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(North Carolina News Service) In Colorado, 31,000 people are behind bars, with most housed in state prisons.

A new proposal has surfaced to bring the numbers down but it would require approval from Congress. A proposed Public Safety and Prison Reduction Act would pay states to rethink their sentencing policies and reduce their prison populations.

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Hernandez Stroud, senior counsel at the Brennan Center for Justice, which is making the proposal, pointed to state prisons as the core issue in mass incarceration, holding 87 percent of people incarcerated in the U.S.

"Congress could help states break the cycle of excessive imprisonment and its devastating impact on families and communities by offering funding as an incentive to both shrink state prison populations and implement humane alternatives," Stroud contended.

Earlier this year, North Carolina's Legislative Oversight Committee on Justice and Public Safety learned the state's current prison population has already exceeded projections not expected until 2027.

Stroud pointed out the Brennan Center proposal would emphasize accountability and community input. States would be required to partner with researchers and local stakeholders, including formerly incarcerated people, to track the impact of their reforms. Stroud believes it could also help to right some of the problems in the criminal justice system, such as wrongful convictions or extreme sentencing.

"This legislation could send a powerful message to the nation that some issues are bigger than partisan politics," Stroud asserted. "Like delivering public safety while promoting a fair and humane justice system."

According to the proposal, if the 25 states with the largest prison populations could reduce them by 20 percent, nearly 180,000 fewer people would be behind bars. But the Public Safety and Prison Reduction Act has yet to be introduced in Congress. Its $1 billion estimated price tag may be among the reasons.