Chesley Bonestell, “The Exploration of Mars” (1953), oil on board, 143/8 x 28 inches, gift of William Estler, Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. Reproduced courtesy of Bonestell LLC.

Reducing Mass Incarceration Safely

June 10, 2016

 

6/10/16 – Roughly 2.3 million people are locked up in prisons and jails in the United States today, a 500% increase over the past 40 years. In Issues, analysts have identified ways to shrink the incarcerated population while still protecting the public. Reinforcing the safety factor, a new study finds that reducing the number of people behind bars often goes hand in hand with reductions in crime rates, and not, as some critics worry, to increased crime.