Budgeting Issue Analysis on Nevada's Justice Reinvestment Initiative

WEEK 4 - INTERNET ARTICLE ANALYSIS
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Overview
In 2018 Justice Reinvestment Initiative was requested for technical help by Governor Brian Sandoval, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court Michael Douglas, Speaker Jason Frierson, and Senate Majority Leader Aaron Ford (JRI) (STATE OF NEVADA, 2020). The Advisory Commission on the Administration of Justice (ACAJ) was tasked with creating policies to lower crime and recidivism while allocating resources to safer, more economically viable measures. The ACAJ is a legally recognized commission made up of 18 members who represent a nonpartisan collection of criminal justice stakeholders, including members of the judiciary, legislature, law enforcement, prosecuting and defense bars, prison organizations, and the general public (STATE OF NEVADA, 2020). Over six months, the ACAJ thoroughly examined sentencing and correctional data in Nevada, assessed the effectiveness of state-wide policies and programs, considered methodology and models for imprisonment and corrections from other jurisdictions, and held in-depth policy debates. The majority of the ACAJ members approved the 25 policy recommendations that were included in Assembly Bill 236 (AB 236) during the 2019 Session Of parliament based on this analysis. Further, on June 14, 2019, Governor Steve Sisolak signed AB 236 into law after it had been approved by the legislature. But AB 236's entire set of rules did not go into effect until July 1 of 2020 (STATE OF NEVADA, 2020). This report's goals were to help address the statutory mandates in NRS 176.01343 and 176.01347 and advance all of these goals by using prison population projections to calculate savings and then making recommendations. To be successful, the project divided this process into three stages, which included factors to take into account when designing a methodology, an analysis of savings, and, as we will describe, guiding principles and goals for reinvestment. The article's thorough indication of various budget methodologies, limits, and risk availability made it my first choice because I wanted to understand how to manage them in the future if being exposed to such a situation.
Considerations In Developing a Methodology
The Nevada Sentencing Commission was mandated by law to track and evaluate the outcomes brought about by the passage of AB 236 and to compile and submit a report every two years on the anticipated cost savings as a result of its passage among other things (STATE OF NEVADA, 2020). The commission was not given a clear technique that could have aided in calculating the anticipated number of expenditures avoided. Therefore, to accommodate the process from beginning to end, the commission had to develop a methodology. The method, however, required a series of steps that had to go in order at the same moment. The author of the article indicates that the commission was compelled to use both the projected jail population for 2018 mandated by NRS 176.0129 and the actual number of prisoners held by the commission each year (STATE OF NEVADA, 2020). This required the completion of a yearly contract with an independent agent (JFA Associates). The technique was therefore able to forecast the cost averted by the bill and the variable cost per prisoner, which might have helped the commission comply with AB 236.
Analysis of Savings
The analysis performed by the ACAJ in 2018 revealed that Nevada's jail population had increased dramatically, leading to higher expenditure on prisons and less available resources for initiatives to minimize recidivism, according to the report (STATE OF NEVADA, 2020). This included a shortage of resources for services and therapy. The ACAJ identified the major factors that contributed to the State's prison population and presented policy proposals to address those major factors and stop the growth of the prison population. The policy suggestions issued by the...