Bipartisan Support for Justice Reinvestment Legislation

Wide majorities in most states approved sentencing and corrections reforms

Data Visualization June 18, 2015 Read time:

Projects: Public Safety Performance

Since 2007, more than half of the states have participated in the Justice Reinvestment Initiative and made research-based policy changes to control prison growth, hold offenders accountable, and protect public safety. Although they vary in scope and significance, these reforms have sought to prioritize prison space for serious and violent offenders while expanding alternatives to incarceration for those who can be supervised more effectively and at less expense in the community. These efforts in 30 states have drawn extraordinary bipartisan support: Justice reinvestment reforms have received more than 6,100 “aye” votes in state legislatures, compared with just over 500 “no” votes.

This page was updated on Nov. 18, 2016, to add 2016 data.