Prison Reform Legislation Bill Signing

Governor Robert Bentley joins other state and local leaders to sign historic criminal justice reforms into law.

In June of 2014, Governor Bentley announced the launch of the Justice Reinvestment Initiative (JRI), a comprehensive study of the state’s criminal justice system to identify ways to implement more cost effective criminal justice policies. The Prison Reform Task Force, chaired by State Senator Cam Ward (R-Alabaster), included nearly 30 state policymakers and practitioners who guided Alabama’s justice reinvestment process toward reducing prison crowding, containing corrections costs and reinvesting in strategies to bolster public safety.

SB67, sponsored by Sen. Cam Ward and Rep. Mike Jones (R-Andalusia), is based on recommendations from the task force and received final passage by the Alabama Legislature in early May.