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State Reform Profile

Delaware

Delaware has expanded diversion programs and invested in reentry support.

ALTREFORM COMPOSITE80/100

Key Statistics

Incarceration Rate
388
per 100,000 residents
Annual Cost
$38K
per incarcerated person
3-Year Recidivism
62%
reincarcerated within 3 yrs
Racial Disparity
4.5×
Black vs. White incarceration
Alt. Programs
19
active diversion programs
Reform Initiatives
6
tracked by AltReform

Incarceration by Race

DE Overall388
National Avg568
Black (est.)1,048
White (est.)162

Incarceration rate per 100,000 residents. Racial estimates based on BJS/Sentencing Project methodology.

Recidivism Rate

62%3-year recidivism
This stateNational avg: 67%

Percent of people reincarcerated within 3 years of release. Source: BJS recidivism data series.

Cost vs. Alternatives

$38K
incarceration/yr
vs.
~$5K
diversion/yr

Active & Passed Reforms

2 initiatives

HB 30 – Clean Slate ActView full details →

Automatic expungement for low-level offenses after waiting period.

PassedReentry2021
AltReform Score79/100

Youth Rehabilitation ActView full details →

Expanded juvenile diversion and prohibited adult prosecution of 16-17 year olds.

PassedYouth2020
AltReform Score81/100

Data Sources & Methodology

Reform data sourced from state legislative records, BJS Criminal Justice Statistics, the Vera Institute Incarceration Trends dataset, and The Sentencing Project. AltReform prediction scores (0,100) are generated by our ML model trained on 20+ years of state-level reform outcomes, weighting recidivism reduction, racial equity impact, cost-effectiveness, and political feasibility. Statistics are the most recent available (2021,2024).

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