Vittorio Nastasi
Director of Criminal Justice Policy, Reason Foundation
Vittorio Nastasi is the director of criminal justice policy at Reason Foundation, where he provides research and technical assistance to lawmakers and stakeholders across the country.
His work focuses on removing barriers to employment, housing, and education for individuals with criminal records; curbing excessive criminal fines and fees; and reducing system overreach through policy research and legislative engagement. His research and commentary have appeared in The Wall Street Journal, Orange County Register, Atlanta Journal–Constitution, Palm Beach Post, and Tallahassee Democrat, among others.
Before joining Reason, he worked with the James Madison Institute and the DeVoe L. Moore Center, researching land-use regulation, occupational licensing, and criminal justice policy. Nastasi holds bachelor’s degrees in economics and political science and is currently a doctoral candidate at Florida State University’s Askew School of Public Administration and Policy. He is based in Tallahassee, Florida.
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How Georgia bureaucrats undermine a law meant to help poor drivers
After Georgia lawmakers passed House Bill 926, making driver's license reinstatement easier, the Georgia Department of Driver Services added new restrictions.
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Colorado becomes the first state to address wrongful arrests and convictions caused by unreliable field drug tests
More than half of the roughly 1.5 million drug arrests conducted in the United States each year involve notoriously unreliable colorimetric field drug tests.
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West Virginia House Bill 4819 reduces licensing barriers for people with criminal records
The bill would strengthen licensing reforms and give people with criminal records clearer access to stable employment.
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Kentucky House Bill 185 expands job opportunities and reduces licensing barriers for people with criminal records
The bill would let people find out in advance whether their criminal record disqualifies them from a license while strengthening transparency.
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Tennessee’s Senate Bill 2099 would reduce costly failures to appear and improve efficiency
States and localities should implement evidence-based court reminder systems as a cost-effective way to reduce unnecessary license suspensions, warrants, and jail admissions while improving court efficiency.
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New 50-state report reveals gaps in identification and reentry document assistance for people leaving prison
A new Reason Foundation report finds only 28 states mandate ID provision despite strong evidence linking employment access to reduced recidivism.
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From prison to paperwork: A 50-state survey of policies on reentry identification documents
State correctional agencies can facilitate the reentry process by assisting inmates with obtaining essential identification documents prior to release.
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Annual Privatization Report 2025: Housing
Enabling more housing construction is essential to addressing housing affordability challenges across the country.
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Pennsylvania stalls on prison ID reform where other states found bipartisan consensus
Pennsylvania has twice rejected legislation to provide identification documents to people leaving prison, even as other states have embraced similar reforms.
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Could clearance rates be key to addressing criminal justice failures?
Clearance rates are the closest metric we have to evaluating how well the criminal justice system does at catching people who commit crimes.
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President Trump’s executive orders threaten cities and states that allow cashless bail
Targeted and carefully designed bail reform can protect public safety and uphold constitutional values. The administration’s crackdown is neither.
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Michigan’s bipartisan legislative package provides necessary improvements to policing
The Police Practices Standardization, Transparency, and Trust (S.T.A.T.) package would limit no-knock warrants and provide other safeguards.
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Georgia builds on reforms to provide released inmates with identification documents
Senate Bill 147 represents a meaningful step toward reducing recidivism and promoting public safety in Georgia.
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Virginia adopts reforms to provide released prisoners with identification documents
By codifying a specific process for providing identification, House Bill 2221 reduces administrative barriers to reentry.
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Missouri bills would protect free expression and artistic freedom
Senate Bill 661 and House Bill 1389 would create uniform standards for the admission of song lyrics and other forms of artistic expression into evidence.
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Victim-offender dialogues may help victims heal
Research evidence suggests that victim-offender dialogue can have positive impacts on victims’ healing and may even have positive effects against recidivism.
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Virginia’s Senate Bill 826 would reduce uncertainty associated with occupational licensing approvals
Senate Bill 826 would bring Virginia’s licensing policies in line with the 25 other states that have adopted predetermination processes.
