Legislative Recidivism Reduction Task Force

Want to welcome all of you thank you for being here thank you for taking time and that we've had to shift this around a little bit there some reasons for all that and I know what it's inconvenient but I appreciate you working with us to do that I know II cease a few new faces here that maybe won't hear the last meeting if you weren't here at the last meaning if you would just go ahead and turn your mike on interdues yourself and we'll start with representative unger here so if you would each mike and introduce yourself representative stevenger a district nineteen from spring deal. All right who else do we have please mark cobert attorney for the board of corrections here for being a magnet chairman of the board of corrections welcome brought coming security of administrative pro word here for chairman john felt and welcome so first thing is the adoption approval of the minutes if you would look those over and if we can get a look like the secretary is walking in sorry we we started about a minute early sector okay. Version thank you second thank you all in favor thank you the next thing on the agenda first wholesale anyone else that is brand new that energy and if you work please me here from the arkansas public defender commission thank you service appreciate your being here as you are well aware this task force is to provide a report and they're supposed to be a preliminary report prior to december think december one or thirty first okay well we are trying to get a head of that a little bit if he would review she to paper that has draft watermark it's I think very generalized language just basically setting the task of this task force and basically setting the parameters for what we will do and the work that we will do as a part of this so if you were just look that over again it's very very generalized it's basically just the parameters that we need to go by and it's follows the mirrors the bill pretty closely I would say so if there's any questions or it's have that discussion now would ask that you do use your microphones if you can answer the folks on on zoom can hear us now introduce have them introduce themselves in just a few minutes but if there's any questions i'll entertain those now and then ask for emotion to adopt. You're recognized motion at proper time I would be the proper time and there's no other questions I have a motion to have a second thank you all in favor all right it is adopted. So moving right along and I am trying to move pretty quickly through this meeting we we have some other committee hearings they're taking place and there's folks and here that are on those so with that we have the criminal justice legal find who is here who will be working with us in sort of advisory role and and offering input throughout this process and they've been gracious enough to join in this effort so i'm going to ask them if they would introduce themselves and go ahead and it tells a little bit about the organization so that everyone's aware in just talk about perhaps you're as you see your role in this and there's also a report that they have recommendations that they have in this that will be probably looking at throughout this process so with that i'll go ahead and ask if you would introduce yourselves for the president of the criminal justice legal foundation research as I was there at the moment your foundation. Our work is mostly a palate law but we are very involved policy were located in california where a policy has been a problem for about two decades and we are going through what arkansas has been going through but have not introduced the kinds of reforms that you have done there and so we are very interested in helping arkansas succeed so that we can show other states what needs to be done and it looks a light like the law you could act puts the right tools and place to start reducing crime and making our concern safer. Yeah we're really looking forward to being able to help out them provide our input and some of them indeed announce this and looking at some lease evidence based programs and since then with some of that I think it's helpful to have idea of this in the data that is going into it and that kind of like with into our thoughts in terms of the programs and whether or not they're active or not is a lot based on research and how it implemented and things like that you'll notice a lot of that discussion in the recommendations that we had so bar but that's going to be working progress as we see but the data shows thank you in a few I think everyone has a copy of your recommendations and of course we'll have plenty of time to sort of go through this not necessarily at this this meeting in the setting but if there's any may be some brief highlights that you would like to point out through this report are this this recommendation that she provided or if there's any questions but if you if you would like to just give sort of an overview of of these recommendations so a lot of our recommendations can of the most important one is that we think public safety should be first and we think that a lot of times these performance can be implemented and it's just like a laser focus on getting the things implemented broadly and some makes the implementation of them isn't actually that good and all that detailed so we really want to emphasize getting cheese and implementation and looking at the details of how the programs are actually functioning and whether or not they're working as intended we think that's very critical in terms of knowing whether or not they work and also taking a closer look at these programs only our value then in terms of divert research angle because the value reading the programs requires really found research to the. So from that standpoint there is very specific things that we would look more in the methodology and the study design in order to determine that it's a decent study so we don't want to just listen to every single piece of research that exists on the topic but why make sure we're looking at the most rigorous research and so a lot of our recommendations emphasise. Looking at high quality studies and trying to actually look at the math analogy that is part of these studies and second programs that are being implemented and we also think that looking at residential reduction is sometimes challenging and there's different definitions that are use across the different states and a lot of times the follow up time isn't that good so we recommend a length your follow up period of resume and we also recommend looking at a rest of possible because convictions and bringing her serations are sometimes last reliable measures for various reasons so there's some of the key things that we want to focus on but also looking at a lot of that details of the individuals you are pending and some of the factors of certain individuals you might be particularly violent and. Potentially might not be as responsive to certain programs as other offenders a lot of times it's it depends on how it's implemented and looking at those details I would say it's the biggest things are looking at the strong research design and looking at programs they have been evaluated with strong research design and we would like to see arguing side do the same in terms of looking at the reservation data and. Making sure that the analysis is sound and I quality do you have anything thank you we will look forward to working with you and other csg I know is in the room appreciate their and involvement as well look forward to working with you guys happy to take questions now