Rhode Island should do more to fix the machinery of a criminal justice system that traps people — and their families — in a damaging cycle and deprives them of hope.

Interestingly, Rhode Islanders seem to be crossing ideological lines in agreeing on the need for reform. The conservative Rhode Island Center for Freedom & Prosperity, for example, has advocated for a series of measures that would overhaul the way the state deals with people convicted of crimes. A package of seven bills backed by the group and crafted with the support of Gov. Gina Raimondo’s Justice Reinvestment Working Group passed the Rhode Island Senate.

It is unclear what will happen in the House, where Speaker Nicholas Mattiello killed a reform measure in the waning hours of last year's session.

People can differ on the question of how much incarceration is necessary to protect the public and enforce the rule of law — both key responsibilities of government. But clearly, what we have now isn’t working very well.

Poor people, many of them minorities, disproportionately commit crimes, and hence are disproportionately incarcerated. Unfortunately, that creates long-term harm to society. Families can’t seem to shake free of the criminal justice system. Children of jailed parents become trapped in a cycle of crime and poverty, instead of being given a real shot at the American Dream. And Rhode Island is left with a completely overburdened probation system.

The legislation passed by the Senate takes aim at these systemic problems. If the bills become law, they would: create a batterer’s intervention fund, helping people learn to resolve differences without resorting to abuse or violence; expand reimbursable expenses for crime victims; take into account the impact of prison when considering parole or community confinement; create a drug diversion court; and amend penalties for certain crimes based on the value of the property stolen.

These are reasonable measures that expand the rights of victims and improve prospects for those convicted of crimes, while continuing to protect the public. Drug courts, for example, cut imprisonment rates, end addictions and steer abusers down more productive pathways. Of course, they aren’t fail-safe, but they go a long way toward ending a pointless cycle of catch-and-release of drug users. It’s time for Rhode Island to apply this approach to property crimes committed by those who abuse drugs.

Rhode Island has shown progress in its earlier efforts to address problems in the way it deals with people who commit crimes. Since passing what the Senate calls a “justice reinvestment approach” in 2008, the number of incarcerated people has fallen 17 percent.

The current effort expands that idea of justice reinvestment. Sen. Michael McCaffrey, D-Warwick, who heads the chamber’s Judiciary Committee, points out that 8 percent of the public safety budget is spent on parole and probation, yet Rhode Island has one of the highest rates of probation in the country. The Senate-passed package would go some way toward correcting that imbalance.

The House Judiciary Committee is considering its own package of criminal justice reform bills, raising hopes that this time, Rhode Island will do the right thing and commit to this overhaul.

Our society would benefit greatly by diverting people from the criminal path and giving them a chance to share in the American dream, one reason we feel strongly that Rhode Island must dramatically improve public education. Criminal justice reform could also help steer more of our citizens toward success rather than condemning them to failure.