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Less Crime at Lower Cost

Explore the impact of state reforms and public opinion on reducing crime rates and costs. Analyze data, develop policies, engage stakeholders, and communicate findings to formulate effective policy recommendations. Understand the underutilization of probation, the increase in non-violent offenders in prisons, low compliance with sentencing guidelines, and delayed transfers to parole. The Public Safety Improvement Act, endorsed by various organizations, is projected to save taxpayers $875 million. National public opinion research shows the effectiveness of reducing prisons before other services or new taxes. Let's reduce crime for a safer and more cost-effective society.

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Less Crime at Lower Cost

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  1. Less Crime at Lower Cost State Reforms and Public Opinion Jake Horowitz Public Safety Performance Project Pew Center on the States

  2. Bipartisan, Inter-branch Process 1 Data Analysis / System Assessment Policy Development Legislative and Public Education Stakeholder Engagement and Communications 2 3

  3. Key Finding: Probation is Underutilized Results from the analysis indicated: Prison admissions up, probation admissions down Arkansas’s probation rate (2009) was 23% lower than the national average

  4. Key Finding: Increasing Number of Prison Beds Used for Non-Violent Offenders • Significant number of prison admissions were for non-violent offenses Sentence lengths in the lowest felony classes had increased over the past decade

  5. Key Finding: Low Compliance with the Sentencing Guidelines Key Finding: Transfer to Parole was Delayed In 2009, the average sentence was nearly twice (196%) the presumptive guideline sentence More than 1,200 offenders were sentenced to the Department of Correction when the guidelines did not recommend incarceration • More than 2,000 inmates were held beyond their transfer eligibility date in 2009, accounting for nearly 1,200 beds.

  6. Formulate Policy Recommendations

  7. Organizations that endorsed the Public Safety Improvement Act: Engage Stakeholders, Build Consensus

  8. Act 570 Projected to Save Arkansas Taxpayers $875 Million in Averted Prison Construction and Operation Costs

  9. National Public Opinion Research • Bipartisan survey team • Public Opinion Strategies • Benenson Strategy Group • Focus groups • Rural South Carolina • Suburban Denver • Urban Detroit • National survey of 1,200 registered voters (March 2010) • Margin of error: +/- 2.83%

  10. Bottom Line… Let’s Reduce Crime “ It does not matter whether a nonviolent offender is in prison for 21 or 24 or 27 months. What really matters is the system does a better job of making sure that when an offender does get out, he is less likely to commit another crime. “

  11. Policy Solutions, Budget Rationale

  12. Cut Prisons Before Other Services or New Taxes

  13. “ Effective Messages: Texas Tough Texas is the very symbol of law and order in this country, but three years ago, leaders in Texas decided to take a very different direction on crime and punishment. …Texas has cut its corrections spending and reduced its crime rate at the same time, showing that we can have less crime at a lower cost. “ VERY CONVINCING TOTAL CONVINCING

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