Second Chances Resource Library

Nearly 40 percent of the U.S. prison popu­la­tion — 576,000 people — are behind bars with no compel­ling public safety reason, accord­ing to a new report from the Bren­nan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law. The first-of-its-kind analysis provides a blue­print for how the coun­try can drastic­ally cut its prison popu­la­tion while still keep­ing crime rates near historic lows.