Imprisonment is a brutal and costly response to violations or possible violations that traumatizes incarcerated people and hurts families and communities. It should be the last option, not the first. Yet the U.S. incarcerates more people, in both absolute numbers and per capita, than any other nation in the world.

The ACLU Campaign for Smart Justice is working in all 50 states for reforms to usher in a new era of justice in America. During the 2018 state legislative sessions, the ACLU worked with at least 2,394 volunteers and more than 43,000 ACLU supporters took action to advance Smart Justice, helping result in the passage of over a hundred new criminal justice reform bills across the country. Smart Justice is fighting in the legislatures, the courts, in the voting booth, and in the streets to end mass incarceration by addressing: