Press Release for 11/17/09
Justice Reinvestment Bill introduced by U.S. Senate and House
CSG Justice Center Applauds U.S. House and Senate Members' Introduction of Justice Reinvestment
Bill
Bill Helps State/Local Governments Reduce Corrections Spending and Increase Public Safety
Washington, DC—Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), John Cornyn (R-TX) and Patrick Leahy (D-VT), together with Representatives Adam Schiff (D-CA) and Dan Lungren (R-CA), introduced legislation yesterday that will provide grants to state and local governments to design and advance data-driven, consensus-based strategies to reduce corrections spending and increase public safety. The Criminal Justice Reinvestment Act of 2009 builds on the justice reinvestment work done by the Council of State Governments (CSG) Justice Center in Texas, Kansas, Vermont, Rhode Island and seven other states.
“We applaud the extraordinary bipartisan spirit of this bill, which mirrors the efforts of Democrats and Republicans in states across the country to work across the aisle on this complex issue. It also couldn't be more timely: legislators have learned that with the kind of information that the justice reinvestment approach provides, state and local leaders have better options than just trying to build our way out of our perpetual prison crowding problems,” said CSG Justice Center Board Chair and New York Assemblyman Jeffrion Aubry.
In the past 20 years, state spending on corrections has grown at a rate faster than nearly any other state budget item, increasing from more than $12 billion in 1988 to more than $50 billion in 2008. Despite this increased expenditure, recidivism rates remain high: a Bureau of Justice Statistics report indicated that half of all studied individuals who were released from state prison were reincarcerated within three years.
In response, the Justice Center has worked with a growing number of states to implement the kind of justice reinvestment approaches promoted by this legislation—which provide policymakers with state-specific, data-driven analyses and policy options to help manage the growth of state prison populations, reduce recidivism and increase public safety.
“This bill will help state and local governments spend their limited corrections budgets in a more targeted, rational way to both manage inmate population growth and protect public safety,” Senator Whitehouse said.
In states where the Justice Center has worked with policymakers who have implemented proposed options, jurisdictions have saved hundreds of millions of dollars in corrections spending. These states have also reinvested a portion of the savings in strategies designed to increase public safety and improve conditions in neighborhoods where most people from prison return.
The Justice Center's justice reinvestment initiative has been supported by a public/private partnership that includes the Pew Charitable Trusts' Public Safety Performance Project, the U.S. Justice Department's Bureau of Justice Assistance, the Open Society Institute and the states receiving intensive technical assistance. The Public Welfare Foundation and Joyce Foundation have contributed to this effort as well.
The Criminal Justice Reinvestment Act of 2009 (S.2772/H.R.4080) authorizes the U.S Attorney General to make grants to state and local governments and tribes to help jurisdictions (1) analyze criminal justice trends to understand what is driving the growth in their local jail and prison populations, (2) develop tailored policy options to reduce corrections expenditures and increase the effectiveness of current spending and reinvestment that can make communities safer, (3) implement the proposed policies and programs, and (4) measure the impact of these changes and develop accountability measures.
A copy of this press release can be downloaded from the Justice Center website.
The Council of State Governments Justice Center is a national nonprofit organization that serves policymakers at the local, state, and federal levels from all branches of government. It provides practical, nonpartisan advice and consensus-driven strategies—informed by available evidence—to increase public safety and strengthen communities. To learn more about the justice reinvestment approach, see www.justicereinvestment.org. For more about the CSG Justice Center, see www.justicecenter.csg.org.
For a copy of the press release from bill sponsors, see http://whitehouse.senate.gov/newsroom/press/release/?id=69C4B8F5-4DDF-49FD-B2D6-3D4EBC1C4F4E. A copy of the legislation will be available at http://thomas.loc.gov.