The ABA has received a two-year grant to continue the work begun by the Justice Kennedy Commission. Its new Commission on Effective Criminal Sanctions, co-chaired by former Illinois Governor James R. Thompson and Professor Stephen Saltzburg, will seek to develop a broad consensus among prosecutors, defenders and judges, about what can and should be done to reduce reliance on incarceration and to reduce recidivism. To begin with, the Commission will focus on the following areas:

* Alternative sentencing strategies that offer minor offenders a chance to avoid prison and a conviction record;

* Innovative community-based interventions for drug-related crimes that work to reduce recidivism;

* Laws and policies aimed at neutralizing the effect of a conviction through executive and judicial relief mechanisms, and at encouraging employment of people with criminal records.