RPC Newsletter - 12/3/2007

FEATURES

State Legislators Address Prisoner Reentry in 2006-2007 Sessions

State legislators across the U.S. are tackling a wide range of issues relating to the successful reentry of individuals released from prisons and jails. The Justice Center has compiled a sampling of reentry legislation enacted in the states during the 2006-2007 legislative sessions.

View the list of reentry legislation.


Justice Center Releases State Briefs on Justice Reinvestment Policies Enacted in Kansas and Texas

The Council of State Governments Justice Center recently released two new documents describing Texas and Kansas policymakers' recent bipartisan efforts to employ a data-driven "justice reinvestment" strategy to avert projected prison growth and increase public safety.

In Kansas, policymakers enacted legislation designed to encourage local community corrections agencies to develop and implement strategies that will reduce revocation rates among individuals under community supervision. The legislation also authorizes program credits to provide an incentive for individuals to complete certain educational, vocational, or treatment programs while they are incarcerated. Individuals who participate in such programs can have their prison sentences reduced by up to 60 days.

To avert further growth in the Texas prison population, the state legislature enacted measures to improve success rates of people on community supervision, expand the capacity of treatment and diversion programs, and enhance the use of parole for low-risk offenders. By implementing these policies, the state reduced budgeted expenses for the next fiscal biennium by $210.5 million.

The Justice Center, with support from the Public Safety Performance Project of The Pew Charitable Trusts’ Center on the States and the Bureau of Justice Assistance, a component of the U.S. Department of Justice, worked intensively with policymakers in both states to develop policy options aimed at increasing public safety and reducing corrections spending.

To download the Texas and Kansas briefs, or to access more information about the Justice Reinvestment Initiative, please visit www.justicereinvestment.org.

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HILL UPDATE

Second Chance Act Passes House, Moves to Senate

Earlier this month, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Second Chance Act of 2007 (H.R. 1593), a bill that will increase the likelihood that people's transition from prisons and jails to the community is safe and successful. The bill, introduced by Rep. Danny Davis (D-IL) and Rep. Chris Cannon (R-UT) received broad bipartisan support, passing the House 347-62. The Senate is expected to vote on the bill in early December.

Learn more about the Second Chance Act.

ANNOUNCEMENTS & EVENTS

Call for Presentations

2008 National Offender Workforce Development Conference
Productive Workforce Development, LLC
Submission Deadline: December 15, 2007

Washington Metropolitan Regional Conference on Reentry
"Impact on the Professional Frontline Reentry Workforce"
National Association of Social Workers
December 6-7, 2007
Washington, D.C.

2007 National Youth Court Conference
National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges
December 9-12, 2007
New Orleans, LA

2007 National Victim Assistance Academy
U.S. Department of Justice, Office for Victims of Crime
December 9-14, 2007
Baltimore, MD

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FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

Gang Resistance Education and Training Program

The U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance is seeking applications for its Gang Resistance Education and Training (G.R.E.A.T.) program. As part of the G.R.E.A.T. program, law enforcement officers provide school-based lessons to discourage at-risk youth from engaging in delinquent behavior and violence. Law enforcement agencies and state, local, and tribal jurisdictions are eligible to apply for funding.

Application Deadline: December 13, 2007

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REENTRY NEWS

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PUBLICATIONS AND RESOURCES

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In this Issue

 Our Publications

How and Why Medicaid Matters for People with Serious Mental Illness Released from Jail

Hundreds of thousands of people with mental illness are released from jail each year. Without continuity of care, they are likely to be reincarcerated. Enrollment in Medicaid increases access to treatment for people with mental illness released from jail, who typically lack other means to pay for those services.

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