The most sweeping changes in the history of Utah’s criminal justice system take effect on October 1.
HB 348 — the Justice Reinvestment Initiative — was passed by lawmakers in the 2015 session and requires comprehensive changes at every step of the criminal justice process, from sentencing of offenders to their return to our communities as law-abiding citizens.
The Justice Reinvestment Initiative is intended to slow prison growth and reduce recidivism rates, resulting in savings for taxpayers, while maintaining public safety.
The initiative also ensures more offenders will be diverted to community-based treatment, allowing them to stay connected to their families and support networks.
This is part of a national movement that is already working in 23 other states and 17 local jurisdictions. Some states have slowed their prison inmate growth, while others have reversed the growth trend and are seeing prison populations decline. We’re excited to get to work and see if we can achieve the same success in Utah.
We’ve created a page called “Justice Reinvestment Initiative” under the “Family and Friends” tab to provide you with all the information you need about this major change in the way we operate at the Utah Department of Corrections. Please visit it to learn more about how we’re changing and what you can expect to see happening with Justice Reinvestment.