The American Legislative Exchange Council is proud to be a leader on criminal justice reform. For over a decade, the ALEC task force on criminal justice has brought state legislators and stakeholders together for the purpose of driving sound criminal justice policies. ALEC members focus on new and innovative state policies that address overcriminalization, reform civil asset forfeiture, reform mandatory minimum sentences, reduce the rates of incarceration, reform policing, and help rehabilitate and restore individuals with a criminal history.

The ALEC Criminal Justice Task Force includes a diverse coalition of allies that offer research and experience to achieve the shared goal of a more fair and impartial criminal justice system. Notable members include Families Against Mandatory Minimums (FAMM), Prison Fellowship, Right on Crime, The ACU Foundation for Criminal Justice Reform, and the American Bail Coalition. In 2019, ALEC and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) joined forces on addressing the pervasiveness of burdensome fines and fees in the criminal justice system. A part of our work includes this New York Times op-ed discussing the impact of fines and fees on the lives of individuals. Over the last few years, ALEC and its members have led efforts in states such as Montana and Mississippi to pass laws addressing the issue of fines and fees and driver’s license suspensions.

ALEC members played an instrumental role in helping pass the historic FIRST STEP Act in 2018, which was modeled after successful criminal justice legislation passed in states such as Georgia, Maryland, Oklahoma, and Texas. In essence, this was the federal government’s effort to mimic the successful solutions that have been demonstrated in the laboratories of democracy. ALEC joined organizations such as the American Conservative Union, the ACLU, #cut50, and Right on Crime in driving support for the law. It was also based off of several ALEC model policies, including the Justice Safety Valve Act, the Resolution in Support of Justice Reinvestment, and the Resolution in Support of Reentry Programs.

ALEC members will continue to advance innovative ideas that improve lives and balance budgets. All criminal justice research and model policies are available on alec.org, and examples of work include the reports, “The Time to Hesitate is Through: The Number of Laws Criminalizing Innocent Conduct is a Touch Too Much”, “The Latest Trends of Asset Forfeiture Transparency and Juvenile Justice”, and “2016: A Successful Year for Criminal Justice Reform and Path to the Future.”