(1)The Legislature finds that while serious crime in the State of Nebraska has not increased in the past five years, the prison population continues to increase as does the amount spent on correctional issues. The Legislature further finds that a need exists to closely examine the criminal justice system of the State of Nebraska in order to increase public safety while concurrently reducing correctional spending and reinvesting in strategies that decrease crime and strengthen Nebraska communities.
(2)It is the intent of the Legislature that the State of Nebraska work cooperatively with the Council of State Governments Justice Center to study and identify innovative solutions and evidence-based practices to develop a data-driven approach to reduce correctional spending and reinvest saving
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(1) The Legislature finds that while serious crime in the State of Nebraska has not increased in the past five years, the prison population continues to increase as does the amount spent on correctional issues. The Legislature further finds that a need exists to closely examine the criminal justice system of the State of Nebraska in order to increase public safety while concurrently reducing correctional spending and reinvesting in strategies that decrease crime and strengthen Nebraska communities.
(2) It is the intent of the Legislature that the State of Nebraska work cooperatively with the Council of State Governments Justice Center to study and identify innovative solutions and evidence-based practices to develop a data-driven approach to reduce correctional spending and reinvest savings in strategies that can decrease recidivism and increase public safety and for the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of Nebraska state government to work with the Council of State Governments Justice Center in this process.
(3) The Committee on Justice Reinvestment Oversight is created as a special legislative committee to maintain continuous oversight of the Nebraska Justice Reinvestment Initiative and related issues.
(4) The special legislative committee shall be comprised of five members of the Legislature selected by the Executive Board of the Legislative Council, including the chairperson of the Judiciary Committee of the Legislature who shall serve as chairperson of the special legislative committee.
(5) The Committee on Justice Reinvestment Oversight shall monitor and guide analysis and policy development in all aspects of the criminal justice system in Nebraska within the scope of the justice reinvestment initiative, including tracking implementation of evidence-based strategies as established in Laws 2015, LB605, and reviewing policies to improve public safety, reduce recidivism, and reduce spending on corrections in Nebraska. With assistance from the Council of State Governments Justice Center, the committee shall monitor performance and measure outcomes by collecting data from counties and relevant state agencies for analysis and reporting.
(6) The committee shall prepare and submit an annual report of its activities and findings and may make recommendations to improve any aspect of the criminal justice system. The committee shall deliver the report to the Governor, the Clerk of the Legislature, and the Chief Justice by September 1 of each year. The report to the clerk shall be delivered electronically.
(7) The committee terminates on September 30, 2023.