The New York Times: States Trim Penalties and Prison Rolls, Even as Sessions Gets Tough

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While Mr. Sessions has warned of what he says is a coming surge in crime, supporters of reducing incarceration say they are frustrated by how their goals are often cast as adverse to public safety.

“The states that have most significantly reduced their prison population have also seen the biggest drops in their crime and recidivism rates,” said Holly Harris, a former general counsel of the Kentucky Republican Party who is now executive director of the U.S. Justice Action Network.

“Reform makes us safer,” Ms. Harris said. “There’s a misperception with prosecutors that somehow reform is anti-law enforcement, and that couldn’t be further from the truth.”

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/18/us/states-prisons-crime-sentences-jeff-sessions.html