NCJ Number
250950
Date Published
January 2013
Length
20 pages
Annotation
This report describes how Kansas, with the assistance of the Council of State Governments (CSG) Justice Center, used a data-driven "justice reinvestment" approach to develop a statewide policy framework for reducing current spending on incarceration and reinvest the resulting savings in more cost-effective corrections policies and practices.
Abstract
In June 2012, the Kansas legislature passed House Bill 2684, which established a bipartisan, bicameral, and inter-branch Justice Reinvestment Working Group composed of State legislators, members of the judiciary, corrections officials, prosecutors, and other stakeholders in the State's justice system. This working group reviewed analyses conducted by the CSG Justice Center and discussed policy options for increasing public safety and managing growth in the State's prison population. The policy options developed by the working group are presented in this report under the following three objectives: 1) stronger probation supervision; 2) successful reentry of those released from incarceration; and 3) safer communities. Under the policies outlined in this report, the working group envisions slowing growth in the State prison population between fiscal year 2014 and fiscal year 2018. This would avert approximately $61 million in projected new spending on prison operating costs. This savings will enable the State to reinvest $6 million annually in fiscal years 2014 through 2018 in programs proven effective in reducing recidivism, as well as in grants that will assist local law enforcement agencies in countering crime. A chart outlines the policies that will be implemented to achieve each of the three justice reinvestment objectives. 14 figures