Task Force Publications

Factors Affecting Time Served in Prison: The Overlooked Role of Back-End Discretion
How do laws and administrative rules governing prison release and the awarding of sentence credits affect time served? New research shows the impact can be significant, and varies widely by state.

The Impact of Long Sentences on Public Safety: A Complex Relationship
While there is a rich body of research on the relationship between incarceration and crime, much less is known about how prison sentences of 10 years or more affect public safety. The relationship is complex.

Long Sentences:
An International Perspective
The use of long prison sentences has increased globally in recent decades, but the U.S. is an outlier among nations in the extent to which it imposes them.

The Public Safety Impact of Shortening Lengthy Prison Sentences
New research indicates that modest reductions in long prison sentences in Illinois would result in few additional arrests. The analysis for the task force examined arrest histories of people who served an average of 19 years behind bars to evaluate the public safety impact of shortening prison stays.

The Relationship Between Sentence Length, Time Served, and State Prison Population Levels
Do people who receive the same sentence in court spend the same amount of time in prison? New research indicates that factors that vary by state, such as discretionary parole release and sentence credit discounts, have more impact on time served than the judicial sentence.