
Criminal Justice Reform
One act of love can reform a system failing juvenile offenders
Originally published in The Philadelphia Inquirer Aqilah David’s journey began with an act of love. Living alone with her 10-year-old brother and 6-year-old sister — partially due to adults…
Read More: One act of love can reform a system failing juvenile offendersPennsylvania’s Justice Reinvestment Initiatives of 2012 and 2019 successfully reduced the state’s prison population while maintaining community safety. But our work is far from over. With a state recidivism rate of 41 percent, now is the time for reforms that promote reintegration into society and enable the criminal justice system to focus its resources where it counts. Pennsylvania can continue to lead the nation in powerful criminal justice reforms that preserve public safety, save taxpayer resources, and promote true rehabilitation.
Criminal Justice Reform
Keystone Criminal Justice
As lifelong conservatives, we’re proud to call ourselves tough on crime and to support lengthy prison terms for dangerous felons. But after a long, taxpayer-funded era of mass incarceration, it’s…
Commentary
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My Journey to Commonwealth Foundation’s Board
How did a registered Democrat and the daughter of former Democratic Governor George Leader find a place on Commonwealth Foundation’s Board? …
Commentary
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2012 Corrections Reform Still Paying Off
Yesterday, Gov. Wolf and Secretary of Corrections John Wetzel announced that Pennsylvania’s prison population declined last year by the largest amount since 1971. The number of imates declined by…
Media
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Protect Property Owners from Unreasonable Forfeiture
Our justice system is supposed to presume innocence until guilt is proven, but every year, Pennsylvanians are stripped of about $14 million on allegations that their property was involved in…
Commentary
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Audio: Guilty Until Proven Innocent?
In Pennsylvania, civil asset forfeiture laws allow law enforcement agents to legally seize property without convicting an individual of a crime. These laws turn justice on its head, allowing police…
Media
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The Jury is In: Corrections Reform is Working
Remember the time lawmakers from both parties came together in Harrisburg and unanimously passed important, groundbreaking reform legislation? It’s not a joke. It happened in 2012. As a result of…
Media
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Pennsylvania State Budget Toolkit
The enacted $29 billion General Fund budget (a 1.88 percent increase over 2013-2014) and $71.4 billion total operating budget represent Pennsylvania’s highest spending levels ever—exceeding years when federal stimulus dollars…
Fact Sheet
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Corrections Reform Proves a Win-Win
Unprecedented reductions in the prison population, $69.9 million in taxpayer savings, and lower recidivism rates all indicate that the 2012 corrections reforms are working. Earlier this month Don Gilliland over…
Media
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Obama Learns from Pa. on Corrections Reform
Criminal justice policy that offers less spending, lower crime and improved outcomes for offenders—too good to be true? Actually, that is the result of recent corrections reforms in…
Media
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Milestone Corrections Reform Offers Taxpayer Savings
On the heels of Pennsylvania’s historic decline in prison population—the largest one-year decline in four decades—the Department of Corrections announced today the imminent closure of two older prisons.
Media
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Three of Four Alarms Still Ringing
Late last month, the Independent Fiscal Office released its annual report looking at Pennsylvania’s economy and forecasting state budget expenditures and revenues. The trends remain alarming. Most notably, state…
Media
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Pennsylvania Gets Landmark Corrections Reform
On Tuesday, Pennsylvania passed the final piece, House Bill 135, of a landmark corrections reform package that transforms our ailing prison system to one that works better for YOU. Commonwealth Foundation…
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Corrections Home Run for Gov. Corbett?
Under Gov. Tom Corbett’s leadership, Pennsylvania unanimously passed (Senate Bill 100) part of a landmark corrections reform package last session. SB 100, now Act 122 of 2012, aims to…
Media
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Don’t Fire Arrows without Arrowheads in Corrections Reform
Reforming our state corrections system is not being soft on crime—it is being smart on crime. To achieve transformative corrections reform, lawmakers should finish this critical legislative package and build…
Commentary
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Pennsylvania Passes Proven Prison Reform
Pennsylvania's inmate population and rate of recidivism have reached crisis levels in recent years. Since 1980, Pennsylvania's inmate population increased over 500% between 1980 and 2009. …
Commentary
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Pennsylvania Passes Landmark Corrections Reform
On Monday, Pennsylvania passed landmark legislation to replace decades of ineffective and expensive corrections policies with reforms that make our communities safer and save taxpayers money. Commonwealth Foundation thanks…
Media
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Corrections Reform: Don’t Fire Arrows Without Arrowheads
The Justice Reinvestment Initiative, commissioned by Gov. Tom Corbett and led by national corrections reform experts, generated broad bipartisan support for a reform package that will: Make the…
Media
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Pennsylvania’s Blueprint for Better Public Safety
As Pennsylvania confronts another tight budget, Governor Corbett and legislative leaders must address the skyrocketing costs of prisons. Obviously, there are dangerous people who should be locked up to protect…
Commentary
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You Can Spend Less, Get More with Real Corrections Reform
What is it they say about things that are out of sight? Oh, yes, out of mind. That might be one of the reasons why our corrections system has become…
Media
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Unlocking Corrections Reform: A Summary of SB 100
A Look at Senate Bill 100 SB 100 incorporates evidence-based reforms to make the state’s corrections system more efficient by keeping low-risk cases out of prison in favor of…
Media
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Committee Advances Real Corrections Reform
Policymakers moved one step closer to replacing Pennsylvania’s ineffective corrections policies with those that lower crime rates, reduce re-offending, and control spending. During today’s House Judiciary committee, Rep. Glen Grell…
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