represent adulting it's just one quick question job the people on the screen could you address for me what work you have done in the southern part of the united states I noticed you're out of california and so what who else if you work with or we because I think each region is you make and I think our region would be certainly different than what might be the norm for the west coast or the east coast thank you. We work for the attention the account in general texas we've worked with virginia especially when in the early nineties and into the two thousand and we've done research on other states especially for this project determined what is different about arkansas compared to some approaches that be taken at other states the report does detail some of that research so I think basic criminal justice reforms pretty simple categories enforcing the law consistently having appropriate penalties for those who commit these crimes especially if they keep committing these crimes after they serve some time and how we deal with them when they come up and those are the evening they're doing it right or you're not and it's been try doing a lot of the states are concise unique but criminals are criminals and human nature as human nature and people respond to incentives and you've set up the structure now in arkansas but I think it's going to put the right emphasis on incentives there is no unlimited chances. Can you protect public safety at the same time so there has to be a consistent approach to sides which refunders need to stay behind bars and which ones can move into society safely and safely as the key. Yeah we've also done a lot of work looking into different research and different programs that already exist in different states and looking at the factors in those states all southern and throughout the country to take deeper diversion of research and look at the research that allergies and why would one step by benefits from there so maybe not another state and kind of are those differences there and really teasing out some of those details in terms of the research methodology because sometimes certain research projects are research studies will be stronger than others sometimes programs in the implemented in a stronger way so that's something that we like to compare between states a lot and we're doing also sometimes center tiger you recognize thank you mister chair i'm course i've just glanced at this report that yellow provided and i'm eager to to read it more carefully i'm just curious what resources are or debate bases in arkansas i'll look at to prepare this or or just what what did you look into about arkansas that helped inform your report and recommendations as to arkansas so we haven't been able to look at any of arkansas data at this time we do working on getting an agreement for that so we can look into that more closely right now we were looking at the data available fund various arkansas sources like the department of her actions and we also looked at some research and thirty been done in arkansas and there's been a handful of studies that have come now in the past couple of years and also arkansas phone reservation reports and basically looking at a lot of the numbers that uh stay already puts out we are complaining to look more closely at the actual data as it comes out but we are working on the directly right now so. We haven't been able to take that you died just yet but you've been able to look at what is available at this time okay I appreciate it just a quick follow up so basically this report is kind of based on what you all have looked at about are consultant publicly available in combination with the work that you've done in other states that you describe in your response to representative of dollars questions so it's kind of a combination of those two years a combination and right now these are over our chain recommendations that we have more general in nature and would like to make them more separate as we go and as we actually look at the data in urgents are like the broader essentially that will tell a lot more as well thank you thank you service i'm gonna ask miss row could you update us on the agreements I know it's even worth it with c SG to get a data share in agreement and while so with this entity as well would you mind just seeing where we are on that until that's what we are sure so uhm we have both of those agreements they've gone through our data department they are with our chief legal council and we anticipate having those signed pretty soon the doubt is pretty close so as soon as those data sharing agreements are done we should be able to start getting doubt out pretty quickly. Perfect any other questions repsoned albeit did you have one I do absolutely I don't ever get to just sit on a panel and this question so hey how much is this going to cost us it it's not except for you it is what we pay for say again all right any other questions. See none thank you for your time thanks for being here and we will probably look forward to having you at our next meeting and be in discussions in between thank you. Okay yes thank you. Okay the agenda talks about other business the other business was actually one of the items that miss rail already discussed um also with that I just I want to ask that the members of this task force be open to having meetings with our two partners in this csg in the room and the criminal justice legal foundation throughout this process they're going to be reaching out I know I think they've already started that but with that i'm i'm also going to ask both of already had this discussion with the criminal justice legal fine but and and in somewhat with csg i'm going to ask that both parties you guys be mindful of their time and vice versa and so I have asked ms row if she would in an effort to expedite and make things more efficient that if she would a sort of act as liaison in a lot of ways and in scheduling meetings or and just being helpful to csg in in their effort to reach out and the legal foundation as well to make sure that you know everyone is getting what they need that includes all of you on this this task force that includes our partners and this as well and basically work with them to help schedule meetings as needed not saying that that anyone can't go and schedule their own meetings but to work as closely as possible to help streamline and be more efficient in this process and i've had those discussions with several on this task force and are sure we'll have more as we go through this process but I think that it would just be helpful um in in an effort to sort of know what we're doing now who is. Uhm needing contact in what information is that way we can help as needed that way I can interject at times if if things are not being communicated are given an appropriate way with both our partners but also being respectful of all of your time and making sure our partners understand that in our respectful of all your time as well i'm happy to take any questions as to that effect if anyone has any as to what that means um but see none great you're an easy group next meeting date I think we'll probably look at this same week um for this as as this week so that would be the ALC week whatever date that is november thirteenth is a tentative date right now if you would plan on that and we will be sending out more information I promise this would be a short meeting and so if no one else has anything to c she have anything for the good of this task force. This csg have anything for the good of the task force for reader perfect right with that we adjourned thank you so much