Groups from Both Sides of the Political Spectrum Seek to Reform the System

Criminal justice advocates from both sides of the political spectrum have formed a coalition to work together to fix the system. The Coalition for Public Safety, which includes such diverse partners as the American Civil Liberties Union and the Center for American Progress to Americans for Tax Reform and Freedom Works, plans to work together to reduce prison populations, overhaul sentencing, reduce recidivism and hopefully better protect the innocent.

One of the most important lessons we’ve learned over the past two plus decades is that there are many people of all political persuasions who truly want the system to function better. Fairness and justice are values that nearly everyone prizes. By demonstrating the cracks in the system and providing science based solutions, the Innocence Project has been successful in building bipartisan support for reforms that protect the innocent in many states across the nation.

Today’s announcement, which was reported by the New York Times, signals that there may be a real opportunity to bring about meaningful reform in other areas. Denis Calabrese, the president of the Laura and John Arnold Foundation, which is supporting the coalition, told the New York Times, “We want to both do good policy work and try to improve the system, but also to send the message to politicians that we always ask you to work together, and we are going to lead the way.” 

Read more about the coalition

.