(Graph: Joshua Aiken, May 2017)
We inquired about the drop in Vermont's incarceration rate in the mid to late-1990s and learned it was the result of a new intermediate sanctions program and the increased use of furlough. This was a one time improvement after which a new law decreased the use of bail, causing the population to rise again.
This graph is a part of the Prison Policy Initiative report, Era of Mass Expansion: Why State Officials Should Fight Jail Growth.