Want to Reduce Crime? Raise Wages.

Rachel West and Rebecca Vallas explain why expanding the EITC and raising the minimum wage can give working families greater financial security and make the nation's communities safer.

When Congress returns after Labor Day, the current crop of lawmakers has a final opportunity to pass urgently needed criminal justice reform legislation before the November election. Bipartisan bills in the House and Senate would take important steps toward improving draconian sentencing laws, enhancing rehabilitation behind bars and smoothing a path to successful reentry.

This legislation represents a critically important first step toward overhauling our nation’s criminal justice system, and Congress should act to pass it without delay. However, fully addressing our nation’s legacy of mass incarceration and over-criminalization will require lawmakers to think beyond the walls of the courthouse and the prison.

The above excerpt was originally published in Morning Consult. Click here to view the full article.

The positions of American Progress, and our policy experts, are independent, and the findings and conclusions presented are those of American Progress alone. A full list of supporters is available here. American Progress would like to acknowledge the many generous supporters who make our work possible.