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Alexa Eggleston, J.D. Substance Abuse and Addiction Project Director The Justice Center, Council of State Governments Reentry and Beyond: What Does the Future Hold for Criminal Justice and Treatment Systems Collaboration? The Justice Center: Council of State Governments The center serves all states to promote effective datadriven practices—particularly in areas in which the criminal justice system intersects with other disciplines, such as public health—to provide practical solutions to public safety and cross-systems problems. – National Reentry Resource Center – Justice Reinvestment – Consensus Project What is the State of Corrections Today? 5% of the world’s population and 23% of the world’s prisoners. In last 25 years, the number of people under community supervision has doubled, and now exceeds 5.1 million. 1 in 31 adults is under some form of correctional control. Incarcerating more people has not necessarily increased public safety. Over the Last 20 Years State Spending on Corrections has Exploded However, Spending Trend has Started to Reverse Billion Dollar Question…Are We Permanently Shifting Money from Corrections? “We find ourselves with a new crop of allies…This is a place where we’ve found commonality.” – NAACP President, Benjamin Jealous “Prisons are necessary but way overused...we have turned sort of a blind eye on the spending on prison. It has skyrocketed without a parallel increase in public safety” – Pat Nolan, Prison Fellowship Ministries “It is very hard to earn your way into prison in the United States…These aren’t people who just had a baggie of marijuana or shoplifted.” – Scott Burns, National District Attorneys Association Or, Is Money Disappearing Altogether? Oklahoma has slashed treatment and job training for prisoners and is looking at cuts to statewide mental health programs, the same ones that deal with prisoners after their release. Texas may cut in-prison drug treatment nearly in half and eliminate money to monitor people on probation for misdemeanors. California may cut its prison population by about 23 percent. Also being cut: drug counseling, mental health care and welfare-to-work programs. What Else is Driving Interest in Reform? Rates of re-incarceration remain high and, by some measures, have actually worsened. Increasing research and evidence there are practices and programs that reduce crime and recidivism. Policymakers are starting to ask: – What factors are driving crime and growth in correctional populations? – Are corrections dollars being well spent? Less than 1 in 3 under correctional supervision are behind bars, but almost 9 of every 10 dollars is spent on prisons. An “Effective and Economically Sustainable Public Safety Strategy”: Opportunity for Treatment? “Although we can all agree that incarceration is sometimes necessary for public safety, in our work to protect the American people, we must recognize that incarceration alone does not provide the entire solution. Simply building more prisons and jails will not solve all of our problems. Any effective and economically sustainable public safety strategy must include investments that will help to reduce recidivism and to address the root causes of crime.” — U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder What is an Effective and Economically Sustainable Public Safety Strategy? Focus on Individuals Most Likely to Reoffend Base Programs on Science and Ensure Quality Implement Effective Community Supervision Policies and Practices Apply Place-Based Strategies Adult Corrections: What Works Percent Change in Crime Drug Treatment in the Community -8% Cognitive Behavioral Treatment Intensive Supervision 0% -7% Elizabeth Drake, Steve Aos, and Marna Miller (2009). Evidence-Based Public Policy Options to Reduce Crime and Criminal Justice Costs: Implications in Washington State. Victims and Offenders, 4:170-196. Intensive Supervision + Treatment -18% What Does The Future Hold… Is Medicaid the Answer…or is it at Risk? The ACA is projected to expand Medicaid to 16 million new beneficiaries. – States must expand Medicaid to all individuals under age 65 with incomes up to 133 percent of the federal poverty level. – States will have discretion in key areas such as provider payment rates and optional benefits. However…“Having a Medicaid card in no way assures access to care” Is the ‘block-granting’ of Medicaid a reality? Other Trends: Reentry and Beyond… Affordable Care Act Second Chance Act Justice Reinvestment DOJ Problem Solving Courts SAMHSA Discretionary Funding and Block Grants In Summary Changes are on horizon for both justice and treatment systems Increased emphasis on cost, performance and accountability Now is the time to prepare Thank you! Alexa Eggleston, JD The Justice Center, Council of State Governments [email protected] http://www.justicecenter.csg.org/ http://nationalreentryresourcecenter.org/ http://justicereinvestment.org/