Earned Sentence Credits: A Smart Public Safety Strategy to Reduce Crime and Save Taxpayer Dollars
Earned sentencing credits incentivize people in prison to take responsibility for their rehabilitation and turn their lives around. Credits allow people who participate in recidivism-reduction activities and demonstrate good behavior to earn time off their sentences or be considered for parole sooner. This widely used, research-based approach advances public safety both inside and outside prison walls by:
- Reducing victimization after release
- Reducing disciplinary incidents in prisons
- Freeing up resources that can be redirected to crime prevention and victim services.
This white paper reviews key research on earned sentencing credits and details four ways states can maximize the public safety benefits associated with credits:
- Ensuring credit-eligible rehabilitative activities are effective and accessible
- Extending broad eligibility for credits
- Maximizing credit earning potential and minimizing loss
- Making earned credit systems transparent and trackable
As the number of states working to strengthen their earned credit systems grows, communities across the country will benefit from the public safety returns.
This report is the result of a partnership between the Alliance for Safety and Justice and Unify. Us, two nationally recognized public safety and justice reform organizations, that teamed up to produce this white paper to help lawmakers evaluate correctional policy solutions that increase safety and reduce costs.
Read more in the full report below.
