# Smart Sentencing Adjustments Act: What You Need to Know

This bill creates a federal grant program that gives money to states willing to reduce their prison populations by at least 20 percent. The federal government would offer two types of grants: planning grants to help states figure out how to reduce incarceration, and larger implementation grants to actually carry out those changes. States would compete for these grants, with up to 25 states receiving each type of grant per year. The program would run from 2024 through 2034, with $2 billion available annually.

To qualify for an implementation grant, a state must first receive and complete a planning grant. The planning grants would provide up to $700,000 over two years to help states study their criminal justice system and develop strategies for reducing prison populations. Once a state has a plan, it can apply for an implementation grant worth up to $70 million over three years to actually put those changes into action. If a state successfully reduces its prison population by 20 percent, it can apply for a second implementation grant to continue the work.

The bill gives states flexibility in how they reduce incarceration, but it specifically encourages several approaches: diverting people away from prison in the first place, eliminating mandatory minimum sentences, allowing people to earn time off their sentences, expanding parole eligibility, reducing punishment for technical violations like missing a probation appointment, and improving programs that help formerly incarcerated people successfully return to their communities. States must also spend at least 20 percent of their grant money through nonprofit organizations that work with formerly incarcerated individuals or serve communities most affected by the criminal justice system.

However, the bill includes strict guardrails. States cannot use the money to build new prisons, hire police officers, or create programs that increase incarceration. They also cannot pass new laws during the grant period that would make sentences longer or harder to reduce. If a state violates these rules, it must repay 10 percent of the grant and cannot receive future grants for at least three years. This bill essentially tells states: "We'll pay you to reduce incarceration, but only if you commit to doing so and don't backslide into tougher sentencing policies."

Smart Sentencing Adjustments Act

Cárdenas, Tony

Smart Sentencing Adjustments Act This bill establishes a grant program through which the Department of Justice may award grants to states to reduce the prison population of the state or to reduce the recurrence of recidivism after a term of incarceration and the collateral consequences experienced by individuals with criminal records.