A bill introduced last month would create a grant program to help states and local governments control their corrections costs and reinvest those savings in programs aimed at slowing the growth of jail and prison populations. The Criminal Justice Reinvestment Act of 2009 would create a two-part grant program to allow states and local governments to analyze criminal justice trends, develop policy options to address growth in the corrections system, and implement and measure the impact of the policy changes.

Phase 1 grants would enable states to conduct comprehensive analyses of corrections data, evaluate the cost-effectiveness of state and local spending on corrections, and develop policy options suggested by the analysis. Phase 2 grants would provide funds to help government entities implement those policy options and to measure their effectiveness.

The Council of State Governments Justice Center in partnership with the Pew Center for the States have guided 11 states through this process over the past several years, leading to reduced spending on corrections in those states.

Read more about this new bill.