When people talk about Gen Z and criminal justice reform, there’s a tendency to assume it’s a niche issue. But the data tells a very different story.

A national poll commissioned by REFORM Alliance reveals that Gen Z overwhelmingly supports modernizing the supervision system, and they see it as directly tied to public safety, fairness, and opportunity.

Here’s what the numbers show:

• 90% of Gen Z say public safety is important to them
• 72% say it’s important that elected officials support criminal justice reform
• 71% support policies to reduce technical violations and modernize probation and parole
• 68% agree these reforms would help reduce crime
• 62% support legislation like the Safer Supervision Act

These numbers reveal a clear, bipartisan consensus from the most diverse generation in American history. And it reflects something deeper: a fundamental shift in how people think about the justice system.

Gen Z has grown up seeing the real-world impact of incarceration and supervision: on families, on communities, and on opportunity. They understand that the current system too often sets people up to fail, with strict rules and technical violations that can send someone back to prison for minor missteps.

Gen Z is calling for a smarter, more effective model that prioritizes rehabilitation, accountability, and real pathways forward.

That means:

• Reducing unnecessary barriers that make it harder to find and keep a job
• Expanding access to support services
• Focusing supervision resources where they’re actually needed
• Building a system that measures success by outcomes

At this year’s Gen Z Day of Action, we’re bringing together young people to push for real, lasting change through federal legislation: the Safer Supervision Act.