“The United States has the world’s highest incarceration rate—and efforts to reduce it have been the focus of studies by leading academics, advocacy groups and policymakers.

“Most recognize that if significant change is going to come, it will be at the state level, where the majority of prisoners are held—and for the past decade or so, states have been pursuing strategies for reforming sentencing codes, developing alternatives to incarceration, and reshaping prisoner re-entry policies aimed at cutting recidivism.

“So how well have they done?”

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