The Senate Corrections and Criminal Law Committee heard HB 1068 regarding local or regional justice reinvestment advisory councils, sponsored by Sen. Koch. Rep. Frye presented the bill, establishing a local justice reinvestment advisory council (local advisory council) in each county, which can include regional councils. The bill also provides that the purpose of a local advisory council is to review local criminal justice systems, policies, and procedures, that the justice reinvestment advisory council shall assist local advisory councils with promoting: (1) the use of evidence-based practices; and (2) certain best practices of community-based alternatives and recidivism reduction programs. The bill sets forth duties of local advisory councils and requires the justice reinvestment advisory council to conduct a review of community corrections code provisions in the Indiana Code.
The bill was amended by consent to remove the requirement for reviewing and evaluating sentencing for disproportionality and to amend the annual deadline for the local reports to March 31 of each year.
Mary Kay Hudson, Executive Director of the Indiana Office of Court Services, the Indiana Public Defender Council, and the Department of Correction testified in support of the bill. The amended bill passed 6-0.
Read the bill at: http://iga.in.gov/legislative/2021/bills/house/1068