1. This is one of the pages I would be interested in adopting and editing. I think that the page needs to include more concrete examples of what has happened up to this point in the criminal justice system and maybe some suggestive examples of how to help each state. I think it would be a smart idea to include a section on each state in the United States and what they have done and what could improve based on what resources and textbooks say the perfect system is. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criminal_justice_reform_in_the_United_States

Sources: https://www.brookings.edu/research/criminal-justice-reform-issues-and-options-for-the-next-president/

Criminal justice reform in the United States

Criminal justice reform in the United States is a type of reform aimed at fixing perceived errors in the criminal justice system. Goals of such reform include decreasing the United States' prison population[1] and reducing prison sentences and eliminating mandatory minimum sentences for low-level drug offenders.[2] Criminal Justice reform also targets reforming policies for those with criminal convictions that are receiving other consequences outside of serving their time in prison. There are many organizations that advocate to reform the criminal justice system such as: Penal Reform International, Southern Poverty Law Center, Sentencing Project, Brennan Center for Justice, and the Innocence Project. These organizations use legal disputes and public events to make the problems aware to the public but mostly the state and federal governments.  

Contents

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  • 1 Background
  • 2 Reform in the States
    • Alabama
    • Alaska
    • Arizona
    • Arkansas
    • California
    • Colorado
    • Delaware
    • Florida
    • Georgia
    • Hawaii
    • Idaho
    • Illinois
    • Indiana
    • Iowa
    • Kansas
    • Kentucky
    • Louisiana
    • Maine
    • Maryland
    • Massachusetts
    • Michigan
    • Minnesota
    • Mississippi
    • Missouri
    • Montana
    • Nebraska
    • Nevada
    • New Hampshire
    • New Jersey
    • New Mexico
    • New York
    • North Carolina
    • North Dakota
    • Ohio
    • Oklahoma
    • Oregon
    • Pennsylvania
    • Rhode Island
    • South Carolina
    • South Dakota
    • Tennessee
    • Texas
    • Utah
    • Vermont
    • Virginia
    • Washington
    • West Virginia
    • Wisconsin
    • Wyoming
  • 3 Reforms for the Federal System
  • 4 Arguments
  • 5 Britain
  • 6 References

Background

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Although originally a mainly liberal cause, the criminal justice reform movement has attracted support from members of the Republican Party beginning in the early 2010s.[3][4] This has led to a significant amount of bipartisan agreement among American politicians in favor of criminal justice reform, making it one of few issues on which many politicians from both the Democratic and Republican parties agree.[2] In 2015 a number of reformers, including the ACLU, the Center for American Progress, Families Against Mandatory Minimums, Koch family foundations, the Coalition for Public Safety, and the MacArthur Foundation, announced a bipartisan resolution to reform the criminal justice system in the United States. Their efforts were lauded by President Obama who noted these reforms will improve rehabilitation and workforce opportunities for those who have served their sentences.

Arguments

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Arguments that have been advanced in support of criminal justice reform include that the prison population of the United States costs about $80 billion per year to maintain. Supporters of this type of reform also argue that the War on Drugs has been a failure. Conservatives who support criminal justice reform are also often concerned about the fiscal and moral impacts of mass incarceration. The proposed reforms have been criticized by some who claim the reforms are driven primarily by cost benefit analysis and recidivism, not a concern for justice and human rights.

Reforms

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Britain

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In 2016, it was reported that Britain was considering reforming its own criminal justice system in similar ways that Texas had done so in recent years.