BJA FY 21 Justice Reinvestment Initiative: State-level Training and Technical Assistance Program

The public safety concerns in parts of the country, stubborn recidivism rates, and the challenges associated with the pandemic and correctional staffing shortages are all reasons for states to engage in an examination of criminal justice policies, practices, costs, and outcomes offered through the Justice Reinvestment Initiative (JRI). The JRI model provides a mechanism for states to use the results of a comprehensive examination of their system to develop, implement, measure, and monitor policy and practice solutions to state-specific criminal justice issues. Technical assistance for this model is requisite to equip states with the capacity to make data-driven policy decisions. The Crime and Justice Institute (CJI), a division of Community Resources for Justice brings the experience and expertise necessary to provide such assistance.

CJI proposes to use supplemental JRI funding to provide technical assistance to two additional states, assist with sustainability of prior JRI efforts, and support BJA in completing a healthcare cost comparison analyses. CJI anticipates launching strategic policy development processes (Phase I) with the two states and transition those states to targeted implementation assistance (Phase II) and complete Phase II with two prior states. In Phase I, CJI will select and prepare states for JRI, conduct a qualitative and quantitative assessment of each state’s justice system, provide education on research and evidence-based practices, assist in the development of policies to address JRI goals, and support policy enactment through education and development of policy impacts and cost projections. In Phase II, CJI will assist with implementation planning and operationalizing the policy changes, support efforts to measure the impact of policy changes, and manage and monitor subaward funding awarded to states. CJI will also work with the states to sustain the changes after the period of technical assistance ends, including helping build states’ capacity to collect, analyze, and use data to invest in effective crime and recidivism reduction strategies. Finally, CJI will assess correctional healthcare expenditures compared with costs in the community.

With a track record of providing successful JRI training and technical assistance to 14 states, as well as decades of experience developing evidence-based, data-driven policies, managing complex processes with diverse stakeholders, and driving systems-level organizational change, CJI is uniquely positioned to continue advancing the JRI model.

The public safety concerns in parts of the country, stubborn recidivism rates, and the challenges associated with the pandemic and correctional staffing shortages are all reasons for states to engage in an examination of criminal justice policies, practices, costs, and outcomes offered through the Justice Reinvestment Initiative (JRI). The JRI model provides a mechanism for states to use the results of a comprehensive examination of their system to develop, implement, measure, and monitor policy and practice solutions to state-specific criminal justice issues. Technical assistance for this model is requisite to equip states with the capacity to make data-driven policy decisions. The Crime and Justice Institute (CJI), a division of Community Resources for Justice brings the experience and expertise necessary to provide such assistance.

CJI proposes to use supplemental JRI funding to provide technical assistance to two additional states, continue state assessment efforts, and expand BJA's public presence with the JRI brand. CJI anticipates launching strategic policy development processes (Phase I) with the two states in the spring of 2025 and transition those states to targeted implementation assistance (Phase II) the following spring. In Phase I, CJI will select and prepare states for JRI, conduct a qualitative and quantitative assessment of each state's justice system, provide education on research and evidence-based practices, assist in the development of policies to address states specific challenges, and support policy enactment through education and development of policy impacts and cost projections. In Phase II, CJI will assist with implementation planning and operationalizing the policy changes, support efforts to measure the impact of policy changes, and manage and monitor subaward funding awarded to states. In addition, CJI will continue assessing the outcomes of policy and practices changes in prior JRI states in two categories. The first category will examine publicly available data to understand the impact of JRI policies and the second category will focus on a specific policy area, such as sentencing or release policies. Finally, CJI will expand BJA's public presence with the JRI brand by continuing to support planning efforts for an upcoming 50-state event and will work closely with BJA and other partners to develop publications that inform the public about JRI, and the successes achieved.