Do harsh sentences make us safer?

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Pamela,   The problem of mass incarceration is not just about the number of people in United States prisons or even the much larger number of people who cycle in and out of jails every year. The United States also incarcerates people for far too long, even though research has proven that harsh punishment does not deter crime, make communities safer, or help crime survivors heal. Consider this: In 2024, there were more people serving life without parole than ever before—a prison sentence sometimes called "death by incarceration."1   Many of these people are older adults who are extremely unlikely to cause harm. Still others are people who have transformed their lives and are ineligible for release because of a crime committed years, or decades, in the past. Pamela, harsh sentencing laws are based on fear, not facts. Since the 1980s, legislators looking to appear "tough-on-crime" have imposed hasty policies that arbitrarily increase sentences.  But we know better. Research from Vera and others has shown that community violence intervention and repairing harm within communities is far more effective at improving public safety. To end mass incarceration, we need to approach it from every angle. That's why Vera's Sentencing Reform Initiative is working right now to support state-level legislation that would help end excessive sentences and develop options for community-based accountability.  Click here to find out what we know about harsh sentencing laws, and what really works to build safer communities.  In solidarity,  Vera Institute of Justice    1. https://www.sentencingproject.org/reports/a-matter-of-life-the-scope-and-impact-of-life-and-long-term-imprisonment-in-the-united-states/ © 2025 Vera Institute of Justice. All Rights Reserved.   Vera Institute of Justice 34 35th Street | Suite 4-2A | Brooklyn, NY 11232 (212) 334-1300   Privacy Statement | unsubscribe