How to Improve America’s Prisons (with L.B. Eisen and Randall Liberty)

Over the past few years, crime has plummeted across the country, opening up new opportunities for progress inside prisons.Many corrections systems have adopted new approaches and policies that are making prisons less violent and more stable. Overwhelmingly, these practical, often inexpensive fixes have led to extraordinary results.In a new report, Prison Reform in the United States, the Brennan Center delves into new programs and outlines how states can replicate their successes. The report features innovations in various states, including Maine, where Commissioner Randall Liberty is leading a promising transformation.Listen as L.B. Eisen, director of our Justice Program and coauthor of the report, and Commissioner Liberty discuss the new landscape of prison reform and how states across the country can improve public safety by investing in their prisons.Speakers:Randall Liberty, Commissioner, Maine Department of CorrectionsL.B. Eisen, Brennan CenterHost: Michael Waldman, Brennan CenterRecorded on March 10, 2026.Keep up with the Brennan Center’s work by subscribing to our weekly newsletter, The Briefing, at https://go.brennancenter.org/briefing.The Brennan Center is a nonpartisan law and policy institute that works to repair, revitalize, and defend our systems of democracy and justice so that they work for all Americans. The Brennan Center cannot support or oppose any candidate for office.