Governor launches working group to improve criminal justice system

Gov. Gina M. Raimondo has establishd a Justice Reinvestment Working Group to improve the criminal justice system. / PBN FILE PHOTO/MICHAEL SALERNO
Gov. Gina M. Raimondo has establishd a Justice Reinvestment Working Group to improve the criminal justice system. / PBN FILE PHOTO/MICHAEL SALERNO

PROVIDENCE – Gov. Gina M. Raimondo on Tuesday signed an executive order establishing the Justice Reinvestment Working Group to improve the criminal-justice system and reduce costs.
“We’ve made some important criminal-justice reforms over the last decade, but urgent work remains,” Raimondo said in a statement. “If we want to keep families and communities safe and give every Rhode Islander the chance to lead a productive life, and if we want to invest taxpayers’ dollars more efficiently and effectively, we have to institute real reforms.”

The group’s three goals are:

  • Ensuring limited resources are focused on the most serious crimes;
  • Reducing recidivism and analyzing racial disparities; and
  • Improving treatment of mental illness and substance abuse.

According to information from the governor’s office, Rhode Island had the nation’s third-highest percentage of residents under probation supervision in 2013. Approximately 8 percent of public-safety funding goes to probation and parole services, and the state Department of Corrections budget constitutes nearly half of all state costs associated with public safety, the governor’s office said.

Attorney General Peter F. Kilmartin said he looks forward to working with his colleagues to “bring about effective reform to our criminal-justice system and strengthen our efforts to enhance the safety and security of Rhode Islanders.”
The Working Group includes members from all three branches of state government, and local and federal officials, and is co-chaired by Supreme Court Chief Justice Paul A. Suttell and retired Superior Court Associate Justice Judith Colenback Savage.

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The Working Group will be assisted by the national nonprofit Council of State Governments Justice Center, in partnership with The Pew Charitable Trusts and the U.S. Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Assistance.

The working group will review findings presented by the CSG Justice Center and develop policy options for the General Assembly’s consideration next year.

Rhode Island’s first experience applying the Justice Reinvestment framework led to the enactment of House Bill 7204 seven years ago. The bill enhanced parole discretion and standardized credits for time served. Since its implementation, the state’s incarcerated population dropped by 19 percent and the recidivism rate also decreased, according to the governor’s office.

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