State
- In an executive order issued this week, Gov. Andrew Cuomo created a task force to identify prisons that should close as part of his plan to reform the state's criminal justice system. The governor also proposed economic development aid for upstate communities that would be affected by the closings, though some lawmakers and communities were unswayed.
- Senate Democrats have rallied around Cuomo's plan, even as the state's correction officers union have spoken out against it.
- New York City Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn sided with advocates on the issue, applauding the governor's proposed reforms to the juvenile justice system and -- like LAC -- expressing support for closing prisons and reinvesting some of the savings in alternatives to incarceration.
- The New York Times editorial board, too, backed Cuomo's proposal.
- State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli weighed in on the issue of juvenile justice reform with a new report that shows early-intervention programs pay off.
- In a move toward an on-time budget, Senate Majority Leader Dean G. Skelos and Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver announced an agreement on a joint legislative budget schedule. Gov. Cuomo has warned of that he might use budget extenders that include his cuts if a budget is not passed on time.
National
- U.S. Senator Jim Webb reintroduced his landmark National Criminal Justice Commission Act this week, pushing Congress to create a bipartisan commission to offer recommendations for criminal justice reform.
- In an op-ed in The Washington Post, Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius defends the healthcare reform law from claims that it will burden the states, arguing that on the contrary, it empowers them.
- An analysis by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has found that even though national spending on mental health and substance abuse services grew between 1986-2005, it accounts for a shrinking portion overall health expenditures.
- As part of its new budget, New Jersey is merging its Division of Addiction Services with its Division of Mental Health Services, with the goal of integrating care and saving money.
- More states are opting to augment probation, parole and rehabilitation in low-level drug crimes, The Wall Street Journal reports, as they try to reduce the number of prison inmates. In related news:
- Missouri's chief justice renewed his call for alternatives to incarceration;
- The New Orleans City Council has voted to build a smaller jail in a long-awaited effort to downsize the city's swelling prison population;
- Gov. Rick Scott of Florida has shifted course and is now pushing for criminal justice reform, including re-entry, education and prevention programs; and
- A proposed bill in Kentucky would sentence many more people convicted in drug cases to probation and addiction treatment instead of prison.
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