrections has grown far beyond…

Fact Sheet

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Criminal Justice Reform

Reforming State Corrections

  • Nathan Benefield
  • March 3, 2009

The Pittsburgh Tribune Review has a story on a Pew study on the cost of incarceration/corrections in states.  There is little question that the cost of our prisons…

Media

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Criminal Justice Reform

Private Prisons Increase Capacity, Save Money, Improve Service

  • Nathan Benefield
  • October 24, 2007

Good Afternoon, my name is Nathan Benefield, I am the Director of Policy Research with the Commonwealth Foundation, a research and educational organization based in Harrisburg. I would like to…

Testimony

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