Goals of Justice Reinvestment
Manage growth of the prison
population and reduce
spending on corrections
Hold offenders accountable in
meaningful ways
Increase the costeffectiveness of existing
criminal justice investments
Make smarter, more effective
use of community corrections
use
Reinvest in strategies that can
increase public safety
Increase
Public
Safety
Strengthen probation
supervision
Sentencing Policy Changes
• Increased penalties for theft and non-theft related offenses
• Changes to prison terms for 1st and 3rd degree felons
• Community control sanctions for 4th and 5th degree felons
• Changes to criminal penalties for certain drug offenses
• Risk reduction sentence option
Sentencing Policy Changes
Risk reduction sentencing allows courts to release offenders
after serving 80% of the aggregated non-mandatory prison if
participate in prison programming
• Court-determination at sentencing
• DRC must prescribe programming based on
risk/needs of the offender
• DRC must notify sentencing court of
successful completion of programming &
risk reduction sentence at least 30 days
Truth-in-sentencing
RC 2929.143
RC 5120.036
Incentive program participation
Transparency
Probation Changes
• Use of a standardized risk/need assessment system – ORAS
• Reduce duplication of supervision resources
• Establish minimum standards for effective probation
supervision
• Collect and analyze data from every probation department in
the state
• Provide incentive and improvement grants
Probation Supervision Policy Changes
Provide funding and incentives to improve felony probation supervision and
increase successful completion rates
•
Probation Improvement Grant
Probation Incentive Grant
Purpose
Purpose
Help felony probation agencies reduce
recidivism.
Encourage practices and policies leading to
further recidivism reductions
Eligibility
Eligibility
Any felony probation agency that is using
ORAS and in compliance new probation
standards
Counties that reduce revocation rates from
baseline FY 2010
RC 5149.311
9
Justice Reinvestment Initiative Advisory Committee
• The Justice Reinvestment Initiative (JRI) Advisory
Committee is comprised of members from
multiple areas of local government and the
criminal justice system with a broad spectrum of
experience. The JRI Committee is expected to
advise DRC in developing criteria, guidelines and a
process for evaluating the Probation
Improvement and Probation Incentive grant
applications submitted by entities seeking
funding.
10
Community Corrections Changes
• Establish standards regarding admission
criteria for all DRC funded programs
• OJACC collaborative
• Draft Administrative Rule
Other Changes
• Judicial release of offenders who have
served at least 80 percent of at least a
one-year sentence
• Changes to the earned credit days for
programming within prison
• Enhance victim notification
Other Policy Changes
Judicial release of offenders who have served at least
80 percent of at least a one-year sentence
ODRC
Sentencing
Court
Community
Corrections
RC 2967.19
• Offenders 1 year or more who meet criteria
and served at least 80 percent of sentence.
DRC must petition the court.
• If released court must sentence offender to
appropriate community control
• Offender will be supervised under court’s
probation department plus additional
control sanctions
Resources and ‘New’ Ideas
Justice Reinvestment Officers
Eligibility determined at institution
Justice Reinvestment Officer determines
suitability; prepares and communicates
meaningful information for the Court
Court makes informed release decision
Resources and ‘New’ Ideas
Judicial Request for Community Sanctions
If a court is sentencing an offender for a non-violent
felony of the fourth or fifth degree and believes no
community control sanctions are available for its use
that adequately fulfill the overriding principles and
purpose of sentencing, the statute directs the court to
contact DRC and ask DRC to provide the court with the
names of, contact information for, and program details
of one or more community control sanctions lasting for
a combined total of at least one year in duration. DRC
shall provide the possible sanctions within ten (10)
business days after receiving the request from a court.
Council of State Governments Justice Center | 20
Resources and ‘New’ Ideas
The Judicial Request for Available Community Sanctions
form, DRC 2599
http://www.drc.ohio.gov/web/apa.htm
and any supplemental information (ie psi, criminal
history, etc ) provided by the court are to be
submitted to DRC.JudicialRequest@odrc.state.oh.us
email address.
The Reentry Coordinator shall be responsible for
monitoring the incoming emails and providing a
response to any court falling into their area of
responsibility.
Council of State Governments Justice Center | 21
Resources and ‘New’ Ideas
JRI Phase 2 Assistance
Training for Judiciary and Probation
Bench cards
Regional Symposia
Resources and ‘New’ Ideas
Council of State Governments Justice Center | 23
Impact of Policy Changes
Sara Andrews
Deputy Director, Ohio
Department of Rehabilitation
sara.andrews@odrc.state.oh.us
614.752.1258