Prison Reform Has Become A Conservative Initiative

BusinessPolicyPrison Reform Has Become A Conservative InitiativeByWalter Pavlo,Contributor.Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. I am a consultant on white-collar crime and former convicted felon.Follow AuthorMay 11, 2026, 01:44pm EDT--:-- / --:--This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.WASHINGTON, DC - DECEMBER 21: Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (L) (R-IA) attends the signing of the First Step Act with President Donald Trump December 2018.Getty ImagesThe idea that criminal justice reform is solely a liberal project has never been entirely accurate. While progressive advocates have long been associated with reform efforts, conservative lawmakers have also played a meaningful and sometimes leading role in reshaping the system. From landmark federal legislation like the Second Chance Act and the First Step Act to a growing wave of state level reforms, the reality is more bipartisan than the conventional narrative suggests.Rethinking the political narrative around reform"The conventional wisdom is that because Republicans are pro-law enforcement, they are also reflexively opposed to criminal justice reform. Add to that the backlash caused by the spike in crime during and immediately after Covid and one could assume that justice reform is dead. But a recent analysis from Princeton Professor Udi Ofer paints a far more positive picture. Ofer’s study acknowledges that the environment has been difficult for federal criminal justice reform in Trump’s second term. But the Princeton professor notes that sensible reforms are continuing at the state level, where 90% of the nation’s inmates are incarcerated. In fact, 35 states enacted at least one criminal justice reform bill in 2025. Between 2021 and 2025, a whopping 634 pro-reform bills were enacted in states across the country.A closer look shows reform is continuing, particularly at the state level where m...