About the Division

BACKGROUND

The Criminal Justice Policy and Planning Division was established by statute on July 1, 2006 (prior to that date it was a functional unit within the Office of Policy and Management, Policy Development and Planning Division.)  The Justice Planning Act (Public Act 05-249) was codified into State Statute with the majority of the division's requirements under Title 4, Chapter 50, §4-68m of the Connecticut General Statutes.  Correctional system population projections are codified under Title 4, Chapter 50, §4-68n.  The reporting system to track criminal justice system trends and outcomes was codified under §4-68o. The requirement to produce an annual report "specifying the actions necessary to promote an effective and cohesive criminal justice system", etc. was codified under §4-68p.

DIVISION RESPONSIBILITIES

With the broad charge of this Division, priority areas of involvement are periodically selected to bring greater success to the Division's work and to concentrate its resources. In consideration of the Governor's policy priorities, that of the Secretary of OPM, federal and state legislative mandates, and requests from executive branch agencies or other public or private institutions, the following policy issues and initiatives currently represent the Division's major policy concentrations.

The Division is also responsible for developing correctional population projections for planning purposes and computing daily costs of delivering criminal justice programs in order to compare interagency costs of services provided. The Division is also developing a reporting system to track trends and outcomes (see Monthly Indicators Report) related to policies designed to reduce prison overcrowding, improve rehabilitation efforts, and enhance reentry strategies for offenders released from prison. The Division is also developing a reporting system to define outcomes for major programs, annually report them, and identify strategies to measure outcomes when information is not available to measure the effectiveness of particular programs.

In fulfilling our mission, Division staff performs the following functions:

• identify emerging needs and issues and develop strategic plans;
• provide inter-agency coordination and education of executive branch agencies;
• facilitate collaboration between the three branches of state government and between state and local government;
• collect and analyze data, research information and policy proposals;
• identify and communicate State interests in response to federal legislation, regulation and policy implementation;
• improve grant-making throughout State government and evaluate the effectiveness of funded programs and services;
• recommend and implement improvements to complex public policy actions through legislation, policies, plans and programs; and
• improve integration of planning and policy development into OPM's budget process.

Annual Requirements (January 1)

• Budget Presentation to Criminal Justice system Committees of Cognizance
• Annual Report "specifying the actions necessary to promote an effective and cohesive criminal justice system" (updated Biennially)
• Annual Report delineating outcomes for major criminal justice programs and delineating strategies to measure outcomes of same

Annual Prison Population Forecast (February 15)

• Correctional system population projections are codified under Title 4, Chapter 50, §4-68n.  Develop population projections for the correctional system for planning purposes and issue a report on such projections. P.A. 05-249 effective July 1, 2006; P.A. 07-217 changed the annual reporting deadline from November first to February fifteenth, effective July 12, 2007.
• Annual Report on Recidivism: (1) Recidivism of offenders released from prison, (2) recidivism of offenders on probation, and (3) recidivism of offenders participating in programs designed to reduce prison overcrowding, improve rehabilitation efforts and enhance reentry strategies for offenders released from prison.
• Annual Report on the development and implementation of a Comprehensive Prisoner Re-entry Strategy

Monthly Requirements

• Monthly Indicators Report - develop a reporting system to track on a monthly basis: (1) The number of admissions to prison (A) directly from courts, (B) on account of parole revocation, and (C) on account of probation revocation, (2) the number of releases on parole and to other forms of community supervision and facilities, (3) the rate of granting parole, (4) the number of probation placements and placements to probation facilities, (5) the prison population, and (6) the projected prison population.

Other Responsibilities

• Centralization and Distribution of Justice Data
  CJPPD has taken the central leadership role in the development of technology to benefit the state's decentralized criminal justice system. Through the Connecticut Justice Information System (CJIS) initiative, several component projects are aimed at bringing greater cohesion and effectiveness to our criminal justice system by improving the way we communicate and share information across system components, and how we manage data on crime and criminal offenders.
  
  
• Justice Planning & Grants Management
  The Division serves as the financial hub for a number of major federal funding streams that require considerable coordination with state agencies, municipalities, and nonprofit organizations. For example, the Division administers the Federal Byrne Grant, Violence Against Women Act Grant and a host of juvenile justice funds.
  
  
• Juvenile Justice
  CJPPD staffs the state's Juvenile Justice Advisory Committee which coordinates activities and funding across public and private institutions committed to JJ issues and programs. The Division provides leadership in program evaluation, educational seminars and training opportunities, research and grants administration.
  
  
• Prison Overcrowding
  CJPPD provides research and policy leadership in addressing Connecticut's prison population issues which involve questions of public safety, legality, budgetary, managerial and political. The Division staffs the statutorily created Criminal Justice Policy Advisory Commission. The Criminal Justice Policy Advisory Commission (formerly the Prison and Jail Overcrowding Commission) is now chaired by the Under Secretary of Criminal Justice Policy and Planning Division.
  
  
• Connecticut Sentencing Task Force
  The Under Secretary of Criminal Justice Policy and Planning Division will participate in and "shall assist the task force by providing criminal justice data, analyses and technical assistance necessary for the sentencing task force to carry out its duties".
  
  
• Domestic and Sexual Violence
  CJPPD provides both financial and policy support aimed at improving the State's criminal justice system's ability to respond to  violent crimes against women and to bring communities, local law enforcement, and social service providers together in partnerships to prevent and combat domestic and sexual violence.
  
  
• Education
  CJPPD offers support in monitoring a range of education issues which include legislative initiatives for the Governor, implementation oversight of federal law, as well as planning and direct programming. Current areas of concentration for lower education include expansion of choice, the role of early learning and after school opportunities, and the implementation of the federal act NCLB. For higher education, CJPPD is tracking and summarizing the massive capital investments being made on campuses of the state's public higher education institutions.