American Conservative Union's David Safavian and Faith & Freedom's Tim Head authored a joint op-ed in The Hill this week that calls recent criticism of federal criminal justice reforms an “ill-informed, short sighted mistake.” Instead, they advocate “now is not the time to shy away from improving the criminal justice system; instead, we should build upon the First Step Act’s success,” and emphasize that conservatives support reforms that that prioritize rehabilitation and accountability.

As election season continues to gain momentum, reporters are increasingly turning their attention to fact checking claims made by candidates in the earliest stages of their campaigns, including Ron DeSantis' attack on former President Trump’s signature criminal justice reform bill, the First Step Act. CNN's KFile recently took a deep dive into DeSantis' history with First Step, noting the Governor voted for an even stronger version of the bill during his time in Congress and has praised similar reintegration efforts in public forums prior to announcing his bid for the White House.

The federal Fifth Amendment Integrity Restoration (FAIR) Act unanimously passed the U.S. House Judiciary Committee this week. Aimed at eliminating the financial incentive for government agencies like the FBI to seize property or assets from individuals who may not ever be charged or accused of committing a crime, the bipartisan FAIR Act stops short of requiring a criminal conviction for forfeiture, but takes important steps to better protect people's property rights and rein in potential abuses.

Preliminary data published in The Atlantic this week suggests that the United States may be experiencing a sharp decline in murders committed this year. Data from more than 90 cities shows a 12% decrease in murders compared with data released from the same period last year.

Last week, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said that if he is elected president, he would seek the repeal of the First Step Act—a major criminal justice reform bill signed into law by former President Donald Trump in 2018—even though he voted for a version of the bill while he was a member of Congress. The criticism of DeSantis’ remarks was swift and strong over the weekend, but no reporters went quite so deep as Reason's CJ Ciaramella, who highlighted both the bill's positive impact and how badly DeSantis misrepresented its provisions.

Hundreds of thousands of lives have been lost to the opioid epidemic over the last two decades, and a new report published this week examines whether this toll has been accompanied by an increase in violence resulting from growth in the illicit opioid market.

rime and policing ranked as the number one issue for voters on both sides of the aisle and across much of the state, and there is strong support for common-sense reforms, which prove concerns won't be appeased by knee-jerk reactions to crime. Among the poll's most interesting findings…

California Governor Gavin Newsom campaigned on criminal justice reform and has signed some important legislation since his election, but there have been tremendous failures too. Can he navigate the slim margins of support and create a truly rehabilitative environment on U.S. soil?

“[Voting gives] a little bit of your strength back and a little bit of your voice back. Being able to vote, being able to have a say in what happens in your society, in your state, is extremely important.”

This week, Justice Action Network’s Executive Director Jenna Bottler had an op-ed published in the Albuquerque Journal. In the op-ed, Bottler argues that lawmakers need to focus on refinement of its pretrial policies after reform. 

As unemployment continues to inch downwards—achieving a new historical low with seemingly every jobs report—and the economy refuses to cool off, congressional leaders are shining a fresh light on second chances hiring.