Justice Reinvestment Strategies for State Officials Technical Assistance Project

The Edward Byrne Memorial Competitive Program: National Initiatives, administered by the Office of Justice Programs' Bureau of Justice Assistance, furthers the Department's mission by assisting state and local jurisdictions in improving the criminal justice system and assisting communities in preventing drug abuse and crime. In FY 2008, the program will focus on funding local, regional, and national efforts within five major categories: 1) preventing crime and drug abuse; 2) enhancing local law enforcement; 3) enhancing local courts; 4) enhancing local corrections and offender reentry; and 5) facilitating justice information sharing.

The Council of State Governments (CSG) will implement the Justice Reinvestment Strategies for State Officials Technical Assistance Project under category 4: enhancing local corrections and offender reentry. They will help state legislators, governors, corrections administrators, probation and parole administrators, county policymakers, judges, prosecutors, city officials, and law enforcement administrators design, develop, and implement data-driven strategies that will increase public safety, manage the growth of prison populations, and reduce spending on corrections. CSG will identify states interested in receiving intensive technical assistance; provide intensive, practical data-driven technical assistance to at least three states; develop visual tracking systems for state officials to help them monitor the implementation of these policies; prepare written case studies highlighting two states that employed a justice reinvestment strategy; and conduct between four and eight presentations at national or regional conferences to share the justice reinvestment strategy with other state policymakers.

CA/NCF