Taking a Close Look at the State’s Correctional System

According to James Austin, president of the JFA Institute and a partner of NCCD’s Realignment Partnership Program, reducing the prison population without compromising public safety is a realistic, attainable goal.

According to James Austin, president of the JFA Institute and a partner of NCCD’s Realignment Partnership Program, reducing the prison population without compromising public safety is a realistic, attainable goal. However, two prevailing assumptions regarding the criminal justice system must be defeated in order to reach this goal by 2013: that incarceration is the only way to reduce crime, and that law enforcement is opposed to changes that reduce incarceration stand in the way of progress for California’s criminal justice system.