Even as criminal justice reform has gained political momentum, new numbers from the Bureau of Justice Statistics shows that the United States has among one of the highest rates of in incarceration in the world. Even recent policy changes, such as a 2014 federal decision to reduce sentences for drug crimes and a range of state-level reforms in places like New York and New Jersey, have only led to a modest reduction in the prison population from 2016 to 2017. And the strong racial disparities that mark the system still remain, with black men serving prison sentences at almost six times the rate of white men.
To discuss this enduring reality and what changes might actually make a difference, Jim Braude was joined by Emily Bazelon, New York Times Magazine staff writer and author of "Charged: The New Movement to Transform American Prosecution and End Mass Incarceration."
