Fairfield County's new jail could serve as example for Wayne County

Fairfax County, Virginia, boasts the state's most ambitious program to divert cases from criminal prosecution to treatment courts, including for drug offenses and involving veterans. But all of the work by prosecutors to deliver a more therapeutic form of justice ends up penalizing the county under the state's formula for funding of prosecutor offices, which rewards felony convictions. Because the true workload isn't reflected in the funding, Fairfax has faced staffing shortage, leading to conflicts with the police over inaction on certain cases. The state has begun a lengthy study of the issue.

As cities across the United States grapple with the decline in law enforcement applications and officers, New York is adapting by using a workload allocation model to figure out the number of police officers actually needed and in what positions. While other cities, like Memphis, seek private funding to hire more police officers – a model that hasn’t shown demonstrably to decrease crime.

A pilot program in Canada is providing increased job opportunities for disadvantaged populations - including refugees, those with disabilities, and laborers who have been unemployed long-term - through a special program that rewards companies hiring them with what is essentially a cash-back rebate on loans covered by the government. The rebate adds up to be significantly less than the cost of paying out unemployment, and has the additional benefits of encouraging workplace diversity and corporate growth.

Reducing inmate populations doesn’t necessarily cut costs. The funding equation is far more complex. Complying with employee pension laws, offering more services to inmates, and other growing costs can replace any savings from reforms that shrink the incarcerated population.

Many offenders get out of jail owing hundreds or thousands of dollars in court and parole fees but face barriers to financing and job acquisition, sticking them in a punitive, vicious cycle of debt and arrest. A program called the Clapham Set, perhaps paired with conditional cash transfers - may be a solution, as it erases fees for felons who complete rehab and job training upon release.

Advocates in Connecticut worked with the nonprofit Worth Rises to successfully campaign for a law that made phone calls and emails free in the state’s prison system. Expensive communication was a barrier for people who are incarcerated and their families, often impacting their mental health, relationships, and financial well-being.

The United States Department of Education made federal Pell Grants available to college students who are incarcerated to help cover school expenses. This spurred the development of new prison education programs and partnerships with colleges.

In Arizona, state officials recruited individuals for volunteer committees to have oversight of the state Division of Developmental Disabilities that was responsible for caring for those with developmental disabilities. Although the program was initially successful and "helped Arizona earn its reputation as one of the best states in the country for the care of people with developmental and intellectual disabilities," in recent years, a series of resignations and increased workload have left some of the panels "barely functioning."

Criminalizing domestic violence was considered a feminist-inspired advance for crime victims, but making arrests and prosecution the main responses to the problem has backfired in many ways. With funding and attention focused on punishment, other services for victims have been neglected. And expecting victims will aid in a prosecution, even jailing them for refusing, can ignore the rational choices many victims make for non-cooperation, based on their desire for safety, financial and housing security, to avoid maltreatment by police, and other reasons that point toward more promising responses.

From North Carolina to California, states and cities are taking a new approach to fines and fees – people are having their charges dismissed, warrants for minor offenses cleared, and many municipalities are actually saving money by spending less on collections. With a system that was built because it provided cities and states with revenue, there has been a realization that it disproportionately targets communities of color and often keeps people stuck in cycles of debt. With this national awakening, resources and networks are being created so other places can implement the same change.