Bipartisan Group of 33 Lawmakers Promote Continued Funding for the Justice Reinvestment Initiative

Congresswomen Carol Miller (R-WV) and Lucy McBath (D-GA)

A bipartisan group of 33 members of Congress, led by Congresswomen Carol Miller (R-WV) and Lucy McBath (D-GA), wrote a letter calling for continued funding for the Justice Reinvestment Initiative (JRI) in the Fiscal Year 2026 Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations bill. JRI enables local police, policymakers, courts, corrections, and behavioral health systems to have a unified data system, analyze crime trends and inefficiencies, and better understand and target responses to serious public safety and public health threats in the community.

Launched in 2010 and supported by Congress, JRI has helped 44 states use data to understand their unique challenges related to crime, substance use, mental health, and recidivism. These states saw, on average, a 38 percent drop in crime rates between 2008 and 2023. These states also decreased their recidivism rates, on average, by 10 percent.**

The letter from Representatives Miller, McBath and colleagues emphasizes that “over the past two decades, states have grappled with rising crime and recidivism rates, an unprecedented surge in overdose deaths and addiction, growing demands on overstretched law enforcement agencies, and critical staffing shortages in jails and prisons. The Justice Reinvestment Initiative offers small grants to help states harness the power of data to confront these urgent challenges head-on.”

As states continue to face complex public safety challenges, JRI’s proven approach equips policymakers with the information and tools needed to meet these challenges head-on—ensuring that policies are informed, cost-effective, and responsive to the needs of people in the justice system and victims of crime. JRI enables states to invest in effective supervision, treatment programs, and victim services that reduce incarceration and promote safer, healthier communities.

Read the letter.

**“Advancing Fair, Effective, and Efficient Criminal Justice Strategies,” Justice Reinvestment Initiative, November 30, 2023, https://justicereinvestmentinitiative.org/; The Council of State Governments Justice Center, “Justice Reinvestment Initiative (Fact Sheet),” CSG Justice Center, March 4, 2025, https://csgjusticecenter.org/publications/fact-sheet-the-justice-reinvestment-initiative/; The Council of State Governments Justice Center, “50 States, 1 Goal: Examining State-Level Recidivism Trends in the Second Chance Act Era,” CSG Justice Center, June 6, 2024, https://csgjusticecenter.org/publications/50-states-1-goal/; The Council of State Governments Justice Center analysis of Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program data from 2008 to 2023. Forty-four states have participated in JRI at different times over this period. Statistics were calculated by comparing crime and cohort recidivism rates from 2008 compared to those rates in 2023. These are the years when states enacted JRI policy changes: 2007: Kansas, Nevada; 2008: Arizona, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont; 2009: Illinois, Wisconsin; 2010: New Hampshire, South Carolina; 2011: Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, North Carolina, Ohio; 2012: Delaware, Georgia, Hawaii, Missouri, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania; 2013: Kansas, Oregon, South Dakota, West Virginia; 2014: Idaho, Michigan, Mississippi; 2015: Alabama, Nebraska, Utah; 2016: Alaska, Maryland; 2017: Arkansas, Georgia, Louisiana, Montana, North Dakota, Rhode Island; 2018: Massachusetts, Missouri, Oklahoma; 2019: Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Pennsylvania; 2020: Vermont; 2021: Kansas, Louisiana, Tennessee; 2022: Pennsylvania; 2023: Montana, Nebraska.