For decades, federal funding has bolstered comprehensive crime-prevention initiatives that create safer communities and reduce unnecessary incarceration. But the Justice Department’s abrupt withdrawal of grants in 2025, along with other cuts across the federal government, has jeopardized years of progress toward improving public safety and building a more effective criminal justice system. This loss of federal support also threatens to return us to an era when federal funding priorities fueled an incarceration boom, resulting in overly punitive policies that have proven to be costly and counterproductive.
The Brennan Center explores how slashing federal support for crime prevention, mental health and substance treatment, victim services, prison safety, and other efforts will set back promising advancements that are making the criminal justice system more fair, fiscally responsible, and effective.
