Since 1980, the incarceration rate in Pennsylvania has increased by 500%, and the budget for the state’s Department of Corrections has increased by 1,700%. Even after all of this spending on corrections (which includes costs for the construction of eighteen new prisons), Pennsylvania’s facilities remain 13% over capacity. Three new prisons are now scheduled for construction at a cost of over $695 million. The Commonwealth Foundation has put together a three-point plan to combat this growth: keep low-risk cases out of prison, reduce recidivism, and fund results rather than just punishment. Commonwealth’s plan can be read in full here.