Education
The High Cost of Pa. K–12 Education Failures
Key Points The cost and risk of failure in our K–12 system is high. Low academic achievement is a predictor of lower lifetime incomes and higher costs for taxpayers. On…
Backgrounder
Read More: The High Cost of Pa. K–12 Education FailuresCriminal Justice Reform
Op-Ed: The First Step Act Is A Giant Leap Toward Meaningful, Bipartisan Prison Reform
Criminal justice reform is not about being softer on crime. It’s about a smarter approach to our justice system and our prisons — focusing resources on protecting public safety.
Commentary
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Commonwealth Foundation Receives 2020 Biggest Win for Freedom Award
Sept. 3, 2020, Harrisburg, Pa. — The Commonwealth Foundation is honored to have earned the 2020 Bob Williams Award: Biggest Win for Freedom, presented by the State Policy Network.
Press Release
Read More: Commonwealth Foundation Receives 2020 Biggest Win for Freedom AwardCriminal Justice Reform
Pa. Leading Nation on Smart Justice Reform
December 18, 2019, Harrisburg, Pa. – Today, the Pa. Legislature passed two bills that firmly establish Pennsylvania as a national leader on criminal justice reform. Senate Bills 500 and…
Press Release
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Can Criminal Justice Reform Unite America?
The following op-ed first appeared in the Philadelphia Inquirer. Are partisan division and political bickering unavoidable in American politics? The headlines make it seem so, but it’s not true.
Media
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Pa. Prison Population Plummets by Most in History
Pennsylvania’s prison population dropped by 1,068 individuals in 2018, according to new Department of Corrections numbers—the sharpest decline ever recorded. The number of incarcerated Pennsylvanians declined in six of…
Press Release
Read More: Pa. Prison Population Plummets by Most in HistoryCriminal Justice Reform
Tough on Crime, Smart on Justice
Commentators called it a “Christmas miracle.” In late December, Congressional Republicans and Democrats cooperated to pass the FIRST STEP Act, America’s most significant federal sentencing and prison reform…
Media
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The Next Step for Criminal Justice Reform
In an op-ed last week, CF’s president Charles Mitchell and former CF board chair Jane Janeczek offered an appraisal of the First Step Act signed by President Trump on…
Media
Read More: The Next Step for Criminal Justice ReformCriminal Justice Reform
One Policy Where Trump and Wolf Agree
President Trump and Gov. Tom Wolf agree: minimum sentencing laws are counterproductive. Last Wednesday, President Trump announced his support of the FIRST STEP Act. The bill gives federal judges more…
Media
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