Program Highlight
Hawaii Opportunity Probation
with Enforcement
Supported by the Hawaii Substance
Abuse Coalition
This program “uses swift, certain, and mild sanctions to encourage compliance with the rules of community supervision."
Florida Alcohol and Crime Briefs
January 2012
- Senator Ellyn Senator Bogdanoff (S 448) and Representatives Porth and Pafford filed a bill (HB 177) that directs the Department of Corrections to develop and administer a reentry program for nonviolent offenders. The program, which would be designed to reduce recidivism and cut costs and include mandatory substance abuse and educational assessments, substance abuse treatment, educational opportunities and other rehabilitative programming. More information »
April 2010
- Florida Tax Watch, a nonprofit government watch dog agency, has created a criminal justice committee that has identified ways to save the state money without diminishing public safety. Comprised of state cabinet members, former agency heads, legislators, business leaders, and academics, the committee has submitted 88 recommendations with the goal of saving the state $3 billion annually. Eleven of those recommendations specifically target reducing the state’s over reliance on prisons and expanding the use of electronic monitoring, post-adjudication drug courts, re-entry courts, and work release programs. Click here for the complete report.
December 2009
- The Collins Center for Public Policy and the Coalition for Smart Justice held the Justice Summit 2009. During the conference, which served as a “call to action,” a diverse group of state and national leaders addressed reform of Florida’s justice system in a way to improve public safety, fiscal responsibility, and criminal justice effectiveness. Featured speakers included Senator Jim Webb (VA), Representative Jerry Madden (TX), and Adam Gelb, director of the Pew Charitable Trust’s Public Safety Performance Project.
September 2009
- The Florida Coalition for Smart Justice, a group comprised of several political, business, and social leaders, and the Collins Center, initiated an effort to explore better ways to achieve a safer, more just, and more effective criminal justice system by addressing offenders alcohol, drug, mental health, and employment issues.
