The United States has the highest incarceration rate in the world, holding 2.3 million people in state, federal, and juvenile detention facilities across the country and US territories. Ultimately, the challenge for lawmakers is to take advantage of the broad based momentum around reforming and improving our criminal justice system to lessen the burden on communities, boost legitimacy of the system in the eyes of citizens, and materially improve the prospects of offenders to end a cycle of distrust and demoralization.

State legislators can engage in justice reinvestment by passing legislation that creates a better understanding of criminal justice costs and bolsters recidivism reduction programs.

In bipartisan coalitions, policymakers have worked to introduce and pass effective legislation to reform the sentencing system in the courtroom, for those currently incarcerated, and those who will interact with the system in the future.

Here are some examples of how legislators and policymakers have approached recidivism reduction during and after incarceration.

One specific and straightforward way in which legislators can make a significant impact in their communities is reforming court fines and fees.