Sullivan Republican: Key reforms helping improve justice system

(From Sen. Dave Schatz, R-Sullivan)

ust a few years ago, Missouri faced dramatic increases in violent crime and a skyrocketing prison population—our options were to spend half a billion dollars on two new prisons or work hard and dive deep into the causes of crime and the flaws in our justice system.

Through a task force made up of leaders from across government and non-profits; legislators, corrections officials, mental health providers, prosecutors, law enforcement, public defenders and many more; we found out that half of Missouri’s prisoners were there because of parole violations—and half of those violations were merely technical in nature. We also found that prisons; which are dangerous, expensive and meant for holding dangerous criminals; were being used as a first resort to treat drug addiction and mental health problems.

So what did we do to solve these systemic problems? Working together, we proceeded down the path of “Justice Reinvestment” and identified five key reforms that we passed into law last year:

- Help local law enforcement use data to identify what’s driving violent crime;

- Allow counties to invest jail money in diversion programs and electronic monitoring;

- Consistently apply evidence-based tools to tailor probation and parole resources to the individual;

- Treat people with drug or mental health issues in community-based programs instead of in prison; and

- Make it easier for victims to receive more, and better compensation from the crime victim compensation fund.

After passing and beginning to implement these reforms, the results have been transformative. Our prison population is falling. Instead of spending half a billion dollars to build two new prisons—we’re CLOSING a prison. We’re operating pilot programs in Boone, Butler and Buchanan counties to divert people with drug and mental health issues away from prison and into community-based treatment programs. That treatment is safer, it’s cheaper and it finally addresses the root causes of crime for many people. It empowers people to put their lives back together and remain a part of their communities.

We still have more to accomplish—as we realize more savings in corrections, that money will be reinvested in treatment and other tools that improve lives and reduce crime. And hopefully, we will see our prison population continue to decline—and those remaining facilities can return to their exclusive purpose: to keep dangerous offenders out of our communities.

On the heels of celebrating this progress, the chief justice of the Missouri Supreme Court delivered his annual State of the Judiciary Address on Wednesday—there are numerous ongoing court reforms that all Missourians can be proud of. New pre-trial detention rules are going into effect this year that:

- Ensure local jails have space to house dangerous offenders; and

- Keep people working, paying their bills and taking care of their families instead of racking up costs and taking up valuable jail space.

Missouri’s Treatment Courts and Veterans’ Courts continue to win praise across the country and deliver positive results. Our Veterans’ Courts are growing and use volunteer veterans to address special needs such as PTSD, addiction and difficulty returning to civilian life. It’s truly a great service for those who made sacrifices to serve us.

Our courts are also making it significantly easier for military spouses to practice law in Missouri. Before, spouses in the legal field either had to put their career on hold or spend the time and money to take the bar exam all over again. Today, any military spouse with a law license in good standing can apply for temporary admission to practice in Missouri—that’s it.

My colleagues and I are committed to working on all fronts to expand access to drug and mental health treatment, reduce recidivism rates, save tax dollars, make Missouri safer and most importantly, improve lives.