Prison Policy Initiative reports on "Winnable criminal justice reforms in 2023"

Via email, I learned that the Prison Policy Initiative already has produced its "guide to winnable criminal justice reforms" for 2023.  As explained over at the PPI site, "this briefing is not intended to be a comprehensive platform," but the list is intended "to offer policymakers and advocates straightforward solutions that would have the greatest impacts on reducing incarceration and ameliorating harms experienced by those with a conviction history, without further investments in the carceral system."   Via the email sent my way, here links to part of the guide and additional context:

The reforms focus on nine areas:

• Expanding alternatives to criminal justice system responses to social problems
• Reducing the number of people entering the “Revolving doors” of jails and prison
• Improving sentencing structures and release processes to encourage timely and successful releases from prison
• Reducing the footprint of probation and parole systems and supporting success on supervision
• Protecting incarcerated people and families from exploitation by private contractors
• Promoting physical and mental health among incarcerated and formerly incarcerated people
• Giving all communities equal voice in how our justice system works
• Setting people up to succeed upon release
• Eliminating relics of the harmful and racist “war on drugs”

Each reform explains the problem it seeks to solve, points to in-depth research on the topic, and highlights solutions or legislation introduced or passed in states.  While this list is not intended to be a comprehensive platform, we’ve curated it to offer policymakers and advocates straightforward solutions that would have the greatest impacts without further investments in the carceral system and point to policy reforms that have gained momentum in the past year.  We have focused especially on those reforms that would reduce the number of people needlessly confined in prisons and jails.  We made a conscious choice to not include critical reforms that are unique to just a few states, or important reforms for which we don’t yet have enough useful resources to be helpful to most states.