Opinion: Criminal justice reform gains ground

The national trend toward reform of the U.S. criminal justice system picked up speed with last week’s Congressional passage of The First Steps Act. It is bipartisan legislation intended to help slow the growth and immense cost of imprisoning offenders, many for non-violent crimes.

Georgia, under leadership of Gov. Nathan Deal, was an early actor in criminal justice reform. This state’s efforts in that vein have reduced both the number of people behind bars as well as the costs of keeping them there. Done well, such efforts won’t compromise public safety, experts say.

Today, we offer three perspectives on criminal justice reform.