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The Abstract
> Edited by Torie Ludwin, Arnold Ventures (AV)
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The Bureau of Prisons (BOP) has issued new guidance on expanding the use of home confinement for people eligible under the First Step Act and Second Chance Act. Responding to the announcement, AV’s Vice President of Criminal Justice Advocacy Kevin Ring said: “Using incarceration in a more targeted way can enhance public safety. This expansion of home confinement would allow the BOP to focus scarce resources on those people who are genuine threats to the public. Nearly 7 years after President Trump signed the First Step Act, it is time for the law to be fully and faithfully implemented. Director Marshall’s directive is a move in the right direction.”
Read the full statement>
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How SALT Pits the Rich vs. Poor
in New York |
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In a Wall Street Journal letter to the editor, AV Tax and Fiscal Policy Fellow Scott Hodge highlights how the expanded state-and-local tax (SALT) deduction in the House-passed reconciliation bill would disproportionately benefit high-income suburban districts while offering nothing to lower-income communities, where most taxpayers take the standard deduction. Hodge calls on the Senate to restore tax fairness and set the SALT deduction at zero.
Read his letter> (free link)
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It’s Time to Reform How We Fund Higher Education |
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Too many students are burdened by debt from programs that do not deliver. Student loan debt is at $1.7 trillion, and 3 in 5 students do not graduate in 6 years. Federal aid should fund opportunity, not programs that fail students. With smart reforms, we can hold institutions accountable and give students a fair shot at success. It is time for policymakers to act.
Watch our video>
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Maryland Advances the Ball on Criminal Justice Reform |
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Photo by Bryan P. Sears/Maryland Matters
During the 2025 legislative session, Maryland passed new, evidence-based legislation to improve oversight and accountability in the state’s prisons, expanded geriatric and medical parole, and provided a “second look” opportunity for some people serving long sentences. AV’s local partners have worked on these efforts for several years, and they plan to continue to press for both implementation of these new laws and further improvements to the state’s criminal justice system.
Read more about Maryland’s reforms>
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Public Finance
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Kent Smetters of the Penn Wharton Budget Model cautions in Fortune that without credible plans to offset substantial tax cuts, financial markets will respond by demanding higher interest rates — dragging down economic growth.
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A new report from Third Way warns that the Trump administration's haphazard approach to addressing waste, fraud, and abuse actually risks making the problem worse.
Taxpayers for Common Sense recounts what made it into the "One Big Beautiful Bill Act," including substantial defense and agriculture plus-ups.
Higher Education
Criminal Justice
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Juvenile curfews are a popular approach to addressing youth crime and disorder, but there is not great evidence they actually work, Jennifer Doleac explains in The Washington Post. Instead, evidence suggests cities should focus on solving more crimes and increasing police presence in certain areas. (free link)
NC Newsline reports on how the corrections crisis is becoming a big issue in the state’s budget discussions. Faced with a 40% vacancy rate for corrections officers, crumbling prison infrastructure, and higher needs associated with an aging prison population, “it is probably one of the most challenging budget areas that we have to deal with, both on scale and funding,” said State Senator Danny Britt.
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For the Today Show, NBC’s Shaquille Brewster reports on how policing has changed in the United States since the death of George Floyd 5 years ago. Citing the National Conference of State Legislatures, the segment highlights how many states, localities, and individual departments have made changes to their practices and policies. Watch here. |
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On Tuesday, June 10, 2025, at 2 p.m. ET, Reform for Results and Arnold Ventures will hold a discussion entitled “Impoundments: FY25/FY26 Impacts and Options for Reform.” Renowned political economist Francis Fukuyama will launch a discussion featuring presentations and a panel of experts, which will be moderated by University of Maryland Public Policy Professor Philip Joyce. Learn more and register here. |
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“What really makes us unique — it’s our own ideas, and that’s what can improve the world,” said Adam Kovalčík, 19, of Dulovce, Slovakia, who received the $100,000 George D. Yancopoulos Innovator Award at the 2025 Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) for his new, less expensive, faster way of making antiviral drugs from corn husks. ISEF is the world’s largest international pre-college science competition, awarding approximately $9 million in prizes each year. Hear Adam talk about his work and the award. |
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