In the face of fiscal crises, state governments are making smart investments in alternatives to mass incarceration. The ACLU’s unique and powerful network of state affiliates has been and continues to work on the frontlines to reduce the number of people behind bars while protecting public safety, saving taxpayer dollars, and ensuring fairness for all.
Innovative alternatives to incarceration provide a model for other states.
The ACLU of Washington is a leader in efforts to reduce the state’s reliance on incarceration. Using a powerful combination of litigation, legislative advocacy and public education, the ACLU of Washington is working daily to improve the criminal justice system by limiting the number of people put behind bars in the first place. Thanks to the ACLU of Washington and a powerful local coalition, Seattle is home to one of the nation’s first pre-arrest diversion programs for drug offenders. The program, which was first adopted under the tenure of Seattle Police Chief Gil Kerlikowske – now the Director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy – gives police officers the option to take low-level, non-violent drug offenders to a comprehensive social services site offering drug treatment, mental health screenings and other services as an alternative to arresting and jailing them. The program has led to better public safety outcomes, including reduced recidivism rates for participants, and has become a model for other states considering innovative alternatives to incarcerating low-level drug offenders. The ACLU of Washington is also leading efforts to remove criminal penalties for adult marijuana offenses, which would save precious public dollars and reduce the number of people incarcerated in the state’s jail and prison system.
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