EXECUTIVE ORDER NUMBER 8 - Office of the Governor of Alabama

WHEREAS, the State of Alabama faces a critical crisis in the criminal justice system, with extreme overcrowding of state prisons, overburdened probation and parole officers, a lack of uniform data identifiers across the state and local levels, and inadequate treatment and correctional programs for offenders;

WHEREAS, the criminal justice crisis, including the high rate of recidivism and incarceration for technical violations, creates a risk to the state’s public safety;

WHEREAS, emphasizing public safety, criminal justice reform efforts culminated in a request for the Justice Reinvestment Initiative (JRI), sponsored by the U.S. Department of Justice and the Pew Charitable Trusts, and with technical assistance from the Council of State Governments (CSG) Justice Center;

WHEREAS, through JRI, the state initiated policy reforms and budget additions to address criminal justice challenges;

WHEREAS, increased funding for criminal justice and implementation of new policies must be overseen, and criminal justice stakeholders must be held accountable based on evidence-based practices;

WHEREAS, use of risk-based assessments will allow the state to prioritize programs for offenders with a higher risk of repetitive, unlawful behavior, to teach life skills, and to provide cognitive behavioral therapy, to change criminal thinking;

WHEREAS, the public safety of the state is furthered by fiscally sound and data-driven practices that reduce recidivism and encourage successful rehabilitation of offenders; and

WHEREAS, all three branches of government and public stakeholders must collaborate in order to positively influence the local and state criminal justice system.

NOW, THEREFORE, based upon these considerations, and for other good and valid reasons related thereto, I, Robert Bentley, Governor of the State of Alabama, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the State of Alabama, do hereby establish the Alabama Criminal Justice Oversight and Implementation Council (the Council) to be comprised of the following:

Secretary, Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, or his or her designee
Commissioner, Alabama Department of Mental Health, or his or her designee
Commissioner, Alabama Department of Corrections, or his or her designee
Executive Director, Alabama Board of Pardons and Paroles, or his or her designee
Executive Director, Alabama Sentencing Commission, or his or her designee
Chair of the Alabama House Judiciary Committee
Chair of the Alabama Senate Judiciary Committee
Additional members as appointed by the Governor

BE IT ORDERED, that the Council shall meet at least once monthly and otherwise at the call of the chair, who shall be appointed by the Governor and who shall be a voting member. Due to the high percentage of criminal justice reforms affecting the Board of Pardons and Paroles (ABPP), the Executive Director of the ABPP, or his or her designee, shall serve as vice chair. The Council may form sub-committees as needed to carry out the duties below. The Council may meet by telephonic or video conference, or other electronic means. Council members shall not receive a salary for their service on the Council.

BE IT FURTHER ORDERED, that the Council shall collaborate on and assist the chair in implementation of criminal justice reform efforts, including but not limited to the following:

Developing evidence-based policies and guidelines for treatment programs and community correction programs in an effort to reduce recidivism
Analyzing data reflecting client participation in and treatment services from state-funded programs to ensure performance-based funding
Coordinating and/or attending stakeholder meetings to inform and train stakeholders on JRI reforms
Other duties at the direction of the chair or the Governor

BE IT FURTHER ORDERED, that the chair, on behalf of the Governor, shall provide oversight and accountability over criminal justice agencies on the state and local levels, including but not limited to:

Monitoring and managing any grants awarded to support criminal justice reform implementation
Leading efforts to measure statewide compliance of implemented JRI policies and practices by coordinating, collecting, and analyzing data among relevant stakeholders
Requesting and coordinating technical assistance for the implementation process
Coordinating the training of staff and stakeholders throughout the state on reform efforts, including risk assessment and evidence-based practices
Procuring and overseeing a research partner to assist the state in conducting compliance measures of implemented JRI policies, practices and programs
Coordinating the relevant data-holders and collecting data for analysis by the research partner
Overseeing a unified approach to upgrading stakeholder data systems to include standardized data, including SID number and risk level
Facilitating meetings among stakeholders to accomplish JRI implementation and other responsibilities
Other duties as directed by the Governor or the Council

BE IT FURTHER ORDERED, that this Executive Order shall become effective immediately upon its execution and shall remain in effect until amended or modified by the Governor.

DONE AND ORDERED this 25th day of June, 2015.

Robert Bentley
Governor

Attested

John Merrill
Secretary of State