Key Missouri Departments Are Working Toward a Turn-Around of State’s Incarceration Rates

KSMU  By Janet Saidi State directors and staff in the fields of public safety, mental health, social services, and corrections are rolling out implementations of the state Justice Reinvestment Initiative. It aims to turn around Missouri’s rising incarceration rates by...

Portman and Leahy Introduce Second Chance Reauthorization Act to Reduce Recidivism and Help Ex-Offenders, as Congress Considers Criminal Justice Reform

Office of U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy U.S. Senators Rob Portman (R-Ohio) and Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) on Thursday introduced their Second Chance Reauthorization Act, bipartisan legislation to reauthorize and amend the Second Chance Act, a law that supports state and local...

Task Force Identifies Juvenile Justice Policies That Advance Colorado’s Effort to Enhance Public Safety and Improve Youth Outcomes

Office of Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper Gov. John Hickenlooper today praised the Improving Outcomes for Youth Statewide Task Force for developing policy recommendations that, if passed into law by state legislators, would strengthen the juvenile justice system,...

After Issue 1 Fails, State Leaders Vow to Take up Criminal Justice Reform

Dayton Daily News By Laura A. Bischoff COLUMBUS — After voters statewide rejected Issue 1 this week, state lawmakers are ready to move forward on criminal justice reforms, legislative leaders said Thursday. Ohio’s “big three” political leaders — Senate President Larry...

State Looks at How Courts Deal with Mentally Ill, Substance Abuse

KTVZ21 By KTVZ21 SALEM, Ore. – The state of Oregon began work Wednesday on a data-driven approach to address challenges in how the state responds to people in the criminal justice system who have mental illnesses and substance addictions. Oregon’s Behavioral...