Idaho Governor C.L. Otter signed a bill into law on Thursday that is designed to improve public safety, reduce recidivism and slow the growth of the state’s prison population.
The goal of the new law is to reduce correctional costs by up to $288 million over the next five years. The savings would then be reinvested in efforts to improve public safety.
“We all realized that unless we made some important changes, the prison population would continue to grow significantly,” Otter said. “That would mean spending much more without actually addressing the causes. I applaud everyone who worked tirelessly to produce the legislation that I was pleased to sign (on Thursday). For the people of Idaho, it will mean safer communities and better use of taxpayer dollars.”
Earlier this year, a Council of State Governments Justice Center report identified recidivism, inefficient use of prison space on people convicted of property or drug offenses and insufficient oversight of state-funded recidivism reduction strategies as the main three challenges facing Idaho’s criminal justice system.
The new law will enhance probation and parole supervision practices and programs in an effort to reduce recidivism, structure parole so prison space can be used more effectively, tailor sanctions for violations of supervision and strengthen oversight of recidivism reduction programs.
Idaho Supreme Court Chief Justice Roger Burdick said the state’s high court is “pleased” that the Idaho judiciary was engaged in the reform efforts from the beginning.
“We pledge to remain active in the implementation of this important legislation and to ensure that robust probation supervision – including community-based treatment and testing – are employed to improve public safety, rehabilitate offenders and preserve sentencing discretion to judges of the individuals who come before them,” Burdick said.