New Report: State Prison Populations Drop for First Time in Nearly Four Decades

“If we come together now to tackle our nation’s prisoner re-entry crisis, we can make the public safer, save taxpayer dollars and continue to see a decline in the prison population.” - Mark Earley, Prison Fellowship President and Former Virginia Attorney General

LANSDOWNE, Va., March 18, 2010—A new report released yesterday by the Pew Center on the States shows the first reduction in state prison populations in 38 years.  While the current economic squeeze on state budgets has contributed to state efforts to reduce their inmate count, Prison Fellowship-the world's largest outreach to prisoners, ex-prisoners and their families-sees the reduction as a big win in the effort to change lives and reform our nation's criminal justice system. 

According to Prison Count 2010, there were 1,403,091 people under the jurisdiction of state prison authorities in January of this year.  That is 5,739 fewer than on Dec. 31, 2008.

"This reduction has come about partly because the states have rightly decided to reserve costly prison space for violent prisoners and provide alternative sentences for low-risk offenders," said Mark Earley, president of Prison Fellowship and former Virginia attorney general. "If we come together now to tackle our nation's prisoner re-entry crisis, we can make the public safer, save taxpayer dollars and continue to see a decline in the prison population."

As part of that effort, Prison Fellowship has launched a national prisoner re-entry movement called Out4Life.  Out4Life creates state-wide coalitions of Departments of Corrections, churches, businesses, social service providers and others to address the keys to successful ex-prisoners' re-entry: changed lives and the ability to find jobs, housing, needed social services and mentors.  Prison Fellowship also tackles prisoner re-entry through its InnerChange Freedom Initiative program.  Working with inmates who are within 18 months of release in prisons in five states, the program helps them prepare to become productive citizens rather than a public safety burden upon release.  Graduates of the program are paired with mentors for at least 12 months following their release to help them stay out of trouble.

In addition, Justice Fellowship-Prison Fellowship's criminal justice reform program-advocates for reforms that provide effective sentencing options, ensure ample prison space for violent offenders and promote wise use of tax dollars.

"Prisons are for people we are afraid of, yet we have filled them with many folks that we are just mad at," said Pat Nolan, a vice president at Prison Fellowship who directs Justice Fellowship. "The important point of the lower numbers in the Pew study is not simply that states can save money by lowering the number of people in custody, but that communities will be safer when ex-offenders are transformed before they return."

INTERVIEW OPPORTUNITY: Mark Earley and Pat Nolan are available to discuss criminal justice reforms that have led to reduced state prison populations and how tackling prisoner re-entry can lead to further reductions.  Contact Michelle Farmer or Amy Anderson, (770) 813-0000 or (770) 757-4900 cell.

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