The Hill News

Today is the deadline for Americans to submit their tax returns to the federal government. It is also the day that many of us wonder if the hard-earned money we send to Washington, D.C. is being spent wisely. When it comes to spending on federal anti-crime programs, the answer is increasingly clear: we’re wasting millions -- and the American people know it.

Earlier this month, the Pew Center on the States released the results of a new poll that revealed: (1) American voters believe too many people are in prison and the nation spends too much on imprisonment; (2) voters overwhelmingly support a variety of policy changes that shift nonviolent offenders from prison to more effective, less expensive alternatives; and (3) support for sentencing and corrections reforms -- including reduced prison terms -- is strong across political parties, regions, age, gender and racial/ethnic groups. The sample of voters polled included more self-described conservatives than lib! erals.

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