Justice Reinvestment Initiative (Fact Sheet)
The bipartisan Justice Reinvestment Initiative (JRI) was created by Congress in 2010 to enhance public safety through targeted work with states and criminal justice agencies. Justice Reinvestment Initiatives include agency-spanning data analysis; development and implementation of data-driven, tailored solutions to address complicated criminal justice challenges; and coordination with states to maximize resources to achieve stronger and safer communities. States that have used JRI saw, on average, a 38 percent drop in crime rates between 2008 and 2023 and a 10 percent decrease in recidivism between 2008 and 2019.
Arkansas policymakers have long expressed concerns about the state’s high recidivism rate. Over the past 10 years, an…
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In April 2025, Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed a package of bipartisan criminal justice legislation into law,…
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Explainer: Key Findings and Options from Arkansas’s Justice Reinvestment Initiative
Arkansas policymakers have long expressed concerns about the state’s high recidivism rate. Over the past 10 years, an estimated 72 percent of prison admissions in the state involved people who were revoked from supervision, with unmet substance use and mental health challenges playing a significant role in these failures.
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Explainer: How a New Law in Arkansas Tackles Crime, Recidivism, and Community Supervision Challenges
In April 2025, Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed a package of bipartisan criminal justice legislation into law, which is designed to increase public safety and improve community supervision. The legislation passed nearly unanimously.
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