Pennsylvania's Criminal Justice Reforms Highlighted at National Meeting

HARRISBURG, Pa., Sept. 18, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Department of Corrections Secretary John Wetzel joined state and local leaders from across the nation this week to participate in the Council of State Governments (CSG) Justice Center board of directors meeting. 

The meeting focused on complex criminal justice policies with officials discussing the best ways to advance the latest evidence-based strategies on issues such as:

- lowering recidivism rates among people who were formerly incarcerated;

- improving law enforcement's response to people with mental disorders; and,

- reducing schools' dependence on suspension and expulsion in response to student misconduct.

"Through our efforts with the CSG Justice Center, and under the direction of Governor Tom Corbett, the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections' inmate population has averaged a decline of 320 inmates per year since the passage of our Justice Reinvestment legislation in 2012 – a level not seen since the mid-1960's," Wetzel said. 

Wetzel said the CSG Justice Center remains at the forefront of advancing data-driven, consensus-based approaches, which increase public safety and help to fund critical local law enforcement, county probation and parole, and victim services.

"We continue our work in this area, while sharing our experiences with other states, in an effort to help leading policymakers in their states across the U.S.," said Secretary Wetzel.

The past year has been the CSG Justice Center's busiest and most productive since its inception, working with state and local leaders on a variety of projects, including:

- working to pass justice reinvestment legislation in Idaho and Michigan while also launching new justice reinvestment projects in Alabama, Nebraska and Washington;

- collaborating with the White House to ignite a public dialogue between government officials and business leaders to address employment challenges for people with criminal records; and

- launching the organization's juvenile justice work with the release of a 50-state survey ("Measuring and Using Juvenile Recidivism Data to Inform Policy, Practice, and Resource Allocation") and a white paper (Core Principles for Reducing Recidivism and Improving Other Outcomes for Youth in the Juvenile Justice System).

In addition to reviewing the status of these respective projects, board members provided input to help shape the Justice Center's future priorities. In planning for the upcoming year, the group examined options for helping state and local leaders undertake issues related to employment challenges for people with criminal records; reducing the prevalence of mental and substance use disorders in jails; and, improving data collection in states' juvenile justice systems.

Participants in the discussions included respected legislators, court and law enforcement officials and cabinet secretaries

"I greatly appreciate the unique perspective provided by Secretary Wetzel," said Michael D. Thompson, director of the CSG Justice Center. "We are fortunate to have the secretary as a part of the dedicated group of talented experts represented on our board."

ABOUT THE CSG JUSTICE CENTER
The Council of State Governments Justice Center is a national nonprofit organization that serves policymakers at the local, state, and federal levels from all branches of government. It provides practical, nonpartisan advice and evidence-based, consensus-driven strategies to increase public safety and strengthen communities. For more information about the Justice Center, visit www.csgjusticecenter.org.

Media contact:
Susan McNaughton, DOC, 717-728-4025;
Michael Clark, CSG, 646-383-5723

SOURCE Pennsylvania Department of Corrections