State Justice Reinvestment

The purpose of the FY 2013 Criminal Justice Reform and Recidivism Reduction Competitive GrantProgram is to implement a Justice Reinvestment model. "Justice reinvestment" refers to a data-driven model that: (1) analyzes criminal justice trends to understand what factors are driving the growth in jail and prison populations; (2) develops and implements policy options to manage the growth in corrections expenditures, generates savings in public revenues and increases the effectiveness of current spending and investment to increase public safety and improve offender accountability; and (3) measures the impact of the policy changes and reinvestment resources and holds policymakers accountable for projected results.

Through the State-Level Justice Reinvestment Initiative, Vera Institute of Justice will provide technical assistance and research services to help states develop and implement data-driven laws and policies that reduce incarceration populations, enhance public safety, reduce criminal justice costs, and improve communities. Vera Institute of Justice, along with strategic partners, will work with state policy teams to analyze the current drivers of the state's corrections population and their criminal justice expenditures. Using projection and simulation models, Vera Institute of Justice and the state teams will identify a range of policy options that target these drivers and aim to reduce prison growth, save costs, and improve public safety. After passage of legislation or the adoption of new policies, Vera Institute of Justice will also assist the state policy teams with implementing the selected policy options, identifying opportunities for reinvestment, maintaining quality assurance, and measuring performance.

NCA/NCF