When the Legislature rushed through a criminal justice overhaul in 2024, no one had computed the price tag. Now, researchers predict the state's prison population could double by 2034, requiring an estimated $2 billion in new facilities.
The new facility allows more care to be delivered on site, easing strain on staff and local hospitals.
Medicaid is a lifeline for people returning from incarceration but there are too many hurdles, and new work requirements will make things worse. Governments need to take some important steps now.
An investigation found that suicides in 2025 were tied to isolation, substance use and inconsistent clinical care.
Innovative programs make them safer while enhancing opportunities for success after release. Some states are showing the way.
The program aims to ease heavy caseloads by summarizing legal filings and generating draft decisions, with judges required to review all outputs.
The nationwide shortage is leading to hundreds of criminal cases being dismissed while harming defendants. Better pay would help, but efforts to expand the pipeline are needed.
Formerly incarcerated women have expertise that is policy-ready. We need to mandate including them on the bodies that shape jails, prisons, parole, sentencing and reentry.
It’s a core public safety issue: Researchers need access to agency data, but it can be difficult or impossible to come by. You can’t solve a problem you can’t measure. Model state legislation offers a framework for expanding access.
We need to reward outcomes that enhance community safety. The place to start is with the way we staff our prisons.
A dramatic drop in paroles reflects 2024 changes that tightened eligibility and eliminated discretionary release for many incarcerated people.
A Tennessee program’s success stems from a yearlong commitment to housing stability, employment continuity and social support. It merits national attention.
Facing surging caseloads tied to school bus violations, court officials are launching a pilot service to handle routine filings and payments without entering the courthouse.
Fake cases and fabricated quotes in legal filings are prompting courts and lawmakers to issue restrictions and education requirements.
At Stillwater, corrections officials are testing an “earned living unit” that trades privileges for accountability and has gone two months without a lockdown.
About 338 of every 100,000 women are behind bars in the state. Officials say the new facility could finally curb the nation’s worst record on female incarceration.
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