Since 2007, 34* states have adopted legislation, developed through the Justice Reinvestment Initiative, to improve their sentencing and corrections policies. These laws, listed below, passed with strong bipartisan support, including many unanimous votes, demonstrating that elected officials across the nation back broad research-based changes that control prison growth, hold offenders accountable, and protect public safety. The reforms prioritize the use of prison for serious and violent offenses while expanding alternatives to imprisonment for those who can be supervised more effectively and at less expense in the community. Below is a state-by-state breakdown of legislative support for these measures over the past decade. Some states have undertaken reforms in multiple years and, as a result, have more than one listing.
The Justice Reinvestment Initiative is a public-private partnership that provides intensive technical assistance to states and includes the Justice Department’s Bureau of Justice Assistance, The Pew Charitable Trusts, the Council of State Governments Justice Center, the Crime and Justice Institute, and other organizations. Other states have adopted criminal justice reforms through other means and are not included here.
|
State |
Vote year |
Bill number |
Governor (party) |
Senate vote |
House vote |
|
Arkansas |
2017 |
S.B. 136 |
Asa Hutchinson (R) |
27-4 |
86-1 |
|
2011 |
S. 750 |
Mike Beebe (D) |
Unanimous (35-0) |
79-14 |
|
|
Georgia |
2017 |
S.B. 174 |
Nathan Deal (R) |
Unanimous (50-0) |
Unanimous (156-0) |
|
2012 |
H.B. 1176 |
Nathan Deal (R) |
Unanimous (51-0) |
Unanimous (162-0) |
|
|
Louisiana |
2017 |
S.B. 139 |
John Bel Edwards (D) |
20-13 |
75-30 |
|
S.B. 220 |
26-9 |
88-17 |
|||
|
S.B. 221 |
23-11 |
83-17 |
|||
|
H.B. 249 |
22-9 |
65-27 |
|||
|
H.B. 489 |
Unanimous (29-0) |
Unanimous (97-0) |
|||
|
S.B. 16 |
25-11 |
67-35 |
|||
|
H.B. 116 |
27-2 |
Unanimous (99-0) |
|||
|
H.B. 519 |
27-1 |
89-6 |
|||
|
H.B. 680 |
26-11 |
59-26 |
|||
|
H.B. 681 |
22-14 |
68-26 |
|||
|
2011 |
H.B. 415 |
Bobby Jindal (R) |
Unanimous (37-0) |
Unanimous (90-0) |
|
|
S.B. 202 |
Unanimous (35-0) |
Unanimous (97-0) |
|||
|
H.B. 416 |
37-2 |
Unanimous (93-0) |
|||
|
H.B. 106 |
Unanimous (36-0) |
Unanimous (85-0) |
|||
|
H.B. 414 |
Unanimous (36-0) |
84-2 |
|||
|
Montana |
2017 |
S.B. 59 |
Steve Bullock (D) |
Unanimous (46-0) |
90-10 |
|
S.B. 60 |
43-5 |
Unanimous (100-0) |
|||
|
S.B. 62 |
Unanimous (48-0) |
Unanimous (97-0) |
|||
|
S.B. 63 |
Unanimous (50-0) |
95-5 |
|||
|
S.B. 64 |
47-3 |
97-3 |
|||
|
S.B. 65 |
36-14 |
83-16 |
|||
|
S.B. 67 |
Unanimous (49-0) |
Unanimous (98-0) |
|||
|
S.J. 3 |
Unanimous (49-0) |
76-24 |
|||
|
H.B. 133 |
37-12 |
90-10 |
|||
|
North Dakota |
2017 |
S.B. 2015 |
Doug Burgum (R) |
Unanimous (46-0) |
85-7 |
|
H.B. 1041 |
Unanimous (42-0) |
88-2 |
|||
|
Rhode Island |
2017 |
H.B. 5063A |
Gina M. Raimondo (D) |
Unanimous (33-0) |
Unanimous (65-0) |
|
H.B. 5117A |
Unanimous (31-0) |
Unanimous (69-0) |
|||
|
H.B. 5128A |
29-3 |
Unanimous (69-0) |
|||
|
