FRANKFORT, Kentucky — A panel of Kentucky criminal justice leaders has released a list of recommendations aimed at bringing the increasing number of people in the state’s jails and prisons under control, improving public safety, and giving taxpayers a better return on their investment.
The CJPAC Justice Reinvestment Work Group on Dec. 18 announced a comprehensive set of data-driven recommendations for the upcoming legislative session that would reduce recidivism, hold offenders accountable, and control the state’s prison growth. If adopted, the Work Group’s package of recommendations is projected to eliminate the need for 3,500 additional beds, averting 79 percent of the projected growth in Kentucky’s prison population over the next 10 years. That would save nearly $340 million in corrections costs through 2027, allowing Kentucky to focus resources on the most serious public safety threats.
The Crime and Justice Institute provided technical assistance to the Work Group.
Click here to read the press release on the recommendations.
Click here to read the Work Group’s full report.
Click here to read an endorsement of the recommendations from the Lexington Herald-Leader editorial board.