Justice Reinvestment

About three out of five people who enter prison in Maryland are sent there for non-violent crimes. But, over the past decade, Maryland has been sentencing even non-violent offenders to more time behind bars. A high-level panel of police chiefs, prison experts, judges, legislators, and others is looking at facts like these to figure out whether Maryland can reduce sentences and do a better job of rehabilitating inmates and supervising them when they get out -- in other words, spending less money, or spending it more wisely, without reducing public safety. It's a bipartisan effort called "justice reinvestment," and we'll talk to Chris Shank, head of the Governor's office of Crime Control and Prevention, who is leading the effort in Maryland.