Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett has unveiled a criminal justice reform that has some new ideas but also incorporates much of the previous Mayor’s proposal.
The plan, whose early estimates are in the $500 million to $600 million range, calls for the construction of a new jail, but also puts a lot of emphasis on mental health and addiction.
The plan calls for the following…
- The implementation of a pre-arrest diversion policy used by officers, social service providers and the courts to keep low-level, non-violent offenders out jail and directed towards treatment.
- Better mental health and addiction treatment post-arrest programs.
- Increased transparency between the community and the criminal justice system.
- A new jail which will house addiction and treatment services.
The Hogsett administration could not say where the new facility would be located, as well as how it would be financed. It did say it could achieve annual savings of about $35 million from existing programs. The administration also believes that investing in treatment on the front end will save taxpayers money on the back end.
You can hear Mayor Hogsett, as well as reaction from other community leaders in the Leon-Tailored Audio above.
A copy of the full report can be found here.
