Just 33% of facilities queried said they deploy these tools to divert people with substance use and mental health issues to non-jail settings By: Alexandra Duncan & Julie Wertheimer A survey of administrators at U.S. jails shows that only about one-third of facilities use information from behavioral health screening and assessment tools to divert people from jail. Most facilities do conduct screenings and assessments, but few use them for diversion purposes. That represents a significant missed opportunity to connect people to the care they may need. The Pew Charitable Trusts invited more than…
Read MoreDay: May 8, 2025
A Critical Assessment of the First Step Act’s Recidivism-Reduction Measures
ABSTRACT The First Step Act of 2018 (“FSA”) is the most impactful federal sentencing reform of the past 40 years. While the Act represents a partial resurgence of the rehabilitative model of imprisonment, which had fallen out of favor decades before, it also represents a missed opportunity to fully integrate evidence-based rehabilitation programs for those offenders who pose the greatest risks to public safety. The public has a strong interest in reducing recidivism, particularly among violent offenders, most of whom will be released from federal prison eventually. The FSA incentivizes…
Read MoreCA: Sex Trafficking Fight Erupts Over Punishment for Soliciting Minors
Democrats did the right thing, got attacked for it, then caved. Elizabeth Nolan Brown It’s rare to see politicians of any stripe fight against sex-trafficking overreach—or any tough-on-crime gestures, really. In California, Democrats have been finding out what happens when you do. After pushing back somewhat against an overly carceral bill targeting prostitution customers, they were tarred by Republicans as having voted “to protect predators” and being “a threat to our kids’ safety.” It’s become “the biggest controversy Sacramento has seen in a while,” notes The Sacramento Bee. Now, of course, Democrats are…
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