Crime Declines as Pa. Passes Criminal Justice Reforms

In 2019, Pennsylvania’s prison population declined for the fifth straight year, with no increase in crime. Thanks in part to the 2012 Justice Reinvestment Initiative reforms that prioritized prison for violent offenders, improved parole processes, and reinvested savings in smarter practices for low-level offenders. A second round of reforms passed in December 2019 to continue to build safer communities with smarter state spending.