HB1068 establishes a local or regional Justice Reinvestment Advisory Council (JRAC) for each county in Indiana, consisting of leadership within the respective executive and judicial branches of government, whose purpose is to review local or regional criminal justice systems, policies, and procedures.
The House passed HB1068 on March 25, 2021, by a vote of 66 to 18. We have assigned pluses to the nays because justice reinvestment is a nationwide ‘civil justice corps’ initiative that involves the reallocation of federal, state, and local funds from the criminal justice system to community-based social services programs (e.g., housing, healthcare, jobs, etc.). It entails the creation of ‘advisory councils,’ which like ‘civilian review boards,’ seek to redefine public safety in America by exerting control over the policymaking process apart from the constitutionally-authorized legislative bodies of government.