The House Judiciary Committee heard Rep. Steuerwald’s HB 1006 on criminal justice funding. The bill creates the Justice Reinvestment Community Grants Program and provides that the Judicial Center shall develop and administer the program. The bill also provides that the Judicial Center shall award grants to assist with the establishment and maintenance of community corrections programs by 2020, to assist communities and counties to develop and maintain alternatives to incarceration that are needed in the applicable community or county, and to reduce recidivism. The bill provides that there is an annual appropriation of $50,000,000 to the program. The bill was amended by consent to provide that:
- DOC shall award grants to community corrections programs and courts may apply for community corrections grants;
- a court may not commit a person convicted of a Level 6 felony to the department of correction after January 1, 2016;
- community corrections collaboration plans must be submitted by January 1, 2016; a justice reinvestment advisory council is established; and
- at least 75% of funding awarded for justice reinvestment community grants must be used to provide evidence-based treatment for mental health and addiction directly to an individual.
Judge Robert Freese, Hendricks Superior Court; the Indiana Sheriffs Association; Jane Seigel, Judicial Center; the Indiana Public Defender Council; the Probation Officers Professional Association of Indiana; the Indiana Prosecuting Attorneys Council; the Allen County Government Affairs; the Indiana Prescription Drug Abuse Task Force; the Marion County Public Defender’s Office; Mental Health America; and the Indiana Council of Community Mental Health Centers all testified in support of the bill. The amended bill passed 10-0.
Read the bill at http://iga.in.gov/legislative/2015/bills/house/1006.