What benefits has America experienced in the wake of the recession?

I was just reading a book about the prison and rehabilitation system throughout history up to current events.

In it the author mentioned that the recession has forced politicians to reconsider their tough on crime positions. No longer able to justify the blank checks they previously had written.

Rehabilitation is now, slowly beginning to reenter the political agenda.

I have watched the political scene and the participation of citizens and noticed change that seems steps toward improvement in some areas but I never have concretely recognized and linked cause and effect.

I can think of a few more examples that seem indicative of positive shift upon consideration. I wanted to see if Fluther as a dataset comes up with a similar list. Or maybe can add to it.