Faced with exploding prison populations, states such as Georgia, South Carolina, and Texas in recent years have turned to advanced data analytics to find the best ways to cut spending on prisons and to reinvest that money in programs shown to improve safety, lower crime, and hold offenders accountable. Known as “justice reinvestment initiatives,” the success these programs have enjoyed has caught the attention of several members of Congress, who believe it’s time to implement similar reforms at the federal level.

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, recently reintroduced the Sentencing Reform and Corrections Act. Cosponsored by an unlikely team that includes Sens. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., and Mike Lee, R-Utah, the measure is the product of more than two years of negotiations among senators who recognize it’s time to take a different approach. The purportedly “tough on crime” policies reflected in current federal law have failed.