A total of 20 jails across the country have each been awarded $150,000 grants by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation to create plans to lead to more effective justice systems.
The grants are part of the foundation's Safety and Justice Challenge -- a $75 million initiative to reduce over-incarceration by changing the culture of jails in America.
The 20 jurisdictions range from large cities including New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, and Houston to small localities like Mesa County, Colo., and Pennington County, S.D.
From the 20 jail selected, 10 jurisdictions will be picked in 2016 to receive a second round of funding. Those jails will be given between $500,000 and $2 million annually -- depending on its size -- to implement their plans for reform.
"Nearly 200 diverse jurisdictions responded to our challenge, reflecting nationwide interest in reducing over-incarceration," Julia Stasch, President of the MacArthur Foundation, said in a statement.
"Each of the sites selected has demonstrated the motivation, collaboration, and commitment needed to make real change in their local justice systems. The aim is that local efforts will model effective and safe alternatives to the incarceration status quo for the rest of the country."
While much attention has been given to the large number of Americans confined in state and federal prisons, foundation officials said there has been less attention paid to local justice systems.
Jail populations have more than tripled since the 1980s, as have cumulative expenditures related to building and running them.
The MacArthur Foundation has been active in promoting justice reform for more than 20 years and has supported reform in more than 35 states in an effort to create a more rational, fair, effective, and developmentally appropriate juvenile justice system.
