In this recently updated paper, decades of data are analyzed to give a better picture of what occurs when federal mandates are undertaken by individual states,  with the greater question of whether courts should intervene to protect the well-being of the disfranchised, by forcing states to improve schools, prisons, and mental institutions. The finding suggests that court ordered prison reforms do cause more funds to flow into the system while the number of prisoners per capita decreases. However, the research also shows that this extra money most often causes spending cuts to another vulnerable population. What is the right price to pay for prison reform?

Read the full paper at oxfordjournals.org