Summary -- States are heading into the third consecutive fiscal year of declining revenues and large budget gaps and face corrections spending accounting for about 6 percent of state general fund budgets. Lawmakers in many states have made it a priority to control prison populations and subsequent costs. Today, states increasingly have access to tools to help identify and analyze causes of prison growth. As legislators weigh various sentencing and corrections policy options, they can use thatinformation to allocate scarce resources to programs and policies that promote public safety and reduce recidivism. Learn about some of the data-driven strategies that states are using to create policies that decrease recidivism, protect public safety and reduce prison spending in this session.