Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin created the Justice Reinvestment Work Group in September 2017 as a continuation of the Criminal Justice Policy Assessment Council that was formed last year. The work group is charged with addressing Kentucky’s growing prison population, high recidivism rate, and escalating correctional costs.

The Crime and Justice Institute is providing technical assistance to the work group, including presentations on data from the Kentucky Department of Corrections and Administrative Office of the Courts. This data informed the Work Group in its comprehensive review of Kentucky’s criminal justice system and in the development of recommendations for consideration in the 2018 legislative session.

Full data presentations are available by clicking the links below:

Drivers I (Presented Sept. 20, 2017)
Drivers II (Presented Oct. 11, 2017)

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.

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.