While the nation\u2019s imprisoned population has declined<\/a> since peaking in 2009<\/a>, incarceration levels still remain extraordinarily high.<\/p>\n Continued efforts to lower incarceration rates will stall unless we address the role that revenue plays in the daily operation\u00a0of police departments, courts, jails\u00a0and prisons across the country. So much of these entities\u2019 time and effort goes into generating revenue that the goals of pursuing justice and improving public safety often get pushed to the side.<\/p>\n A new Brennan Center for Justice\u00a0report<\/a>\u00a0delves into the interlocking economic incentives that underpin our justice system. Many of these practices rely on a simple calculus: More people in the justice system means more dollars for agencies, governments\u00a0and contracted for-profit firms<\/p>\n Some of the revenue streams flow straight out of the pockets of the people who are ticketed, searched, arrested, jailed, tried\u00a0and sent to jail or prison, while others arise from a growing trade in bed space at correctional and detention facilities.<\/p>\n A 2020\u00a0study\u00a0found that\u00a0when a municipality increased the percentage of its revenue coming from law enforcement fines, fees\u00a0and forfeitures<\/a>, that rise was associated with statistically significant decreases in clearance rates (the ratio\u00a0of arrests to reported crimes) for both violent and property crimes.<\/p>\n That is an unacceptable trade-off. It\u2019s time for the government agencies involved in the criminal justice system at all levels to examine the revenue-generating parts of their work and its true costs, alongside the budget holes they are meant to fill.<\/p>\n Column: <\/strong>Russia needs to release Brittney Griner. And US leaders need to fix our cannabis laws.<\/a><\/span><\/em><\/p>\nMichael Brown brought attention to\u00a0Ferguson, Missouri<\/h2>\n