In this Smart on Crime Explainers series, the Center for American Progress will break down some of the most current issues in criminal justice reform, explain their importance, point to additional trusted sources for further reading, and highlight where reforms are taking place on the ground. This series is designed to be useful for everyone—from those newest to the reform movement to policymakers and practitioners. Learn more about what it means to be smart on crime by reading the fact sheets below.
The U.S. Department of Justice seems poised to restore pattern-or-practice investigations to promote constitutional and effective policing.
It is time to end the federal criminalization of marijuana and right the wrongs caused by the war on drugs—especially for communities of color.
State and local elected officials are the key to ensuring that significant reforms are made to the criminal justice system.
The nationwide protests following the senseless killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and other Black Americans have started to change how police are held accountable.
Clemency is a criminal justice reform tool that governors and the president can use to correct unjust sentences.
How Jurisdictions Can Expand Access to Second Chances
A growing number of prosecutors are shifting away from an overly punitive vision of safety and justice and toward alternatives to incarceration that promote equitable and prevention-oriented responses within the criminal justice system.
Cash bail criminalizes poverty, fuels mass incarceration, and disproportionately affects communities of color. States and localities are increasingly pursuing opportunities for reform.
States across the country are taking action to enact clean slate, a new bipartisan policy solution that uses technology to automatically clear criminal records and give people the second chance they’ve earned.
Researchers and policymakers alike agree that the war on drugs is a failure. Policymakers must replace the war on drugs with a fairer, more effective model that treats substance misuse as a public health issue—not a criminal justice issue.