H.B. 5064A |
Unanimous (32-0) |
Unanimous (69-0) |
|||
|
H.B. 5115A |
Unanimous (33-0) |
Unanimous (68-0) |
|||
|
2008 |
H.B. 7204 |
Donald Carcieri (R) |
25-11 |
60-12 |
|
|
Alaska |
2016 |
S.B. 91 |
Bill Walker (I) |
16-2 |
28-11 |
|
Maryland |
2016 |
S.B. 1005 |
Larry Hogan (R) |
Unanimous (46-0) |
123-18 |
|
Nebraska |
2015 |
L.B. 605 |
Pete Ricketts (R) |
Unanimous (45-0)** |
|
|
Alabama |
2015 |
S.B. 67 |
Robert J. Bentley (R) |
Unanimous (27-0) |
100-5 |
|
2011 |
S.B. 47 |
Robert J. Bentley (R) |
28-1 |
Unanimous (96-0) |
|
|
S.B. 267 |
27-1 |
82-17 |
|||
|
Utah |
2015 |
H.B. 348 |
Gary Herbert (R) |
Unanimous (23-0) |
67-2 |
|
Idaho |
2014 |
S. 1357 |
C.L. “Butch” Otter (R) |
Unanimous (35-0) |
Unanimous (66-0) |
|
Mississippi |
2014 |
H.B. 585 |
Phil Bryant (R) |
Unanimous (50-0) |
105-13 (3 voting present) |
|
Oregon |
2013 |
H.B. 3194 |
John Kitzhaber (D) |
19-11 |
40-18 |
|
South Dakota |
2013 |
S. 70 |
Dennis Daugaard (R) |
31-2 |
63-7 |
|
West Virginia |
2013 |
S.B. 371 |
Earl Ray Tomblin (D) |
Unanimous (34-0) |
81-17 |
|
Kansas |
2013 |
H.B. 2170 |
Sam Brownback (R) |
35-4 |
77-44 |
|
2007 |
S. 14 |
Kathleen Sebelius (D) |
Unanimous (30-0) |
95-30 |
|
|
Missouri |
2012 |
H.B. 1525 |
Jay Nixon (D) |
28-2 |
Unanimous (151-0) |
|
Delaware |
2012 |
S.B. 226 |
Jack Markell (D) |
17-3 |
36-3 |
|
Pennsylvania |
2012 |
H.B. 135 |
Tom Corbett (R) |
Unanimous (49-0) |
Unanimous (195-0) |
|
S. 100 |
Unanimous (49-0) |
Unanimous (198-0) |
|||
|
2008 |
H.B. 4 |
Ed Rendell (D) |
48-2 |
195-3 |
|
|
H.B. 5 |
Unanimous (50-0) |
Unanimous (199-0) |
|||
|
H.B. 6 |
49-1 |
Unanimous (199-0) |
|||
|
H.B. 7 |
Unanimous (50-0) |
196-3 |
|||
|
Hawaii |
2012 |
S. 2776 |
Neil Abercrombie (D) |
Unanimous (25-0) |
40-9 |
|
H.B. 2515 |
Unanimous (25-0) |
49-2 |
|||
|
Oklahoma |
2012 |
H.B. 3052 |
Mary Fallin (R) |
39-5 |
71-18 |
|
Kentucky |
2011 |
H.B. 463 |
Steve Beshear (D) |
Unanimous (38-0) |
96-1 |
|
North Carolina |
2011 |
H.B. 642 |
Beverly Perdue (D) |
Unanimous (50-0) |
115-1 |
|
Ohio |
2011 |
H.B. 86 |
John Kasich (R) |
30-3 |
87-9 |
|
South Carolina |
2010 |
S. 1154 |
Mark Sanford (R) |
Unanimous (46-0) |
97-4 |
|
New Hampshire |
2010 |
S. 500 |
John Lynch (D) |
Voice vote |
256-57 |
|
Wisconsin |
2009 |
A.B. 75 |
Jim Doyle (D) |
17-15 |
51-46 |
|
Illinois |
2009 |
S.B. 1289 |
Patrick Quinn (D) |
Unanimous (58-0) |
98-18 |
|
Arizona |
2008 |
S. 1476 |
Janet Napolitano (D) |
20-4 |
35-18 |
|
Connecticut |
2008 |
S.B. 1700 |
M. Jodi Rell (R) |
Unanimous (36-0) |
126-12 |
|
Vermont |
2008 |
H.B. 859 |
Jim Douglas (R) |
Unanimous (29-0) |
Voice vote |
|
Nevada |
2007 |
A.B. 510 |
Jim Gibbons (R) |
16-5 |
35-4 |
|
Texas |
2007 |
H.B. 1 |
Rick Perry (R) |
25-5 |
114-35 |
|
S. 166 |
Voice vote |
143-1 |
|||
*Note: Michigan implemented criminal justice reforms in 2010 through an administrative process (without new legislation) and is not included here. This fact sheet was updated on May 1, 2018, to reflect 2017 data.
**Nebraska has a unicameral legislature.
Sources: State legislative tracking websites