Federal criminal law reform earned a great deal of attention in the past year, meanwhile significant changes have also occurred at the state level. In a new white paper published by the Federalist Society, Robert Alt offers an overview of these recent state-level criminal law reforms. Some of the reforms moved toward liberalization (e.g. legalization of marijuana), while other reforms tended toward stricter enforcement (e.g. criminal drug trafficking and opioid abuse). Some of the legislation was politically contentious, while other legislation proved to be bipartisan. Among the policies surveyed in Alt’s report are pre-trial detention, civil asset forfeiture, marijuana legalization, drug-induced homicide, and opioid abuse.

John Malcolm and Robert Alt discuss Alt’s white paper and criminal law changes in the states.

Featuring: Robert Alt, president and chief executive officer, The Buckeye Institute 

Moderator: John Malcolm, vice president, Institute for Constitutional Government; director of the Meese Center for Legal and Judicial Studies; and senior legal fellow, The Heritage Foundation