Kentucky’s Repeat Offender Laws Need Reform
Last week Kentucky’s Public Advocate Ed Monahan testified to the Interim Joint Committee on Judiciary that the state needs to...
Criminal Justice
Roundup on Kentucky’s Criminal Justice Reform Needs and Options
Kentucky’s criminal justice issues have been in the news recently. The majority of Kentucky’s full-service jails are at or over capacity, and the state is considering reopening private prisons as...
Promising Reform Options Being Considered by Criminal Justice Policy Assessment Council
The state’s Criminal Justice Policy Assessment Council (CJPAC) is developing ideas in the areas of drug policy, prevention, jail reform, penal code reform, reentry, recidivism reduction, and probation and parole...
Corrections Data Shows Positive Impact of HB 463 That Additional Criminal Justice Reforms Can Build On
The impact of Kentucky’s 2011 criminal justice reforms on the state’s inmate population and budget have been much less than what was projected when Kentucky enacted HB 463, or the...
Criminal Justice Reform and Racial Disparities in Kentucky
Nationally, the racial disparities that exist in the criminal justice system are well-known, with African Americans being overrepresented in prisons and jails. These racial disparities are also present in Kentucky’s...
What is Recidivism and What Can Be Done to Reduce It?
Policy discussions around the need for criminal justice reform like those happening in our state right now often feature the term “recidivism.” While the concept is central to this topic,...
Rising Kentucky Prison Population Should Make Penal Code Reform a 2017 Priority
The governor’s announcement today about the formation of a Criminal Justice Policy Assessment Council to work toward needed reforms is an important step in addressing a serious problem in our...
Criminal Justice Reform Bill Would Save State Money and Reduce Recidivism
While our state has taken some important steps in passing criminal justice reform legislation in 2011, additional reforms are needed. HB 412, a bill sponsored by Representative Yonts, would further...
Aspects of Heroin Bills Would Increase State Costs But Have Little Expected Impact on Crime
Amid Kentucky’s heroin crisis, a number of bills have been filed for the 2015 legislative session to address the problem. However, some aspects of what is being proposed would work...
Medicaid Expansion Can Help Address Kentucky’s Substance Abuse Problem
There are many reasons to commend Governor Beshear’s recent announcement that Kentucky will be expanding Medicaid through the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Among the numerous important benefits of the ACA...