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Programs intended to reduce the chances that someone will end up back behind bars are working, according to a new analysis of California state data. A new report finds that people who participated in a social program funded by Proposition 47 had a recidivism rate of 15.3% compared with 35% to 45% for people traditionally incarcerated by the Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections. Linda Penner, chairperson of the California Board of State and Community Corrections, which produced the report, is supportive. ...

More than 7,000 people age 50 or older are serving time in Alabama prisons, and prison reform advocates have said the system is ill prepared for their needs. Overcrowding and understaffing are even tougher on older prisoners, and this legislative session, the group Alabama Appleseed is urging lawmakers to reconsider the state laws for "second chances" for such offenders. Carla Crowder, executive director of the Alabama Appleseed Center for Law and Justice, said House Bill 29 would allow judges to review previous sentences, even in cases where the district attorney might opp...

A new report shows that despite record spending on law enforcement in California, the clearance rate - that is the rate of crimes solved - was the lowest ever. Researchers from the Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice found that the state spent a record $27 billion on police in 2021 - but the clearance rate was just 13% for all reported offenses, down from 20% in 1985. Senior Researcher for the Center and report author Mike Males explained. ...