2024 Public Safety Agenda for State Legislators

Author

Christi Smith

Resident Senior Fellow, Criminal Justice and Civil Liberties

Media Contact

For general and media inquiries and to book our experts, please contact: [email protected]

Introduction

Each new election cycle is an opportunity for state legislators to evaluate the current status of public safety priorities and pursue evidence-based strategies to serve their constituents. Voters increasingly favor crime-prevention strategies over punishment and recognize that more police and prisons should not be the default solution. Young voters particularly value candidates who seek to build safer communities by providing resources for health care, education, and jobs. They understand that police and jails are ill-equipped to handle the myriad of social service needs with which they are confronted and that many individuals would be better served by community-based resources. Rather than relying on the overly punitive and often ineffective tough-on-crime policies of the past, state legislators should prioritize smart-on-crime strategies that build trust between law enforcement and the communities they serve; provide critical reentry resources to reduce recidivism and enhance public safety; and expand access to treatment and other resources for substance use, mental health, and homelessness. These effective, fiscally responsible alternatives to arrest and incarceration enjoy bipartisan support among voters and legislators and demonstrate a commitment to the long-term safety of our communities.

Read the rest of the study here.