Forecast ’24: Legislatures in 2024 will continue battling the opioid crisis and crimes of opportunity while expanding approaches that help keep justice-involved people from getting entrenched in the system.

By giving young people who have been adjudicated delinquent a chance to learn boating skills, woodworking and other crafts, a Tacoma, Wash., program has helped to reduce youth incarceration by more than 90%.

Financial assessments in the justice system can create an unjust cycle of debt for those who can’t pay.

Law enforcement’s use of DNA evidence and consumer genealogy records to find perpetrators of violent crimes has led to breakthroughs in dormant investigations, giving hope to victims’ families and raising privacy concerns.

To help people who might benefit more from treatment than jail time, lawmakers are getting rid of low-level offenses and reducing sentences for some crimes.

The Care Campus, a Rapid City, S.D., facility that houses several social service operations in one location, is connecting people with mental health treatment and reducing jail intakes for misdemeanor offenses.