Indiana

Background

In 2010, Indiana’s prison population was projected to increase 21 percent by 2017, from 28,474 to 34,794 people, at a cost of approximately $1.2 billion in construction and annual operating costs. In 2010 and 2011, the CSG Justice Center worked with Indiana state leaders to analyze criminal justice data, interview stakeholders from across the criminal justice system, and develop data-driven policy options designed to reduce corrections spending and increase public safety.

Policies

The resulting Justice Reinvestment policy framework included policies to strengthen community supervision, increase availability of substance use treatment in the community, and reform sentencing policy for theft and drug offenses. The Justice Reinvestment policy framework was translated into legislation and introduced during the 2011 legislative session. Although no legislative action was taken during that session, legislation was passed in 2013, 2014, and 2015 to update Indiana’s criminal code, resulting in policy and practice changes. The General Assembly also appropriated $55 million in funding for grant programs during 2016 and 2017 for technology-based programs and substance use and mental health treatment and services and established a Justice Reinvestment Advisory Council to oversee progress.¹

For more information, see Justice Reinvestment in Indiana.

Other JRI-Funded Projects

In Indiana, the Indiana Public Defender Commission, in partnership with the CSG Justice Center, was one of the first to test and contribute to the digital infrastructure of the Justice Counts initiative.

¹ The Council of State Governments Justice Center, 2023, Justice Reinvestment in Indiana, New York, NY: The Council of State Governments Justice Center, retrieved May 18, 2023 from https://csgjusticecenter.org/projects/justice-reinvestment/past-states/indiana/.