“This year, more than 600,000 individuals will exit prison gates and return to communities across America. Almost one-third will be rearrested in their first year out, over half within three years, and over three-quarters within five years. But our nation’s recidivism problem starts well before prisoners leave prison. Many of the 2.2 million behind bars today lack a high school degree, and while they are in state custody, most receive little or no preparation for life after prison… In a rare display of bipartisan consensus, policymakers have recently sought to reform the criminal justice system by focusing on those entering prison. By and large, these reforms have attempted to unravel ‘tough on crime’ policies from the 1980s and 1990s by reducing sentences and repealing mandatory minimums.”