Making jails and prisons safer and sentencing more equitable are the goals of a report marking 50 years of mass incarceration in the U.S. In Mississippi, at least 84,000 people a year are booked into local jails, according to the Prison Policy Initiative.

Crime is a concern across the country, according to Nicole D. Porter, report co-author with The Sentencing Project. But the group's research finds much more could be done to prevent mass incarceration - including relying on community-based interventions and crisis response teams, rather than the police, in some situations.

"So there needs to be other priorities and other investments in ways to reduce crime, prevent crime in the first place, and then to respond to crime when it does occur," Porter said. "So, that was the goal behind The Sentencing Project publishing this report."

The report said police have become the "default first responders" to social issues, from drug use to homelessness and mental health crises - when there often are more effective, and less expensive, ways to intervene.

Liz Komar, sentencing reform counsel with The Sentencing Project and a report co-author, explained one form of community intervention is supporting violence interruption programs in neighborhoods.

"Confronting violence at the community level before it happens, interrupting those cycles through credible messengers, is a way to keep communities safe - without doubling down on what we know are failed approaches to actually addressing harm," Komar said.

Mississippi has one of the world's highest incarceration rates, at 1,031 people per 100,000 population. Komar said that is driven in part by what she calls "extreme sentencing" laws that relegate people to years or decades behind bars.

"The Sentencing Project recommends - across the board, in every state - capping sentences at a maximum of 20 years, and then, shifting other sentences proportionately downward," Komar explained.

Porter urged Mississippi legislators to work on finding ways to guide residents of smaller communities to invest in more positive alternatives to locking people up.

"What Mississippi could do and should do, is approach public safety in a new way," Porter said. "And hopefully, the recommendations outlined in the report can offer information to policymakers who are looking for new ideas, innovative ideas that can strengthen communities, as opposed to weakening them."

The report also noted deep racial and ethnic disparities in the legal system, from the point of arrest to post-incarceration experiences that include restrictions on voting and employment.

A North Carolina group hopes to help people stay out of prison by connecting them to critical resources.

Recidivism Reduction Educational Programs Services is launching a new hotline to help formerly incarcerated people with re-entry services.

Kerwin Pittman, the organization's founder, said he found it tough getting connected to the right people as a returning citizen nearly seven years ago and in 2024, he said the issue still exists.

"What we realized that across North Carolina, the connectivity wasn't happening at all," Pittman pointed out. "You would have people returning, citizens, family members, those who wanted to get help for these individuals trying to reach out for services and needed services but just couldn't find them."

The hotline connects callers to real people who essentially create a bridge directly to services in the community. Pittman noted since its launch last Monday, more than 100 people have used the call center to get connected to housing and jobs. To contact the center, call 1-888-852-0004.

In North Carolina, 44% of people are re-arrested within two years of being released from state prisons. Pittman acknowledged it can be challenging to have a successful transition when you don't know where to start and emphasized one small resource can be the key to getting on track.

"You'd be surprised how many individuals come home and don't just have simple identification," Pittman emphasized. "And we know without identification, you can't receive benefits that you may be eligible for, you can't receive a job, you can't receive housing. And so everything kind of plays into each other."

In addition to closing gaps and getting people to services, Pittman said he hopes it inspires others to find innovative ways to make connection easier for people affected by the justice system. Earlier this year at the state level, Gov. Roy Cooper signed Executive Order 303 to improve re-entry.

Mississippi prisons often lack resources to treat people who are incarcerated with substance-use disorders adequately but a nonprofit organization is offering alternative programs focused on treatment instead of incarceration.

The Magnolia State has one of the highest incarceration rates in the nation, with more than 1,000 people per 100,000 residents behind bars.

Christina Dent, founder and president of End It For Good, said they invite people to support approaches to drugs prioritizing life, preserving families and promoting public safety.

"We do education out in the community - with citizens, with advocates, with policymakers - to help them understand why a punitive criminal justice approach to drugs and addiction has not produced good results and why a health-centered approach would produce much better results," Dent explained.

It is estimated more than 578,000 people in state and federal prisons in 2022 had a substance-use disorder in the year prior to their admission, according to the Prison Policy Initiative.

Dent emphasized they recommend lawmakers look at other alternatives to stop reactionary approaches resulting in Mississippians paying harsher penalties for crimes such as drug possession.

"Shift away from increasing penalties," Dent urged. "Another thing that we could do would be to reduce penalties or recategorize penalties for something like drug possession. We would love to see a shift from treating drug possession as potentially a felony to drug possession being a misdemeanor. "

Dent noted such an alternative approach would allow individuals impacted to more easily regain employment, support their families and reintegrate into society. She added felony convictions create lifelong barriers to employment and self-sufficiency.


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April is Second Chance Month and many Nebraskans are celebrating passage of a bipartisan voting rights restoration bill and its focus on second chances.

Legislative Bill 20 restores voting rights to those convicted of a felony upon completion of their sentence, eliminating the two-year waiting period.

Jason Witmer, policy fellow at the ACLU of Nebraska, said the change will promote success for formerly incarcerated Nebraskans. He pointed out it also will increase the likelihood of the state meeting the objectives Gov. Jim Pillen and the Department of Corrections have committed to.

Nebraska became the fourth state to join "Reentry 2030," a national initiative of the Council of State Governments focused on strengthening programs and removing obstacles for those reentering society after incarceration.

"The more somebody can have their rights in place for them, the more invested they are in the society," Witmer contended. "The more invested you are in your community and your society, the more likely you are to succeed. And the right to vote is fundamentally part of reintegrating into society. It's your civil voice."

Reentry 2030 aims to have all 50 states commit to improving outcomes for formerly incarcerated people. Nebraska's goals include increasing GED completion and college coursework by those in Nebraska prisons, and reducing recidivism 50% by 2030.

Pillen allowed the measure to become law but stated it contains "potential constitutional issues" which could lead to a legal challenge.

Nebraska's recidivism rate for those who left prison between 2019 and 2022 was nearly 30%.

Witmer noted it is at least partly attributable to the challenges people face upon leaving incarceration.

"You did the time, and then you come out and find out, 'Oh, I can't vote. Oh, housing is almost impossible to get. Oh, I can't work here,'" Witmer outlined. "Suddenly you don't feel like you're a part of any of this."

Across the country, 37 other states restore voting rights to those charged with a felony either immediately after incarceration or after completing parole or probation. Two states and the District of Columbia allow people to vote while incarcerated.