Justice Reinvestment in Kentucky

In 2023, the CSG Justice Center embarked on a Justice Reinvestment approach in Kentucky to help commonwealth leaders identify and address the most pressing domestic violence and intimate partner violence challenges.

The Problem

In Kentucky, half of all adults will experience contact sexual violence, physical violence, or stalking in their lifetimes with 48 percent of all women and nearly 53 percent of all men in the commonwealth experiencing contact sexual violence, physical violence, and/or stalking in their lifetimes. Domestic violence (DV) and intimate partner violence (IPV) also seem to comprise a significant proportion of violent crimes in Kentucky. Analysis of National Incident-Based Reporting System data indicates that 47.5 percent of all incidents of crimes against people in the state involve DV or IPV. In Kentucky, 22 percent of victims of homicides and 42 percent of victims of sexual crimes are identified as family members or intimate partners. DV and IPV victims also comprise 53 percent of victims of simple and aggravated assaults and 62 percent of victims of kidnapping. Altogether, crimes reported to law enforcement involve over 25,000 IPV and DV victims annually in Kentucky. Commonwealth leaders are committed to using JRI to better understand and address these challenges, to improve the state’s response to DV and IPV, and increase public safety and decrease victimization across Kentucky.

How JRI Is Helping

In the winter of 2023, commonwealth leaders embarked on a Justice Reinvestment Initiative with technical assistance from the CSG Justice Center and support from the U.S. Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Assistance to address Kentucky’s DV challenges. Under the guidance of the tri-branch, bipartisan Justice Reinvestment Working Group, established by Executive Order 2024-0159, CSG Justice Center staff are conducting comprehensive analysis of corrections, court, law enforcement, and victim services data to identify gaps, trends, and challenges related to IPV and DV. CSG Justice Center staff are also collecting qualitative information related to the efficacy of supervision practices and programming and the availability of victims’ services across the state, as well as services and programming available to people who commit domestic violence.

Next Steps

As part of Justice Reinvestment, commonwealth leaders will receive state-specific, data-driven policy recommendations for consideration during the 2025 legislative session aimed at reducing the prevalence of DV and IPV throughout the commonwealth, breaking the cycle of recidivism, and reducing victimization.