Justice Reinvestment at the Local Level Planning and Implementation Guide

• NCJ Number: 239002
• Author(s): Nancy La Vigne; S. Rebecca Neusteter; Pamela Lachman; Allison Dwyer; Carey Anne Nadeau
• Date Published: April 2010
• Length: 80 pages
• Grant Number(s): 2008-DD-BX-0684
• Agencies: BJA-Sponsored
• Publication Type: Policy/Procedure Handbook/Manual
• Award: Reducing Jail Populations, Improving Communities: A Strategic Approach for Justice Reinvestment at the Local Level

Annotation

This planning and implementation guide, developed by the Justice Policy Center at the Urban Institute, provides assistance to local governments on how to more effectively use their limited criminal justice resources.

Abstract

This planning and implementation guide provides information to local and county governments on the process of justice reinvestment. Justice reinvestment includes steps for use by law enforcement officials and policymakers on how to more effectively manage criminal justice costs without compromising public safety. The information in this guidebook is presented in seven sections that cover the steps involved in the justice reinvestment process, the challenges that may be encountered by local officials and policymakers, and examples of how the challenges can be overcome. The seven sections of the guidebook are: 1) What is Justice Reinvestment; 2) What Planning is Required for Justice Reinvestment; 3) How Can Data Inform Justice Reinvestment; 4) How Should Justice Reinvestment Data be Collected and Analyzed; 5) What Interventions Should be Selected and How Should They be Implemented?; 6) How do Interventions Lead to Justice Reinvestment; and 7) Conclusion: Guiding Principles for Successful and Sustainable Reinvestment. Several of the guiding principles include developing a shared vision, encouraging transparency and empirically-based decisionmaking, increasing accountability, and ensuring sustainability. Figures, references, and appendixes