Council of State Government Justice Center applying to provide training and technical assistance to states under the Justice Reinvestment Initiative FY24

The Council of State Governments (CSG) Justice Center seeks to facilitate the Justice Reinvestment Initiative (JRI) process. With their expert partners, CSG will educate policymakers about JRI and build interest among states; assist states to address their most pressing criminal justice (CJ) problems, including operating the JRI Assessment Center (JAC); and support states to implement reforms, programs, and changes to practice. Critically, JRI engages leaders from all branches of government—and stakeholders from across and outside the justice system—to arrive at consensus-based solutions. CSG’s proposed work will tailor each state’s specific needs, including solving violent crimes, increasing access to treatment for people with behavioral health (BH) needs, diverting people who do not pose a public safety risk, promoting recovery and successful reentry, driving down racial disparities, and reallocating resources to support these goals. The CSG Justice Center will increase familiarity with and assess readiness for JRI through presentations, targeted outreach, and two convenings of CJ and BH stakeholders; provide states with Phase I technical assistance (TA), including state-specific analyses of CJ and BH data and trends and review of policies and sources of funding from Medicaid and opioid settlements, stakeholder engagement, and the development of policy options that aim to reduce recidivism and crime and improve cross-agency collaboration; provide two states with Phase II technical assistance and implementation sub-awards to effectively implement policies and programs; and collect data from Phase II states to determine and monitor the effectiveness of the implemented policies, programs, and reinvestments. Additionally, CSG would operate the JAC to provide targeted TA to address short-term state needs. In each state, the CSG Justice Center would provide publications that summarize the JRI project; deliver comprehensive presentations that reflect data analysis, stakeholder engagement and evidence-based solutions; and develop comprehensive implementation plans based on TA for each state.