The Justice Reinvestment Initiative: State Reform Strategies and Lessons Learned

• In Event: Findings from the Urban Institute’s Assessment of State and Local Justice Reinvestment Sites

Abstract

The Justice Reinvestment Initiative (JRI) has been at the forefront of sentencing and corrections reform over the past six years. To date, 30 JRI states have undertaken a data-driven approach to identifying the most significant drivers of prison population growth and crafting and implementing policy solutions to address them. This paper will summarize findings from the Urban Institute’s second state assessment report which captures outcomes of state-level JRI activities through May 31, 2016. This report will integrate experiences and findings across states, highlighting those that have undertaken ambitious reform efforts and documented success. The report provides an overview of JRI; summarizes the policy reforms JRI states have enacted; documents the latest performance outcomes including core JRI metrics (population reduction, cost savings, and reinvestment) and findings from multiple, rigorous policy analyses; and synthesizes lessons learned from states that have struggled to codify changes or effectively implement reforms.

Authors

• Jeremy Welsh-Loveman, Urban Institute

• Samantha Harvell, Urban Institute

• Julie Samuels, Urban Institute