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 text message reminders can help reduce technical parole and probation violations
This report's findings suggest that sending text message reminders for scheduled appointments could reduce canceled and missed parole and probation appointments by as much as 21% and 29%, respectively.
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The SAFE-T Act’s impact on cash bail in Illinois
There is ample evidence that even short periods of pretrial detention can result in lost employment, severed social ties, a greater risk of conviction, and an increased likelihood of future criminal involvement.
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Occupational licensing undermines some of the value of technological innovation
The share of U.S. workers required to hold an occupational license has exploded from around 5% in 1950 to 25% in 2020.
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Abolishing Oklahoma’s death penalty would be good for justice and for taxpayers
Since 1981, 10 people in Oklahoma have been exonerated while on death row awaiting execution.
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Ohio Issue 1 (2022): Determining bail amounts based on public safety
Would reinstates requirement that Ohio courts consider public safety as well as risk of non-appearance when setting bail.
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Abolishing Ohio’s death penalty would be good for justice and for taxpayers
Since 1979, 11 people in Ohio have been exonerated while on death row awaiting execution.
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Nevada Question 3 (2022): Top-five ranked choice voting initiative
Under rank-choice voting, voters rank their preferred candidates rather than selecting one candidate to receive their votes.
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Montana C-48 (2022): Search warrant for electronic data amendment
Montana’s C-48 would "make it explicitly clear that our digital information is protected from unreasonable government searches and seizures."
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Regulations keep homeownership out of reach for young Americans
Housing policy reforms are urgently needed to place homeownership back within the reach of younger adults.
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Florida Gov. DeSantis continues to pursue Everglades restoration
Florida lawmakers have taken significant steps to advance restoration goals and speed up various projects that have been in progress for nearly two decades.
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Land-use regulations drive up the cost of housing and hamper economic mobility
Excessive regulations are needlessly inflating housing prices and hurting workers and families.
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Understanding the recent nationwide increase in crime
Violent crime has decreased dramatically since its peak in the 1990s. In 2020, the violent crime rate remained near the record lows achieved throughout the 2000s.
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Rating states on telehealth best practices
This toolkit aims to help policymakers move towards quality-oriented, affordable, and innovative health systems by ensuring that their state telehealth laws remove barriers that prevent access to care.
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States need permanent reforms to achieve the full benefits of telehealth services
The rapid rise in telehealth adoption during the pandemic was enabled, in part, by emergency regulatory suspensions at the federal level and in nearly all 50 states.
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California should remove outdated barriers to telehealth
Getting rid of arbitrary barriers and enabling cross-state telehealth licensing would help Californians during the pandemic.
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Poorly designed impact fees make housing more expensive
Land-use regulations, building codes, permitting, taxes, and fees are all ways that government policy can affect the cost of housing.
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Biden Executive Order Expected to Target Occupational Licenses
The Biden administration's effort is admirable and signals continued bipartisan support for occupational licensing reform.
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COVID-19 Response Shows How America’s Physician Shortage Can Be Addressed
The aging US population is expected to result in a growing shortage of physicians over the coming years.
