Prison Reform

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Conditions inside prisons and the quality of services provided to prisoners can significantly impact outcomes for the incarcerated population and the wider community. RAND research has considered the quality of health care provided in California's prisons, has analyzed the impact of correctional education on employment outcomes for prisoners, and is evaluating the world's first Social Impact Bond funding model for prison services.

  • The Los Angeles County Men's Jail in Los Angeles, California, February 16, 2021, photo by Lucy Nicholson/Reuters

    Commentary

    Investing in Social Change: Lessons Learned from Foundation-Funded Criminal Justice Research

    Jul 20, 2021

    Investing in policy-focused research can be among the ways foundations catalyze change. Impactful work may involve strong collaborations across funders, researchers, and community partners. And it may require flexibility in design and execution as well as a commitment to getting the findings into the hands of decisionmakers who can use the findings to create change.

  • An inmate walks back to his cell after mopping the floor at the California Institution for Men state prison in Chino, California, June 3, 2011, photo by Lucy Nicholson/Reuters

    Commentary

    Defund Prisons, Not Police

    Aug 9, 2021

    The United States spends billions on prisons, jails, and juvenile detention facilities. New lows in incarceration rates present a chance to shift resources away from costly correctional facilities and toward education, job training, transportation, and other community services.

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