An evaluation of criminal justice changes implemented in 2017 shows that some of the goals of the revamp are being met.
The Legislative Auditor evaluated the Justice Reinvestment Initiative, examining the amount of money saved and the impact on jail and prison populations. To read a summary of the report, as well as the full report, scroll down. To hear the podcast that the Legislative Auditor made explaining it, click here.
Auditors evaluated the Justice Reinvestment Initiative (JRI) from its inception in October 2017 through June 2023.
Between October 2017 and June 2022, JRI produced $152.7 million in cumulative savings, which was divided among the Department of Corrections (DOC), the Office of Juvenile Justice (OJJ), and the Louisiana Commission on Law Enforcement (LCLE).
The audit found that inmates released based on JRI good time changes do not appear to return to custody at a
higher rate than the overall return rate. However, the Department of Corrections’ (DOC) data system does not maintain a historical record of under which good time law an inmate was released.
One issue auditors found was that there is no consensus among criminal justice stakeholders on the impact of JRI, which has led to challenges in fully implementing the initiative.
Although the audit found that the overall number of inmates decreased, the percentage of inmates who were violent increased - which is in line with the JRI goal of focusing prison beds on serious threats to public safety.
They found that recidivism decreased: The percentage of those who were released from incarceration and subsequently returned was lower than the five years before JRI took effect, while those who did return returned sooner than in previous years.
The audit found that those with a violent felony offense in their criminal history returned at a higher rate than those with only non-violent felony offenses.
Auditors also found that DOC and OJJ have not developed performance measures to determine the outcomes of their JRI-funded programs.
Unlike other states, Louisiana houses approximately half of state inmates in local correctional facilities. However, savings from JRI do not always flow to local correctional facilities, and, as a result, sheriffs may not have funds to provide rehabilitation and reentry services.
When auditors looked at how those programs aimed at helping inmates change their lives by learning a trade or skills they can use to get a job, the findings were mixed.
While the percentage of inmates receiving JRI-related programs while incarcerated has increased by 13.1 percentage points since fiscal year 2013, less than 50.0% of inmates participate in programs each year. In addition, JRI-funded services such as community incentive grants, emergency transitional housing, and day reporting centers serve a small portion of those on community supervision.
Individuals obtaining jobs after release in fields related to career and technical education programs they participated in while incarcerated have positive outcomes. However, a low percentage of inmates appear to get jobs in fields related to their career and technical education programs, the audit found.
The findings were also mixed when auditors looked at the Office of Juvenile Justice: During fiscal years 2020 through 2023, a low percentage of youth participating in Office of Juvenile Justice (OJJ) JRI-funded programs subsequently entered either OJJ or DOC custody. However, OJJ has not developed performance measures to determine the outcomes of JRI funded programs. In addition, OJJ could improve its monitoring of contractors providing JRI funded services.
Here's an easy-to-read summary of the findings:
And, here's the full 72-page report:
