With more prison space than prisoners, correctional facilities are shutting down - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48818747 - July 2026

> The trend reflects an end to an important chapter of the story of mass incarceration, an era in which drug laws became more punitive, the war on crime mushroomed and the number of people sentenced to time behind bars surged. States poured billions of dollars into new prisons.

> Now, the closures reflect a broader shift. Many states have revised sentencing laws and expanded education and job-training programs that help reduce the chances that people return to prison, JC Hendrickson, senior policy strategist for the Brennan Center’s Justice Program, told Straight Arrow.

> “States have similarly seen prison populations drop,” he said.

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