By Alycia Dobrinick
MISSOURI (KFVS) –
Missouri Governor Eric Greitens wants to fix the state’s corrections system.
On Thursday, June 29, Greitens signed an executive order to form a task force that will “develop policies to improve public safety, reduce corrections spending, and reinvest savings in strategies that can decrease crime and reduce recidivism.”
The bipartisan group will use a data-driven approach and work with The Council of State Governments Justice Center to develop those policies.
Greitens said, “Our prison system wastes your money and it wastes people’s lives. We have to fix it.”
The Missouri State Justice Reinvestment Taskforce will include:
- The Governor of Missouri or his designee;
- The Director of the Missouri Department of Corrections or her designee;
- A member of Missouri’s Probation and Parole Board appointed by the Governor;
- The Director of the Missouri Department of Public Safety or his designee;
- The Director of the Missouri Department of Mental Health or his designee;
- The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Missouri or her designee;
- A circuit court judge appointed by the Governor;
- A member of the Missouri Senate from the majority caucus;
- A member of the Missouri Senate from the minority caucus;
- A member of the Missouri House of Representatives from the majority caucus;
- A member of the Missouri House of Representatives from the minority caucus;
- The Chair of the Appropriations Committee of the Missouri Senate;
- The Chair of the Budget Committee of the Missouri House of Representatives;
- A representative appointed by the Missouri Association of Counties;
- A prosecutor appointed by the Missouri Association of Prosecuting Attorneys;
- A public defender appointed by the Missouri Public Defender Commission;
- A law enforcement representative appointed by the Missouri Police Chiefs Association;
- A law enforcement representative appointed by the Missouri Sheriffs Association;
- A representative from a victim services organization appointed by the Governor;
- A former offender appointed by the Governor; and
- A member of the public appointed by the Governor.
According to the executive order, the Task Force will have a written report of their recommendations by Dec. 31, 2017. Members of the group will then put together legislation based on their recommendations to present to the 2018 legislative session.
Source: JusticeCenter