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NH has falling prison population, one of lowest in US

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According to a new report, New Hampshire has the fourth lowest rate of incarceration in the U.S.

In 2017 New Hampshire had 199 people incarcerated per 100,000 state residents. That was a 5% decrease from last year, and a 9% decrease compared to ten years ago.

There are several reasons for a falling prison population. For one, there has been a movement to increase alternatives to incarceration for some offenders. For example, New Hampshire drug courts allow drug offenders to complete treatment rather than go to prison.

Click here to learn more about prison reform in New Hampshire

New Hampshire also has a lower crime rate than it did a decade ago, according to data from the FBI.

Massachusetts had the lowest incarceration rate in the U.S. in 2017, at 134 per 100,000. Maine came in 2nd, Rhode Island 11th, Vermont 12th, and Connecticut 25th. Louisiana came in last place, with the high incarceration rate of 720 people per 100,000 state residents.

The report comes from the Vera Institute of Justice, a nonprofit that advocates for criminal justice reform.

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