[lightbox link=”https://www.ciri.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/ReformBill.jpg” thumb=”https://www.ciri.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/ReformBill-200×300.jpg” width=”200″ align=”left” title=”CIRI’s Greg Razo (left) watches as Gov. Bill Walker signs SB 91 into law. Photo courtesy of Alaska Criminal Justice Commission.” frame=”true” icon=”image” caption=”CIRI’s Greg Razo (left) watches as Gov. Bill Walker signs SB 91 into law. Photo courtesy of Alaska Criminal Justice Commission.”]A bill that reinvests $99 million into crime reduction programs was signed into law July 11 by Alaska Gov. Bill Walker. Nonpartisan Senate Bill 91 was authored by Sen. John Coghill, R-North Pole, and Sen. Johnny Ellis, D-Anchorage. It is projected that over the next 10 years the bill will reduce the current prison population by 13 percent and save $380 million through programs proven to keep people out of prison, including substance abuse treatment, pre-trial supervision and other services that help inmates effectively reintegrate with society.
Present during the signing was Greg Razo, CIRI vice president, Government Contracting, and a CIRI shareholder. Razo chairs the Alaska Criminal Justice Commission, a 13-member board that seeks to enhance public safety, rehabilitation and victim restitution while working to improve criminal laws and practices in Alaska. The commission provided research-based recommendations that led directly to the crime reform legislation. On April 27, Razo was recognized as a “Champion of Change” for his efforts to improve Alaska’s civil and criminal justice system at an event at the White House.
For details on Senate Bill 91, visit www.akleg.gov.
