Criminal justice
Policing, sentencing, courts, and public safety.
The overwhelming majority of policing and prosecution in the United States is state and local. Most criminal law is state law, most police are employed by cities and counties, and most prisoners are in state custody.
Who decides this
- Congress
- Federal crimes, federal sentencing, federal prisons, and grant funding that shapes state practice.
- Your state
- Most criminal statutes, sentencing ranges, parole, state prisons, and police certification standards.
- Your city or county
- Police departments and their budgets, sheriffs, jails, district attorneys, and local policing practice.
In Congress Senate Judiciary · House Judiciary
2 open questions
SB 120 · PA
Should Pennsylvania legalize and tax recreational marijuana for adults?
Pennsylvania lawmakers remain split over legalizing adult-use cannabis. The bipartisan SB 120 would legalize, regulate, and tax marijuana for adults 21 and over, but it has sat in the Senate Law and Justice Committee since July 2025, and Senate Democrats filed a discharge petition in June 2026 to force a floor vote. Supporters point to new revenue, expungement, and an end to arrests for simple possession; opponents raise public-health, road-safety, and enforcement concerns and note it remains illegal under federal law. Where do you stand?
Federal policy
Should your community use Flock license plate cameras?
Flock Safety's automated license plate readers now scan traffic in thousands of U.S. communities, logging every passing plate into searchable databases that are often shared across agencies. Police departments credit the cameras with solving crimes and recovering stolen vehicles; privacy advocates warn they build a location history of innocent drivers with little oversight. Cities and states are now deciding whether to expand, regulate, or remove these networks. Where do you stand?
Common questions
- Who can change how my local police operate?
- Your city council, mayor and sheriff, plus your state legislature for certification and use-of-force standards. Congress mostly influences it through funding conditions.
- Who elects the prosecutor?
- In most places, you do. District attorneys are usually elected at the county level.