Criminal Justice Reform Panel

The Pew Charitable Trusts hosted an event on Oct. 1, 2015 with Utah Governor Gary Herbert and a panel of Utah leaders, discussing the sentencing and corrections legislation they enacted this year to halt prison growth and deliver a greater public safety return on the state’s corrections spending.

Utah’s Commission on Criminal and Juvenile Justice developed the legislation as part of the Justice Reinvestment Initiative, a public-private partnership between Pew and the U.S. Department of Justice. The reforms are expected to eliminate almost all projected prison growth over the next 20 years and save more than $500 million. The state also directed nearly $14 million of the first-year savings into evidence-based strategies to reduce recidivism.

Speakers

• Utah Governor Gary Herbert
• U.S. Senators Orrin Hatch and Mike Lee of Utah
• Ron Gordon, executive director of Utah’s Commission on Criminal and Juvenile Justice
• Rollin Cook, executive director of Utah’s Department of Corrections
• Eric Hutchings, Utah House of Representatives
• Jake Horowitz (moderator), policy director of The Pew Charitable Trusts’ public safety performance project

The Pew Charitable Trusts makes every effort to comply with federal, state, and local government ethics rules when hosting events. Please make sure that your participation is consistent with applicable ethics rules.