In early 2010, Governor Mitch Daniels, Supreme Court Chief Justice Randall Shepard, Attorney General Gregory Zoeller, House Speaker Patrick Bauer, and Senate President Pro Tempore David Long asked outside researchers to study ways to lower the cost and increase the performance of their corrections system.[i]

Indiana’s prison population increased 47% between FY 2000 and FY 2010, from 19,309 to 28,389.[ii] Corrections costs have grown 76 percent in the last decade.[iii]

If existing policies remain unchanged, the prison population is projected to continue to grow, and the state will need to expand prison capacity at a significant cost to taxpayers. Between 2010 and 2017, the Indiana Department of Corrections projects that the prison population will increase 21%, from 28,474 to 34,794.[iv] Increasing the capacity of the prison system to absorb the additional people incarcerated is estimated to cost the state approximately $1.2 billion between 2010 and 2017, which includes construction costs and annual operating costs.[v]

To guide the analysis of the state’s criminal justice system and the development of policy options, Indiana has established a Justice Reinvestment Steering Committee. This bipartisan group includes the designees of the governor, chief justice, and House and Senate leadership.

In November 2010, Governor Daniels cited reforming sentencing laws to be more cost-effective as one of his key priorities for the upcoming legislative session.[vi]

[i] Dan Carden, Northwest Indiana Times, “Daniels unveils wide-ranging agenda,” 5 Nov. 2010, http://www.nwitimes.com/news/state-and-regional/indiana/article_902fef93-32ab-58dc-97d7-c3c0f4205585.html[ii] Ibid.
[iii] Ibid.
[iv] Ibid.
[v] Bill Ruthhar, “State review of criminal code aims to reduce recidivism,” Indiana Star, 29 June 2010. http://iphone.indystar.com/posts/29210.
[vi] Indiana Justice Reinvestment Profile, Council of State Governments Justice Center, http://justicereinvestment.org/states/indiana.

• The HOPE Court Model is Spreading

  Posted in Adult Probation, Indiana, Priority Issues, ROC Blog, State Initiatives, Texas: December 15, 2011 by Jeanette Moll

  Right on Crime has previously discussed Fort Worth’s adoption of the HOPE Court model. HOPE is a Hawaii program centered on immediate—and tough—sanctions for probation violations, rather than far-off court dates and mere slaps on the wrist.

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• Daily Beast Highlights Right On Crime’s Efforts

  Posted in Indiana, Priority Issues, Prisons, ROC Blog, Texas: July 11, 2011 by Henry Joel Simmons

  Last week, The Daily Beast published an article highlighting the recent shift in criminal justice policy among conservatives, pointing out several successful initiatives including Right On Crime. The story contains a number of anecdotes about GOP lawmakers shifting gears to…

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• Blow-up Bandit Faces Felony Charges

  Posted in Indiana, Juvenile Justice, Priority Issues, ROC Blog, State Initiatives: July 11, 2011 by Henry Joel Simmons

  Last month, Right On Crime highlighted the story of Tyell Morton, an Indiana high school student who placed an inflatable blow up doll in the women’s restroom as a senior prank. Suspecting that he was carrying explosives, authorities placed the school on lockdown and arrested the 18-year-old.

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• Blow Up Doll Leads to Arrest and Possible Prison Time

  Posted in Indiana, Juvenile Justice, ROC Blog: June 14, 2011 by Henry Joel Simmons

  Senior pranks. The thought conjures up memories of water balloons, bathroom sabotage operations, and other innocuous (albeit idiotic) activities. Above the Law recently highlighted the story (potentially NSFW) of Tyell Morton, a high school senior from Indiana, who decided to participate in a…

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