Justice reinvestment is a way to give people the tools they need to stay out of prison. With the money saved by incarcerating fewer people, the state can reinvest funds in programs that help to reduce crime and recidivism.

In 2017, Missouri faced several criminal justice challenges, including rising violent crime rates and prison overcrowding. The bipartisan Missouri State Justice Reinvestment Task Force — which included state and local criminal justice system stakeholders — was formed to address the issues. The task force worked with the nonpartisan, nonprofit Council of State Governments to gather and analyze Missouri criminal justice data. The council came away with several key findings. In 2017, Missouri had:

• The eighth-highest incarceration rate in the United States
• The fastest-growing female prison population in the United States
• An increasing violent crime rate but a decrease in violent crime arrests
• Insufficient behavioral health resources
• A high rate of prison admissions driven by factors other than new crimes; about half of new admissions were for technical violations of probation or parole

The task force worked with the Council of State Governments Justice Center staff to develop policies and strategies to reduce violent crime, improve community-based treatment, reduce recidivism and increase public safety. Many of these policies are reflected in House Bill 1355, which was signed into law in June 2018.

What this Means for the Missouri Department of Corrections

• Commitment to evidence-based practices in corrections will improve how we assess offenders, build better case management plans, respond to positive and negative behavior, and equip staff with better programming and tools to reduce risk — all of which will enhance the chances of offender success.
• Offender success equals positive behavior in our facilities and reduced technical violations in the community. Improving lives not only makes communities safer but also saves correctional dollars.

Community supervision centers (CSCs) are transitioning to the “CSC Repurpose Model.” The four-phase model targets high-risk clients who need intensive programming in several areas and who are at risk of revocation. It focuses on a behavior management framework of incentives and sanctions as clients progress through each of the four phases, with the referring Probation and Parole officer supervising the client while he or she is a CSC resident. 

Programs are targeted to each client’s assessed needs. Clients must complete core programming components before they can receive passes into the community for employment or other purposes.

The CSC in Fulton is now an all-female facility and will focus on gender-responsive and trauma-informed approaches to program delivery.