Criminal Justice Reforms to Reduce Spending & Crime

Change is on the horizon for Pennsylvania’s Department of Corrections – now the third-largest state agency in the General Fund budget – which along with state debt, pensions and welfare threatens to bankrupt the state if left unchecked.

Last week, Gov. Corbett launched Pennsylvania’s Justice Reinvestment Initiative (JRI), a working group tasked with controlling correction costs while maximizing public safety and reducing recidivism. The new panel has support from the Council of State Governments Justice Center and the Pew Center on the States; both experienced at helping states develop meaningful criminal justice reforms.

The JRI is a step in the right direction for the commonwealth, which needs to replace ineffective policies with those that lower crime rates, reduce re-offending, and control spending. To learn more about correction reforms, see our see our criminal justice recommendations.