Congressman Kelly Armstrong Introduces Justice Reinvestment Initiative Act

WASHINGTON – Congressman Kelly Armstrong introduced a bill today to codify the Justice Reinvestment Initiative, a federal program that provides funding to states, localities, and tribes to study the drivers of crime and invest in evidence-based strategies to increase public safety. The Justice Reinvestment Initiative is currently a non-statutory Department of Justice program. Armstrong's bill, the Justice Reinvestment Initiative Act (HR 3081), would codify the Justice Reinvestment Initiative in federal law and authorize $40 million for each fiscal year from 2021 to 2025.

"States' spending on corrections has significantly increased in the past 30 years, from $12 billion in 1988 to $58 billion in 2016," said Armstrong (R, N.D.), a member of the House Judiciary Committee. "These costs are a burden on already overstretched state budgets and divert resources away from other vital services. The Justice Reinvestment Initiative Act will help develop cost-effective, evidence-based solutions to reduce crime and increase public safety while stemming the cost associated with corrections."

"The Justice Reinvestment Initiative Act would make our communities safer by focusing on strategies we know work," said Congressman Doug Collins (R, Ga.), ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee. "I'm thankful to Congressman Armstrong for his leadership on criminal justice reform and his commitment to redemption and public safety across America."

The Justice Reinvestment Initiative Act supports states, localities, and tribes to:

• identify drivers of criminal justice resource use;
• improve jurisdictions' capacity to prevent and respond to violent crime, including by reducing the risk for recidivism;
• identify offenders' risks for general and violent recidivism, and related substance use and mental health needs,
• mitigate offenders' risk for engaging in violent behavior; and
• improve public safety through a re-allocation of resources in high performing crime- and recidivism-reduction efforts.

As a state senator, Armstrong chaired the North Dakota Legislative Assembly's Justice Reinvestment Committee, which studied criminal justice reform to increase public safety, reduce recidivism, and save costs on corrections. Armstrong, who also chaired the North Dakota Senate Judiciary Committee, played a pivotal role in North Dakota's overhaul of its criminal justice system from 2015 to 2017 following the Justice Reinvestment guidelines.

Armstrong is in his first term as the representative for the state of North Dakota in the U.S. House of Representatives.

The bill as introduced is available here.

Background:

• The Justice Reinvestment Initiative is currently funded by the Department of Justice's Bureau of Justice Assistance. Read more about DOJ's role on their website here.
• More information and background about North Dakota's use of the Justice Reinvestment method to enact criminal justice reform is available on the Council of State Governments' website here.
• Read The Bismarck Tribune's coverage of North Dakota's Justice Reinvestment legislation by clicking here.
• Fact sheets about Justice Reinvestment are available from the Council of State Governments here and here.