Report Title:

Sentencing Simulation Model Project

Description:

Appropriates funds for fiscal biennium 2003-2004 to 2004-2005, to continue the sentencing simulation model project.

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.B. NO.

1477

TWENTY-SECOND LEGISLATURE, 2003

 

STATE OF HAWAII

 


 

A BILL FOR AN ACT

 

relating to the sentencing simulation model project.

 

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

SECTION 1. The legislature finds that an accurate profile of existing convicted offenders and the development of tools to predict future criminal offender populations are essential to the efficient management of limited correctional and alternative resources. The goals of effective sentencing and control of spiraling correctional costs can be best accomplished through the establishment of a sentencing simulation model. To this end, the legislature supports the continued work of the sentencing simulation model project. The simulation model provides the legislature and the criminal justice community with the necessary tools to forecast prison populations and ensures efficient allocation of the existing and proposed resources for all convicted defendants. These resources include not only prison beds, but also alternatives to incarceration (e.g., probation, drug courts, and other diversionary programs) and community-based programs.

Of equal importance, the simulation model permits an assessment of the impact of current and proposed sentencing policies on the existing correctional system and community resources. It permits officials to use different combinations of criminal justice indicators, such as crime rates, convictions, prison populations, sentence length, and other objective data to project the impact of proposed policy changes on Hawaii's resources. Sentencing simulation models in other jurisdictions have demonstrated high accuracy rates for their projections — variances have been below two per cent. The modeling capability allows legislators and other criminal justice and corrections officials to propose more meaningful and effective criminal justice and correctional initiatives.

In conjunction with the corrections population management commission's responsibility to recommend cost-effective mechanisms, legislation, and policies to control overcrowding of correctional facilities, and the requirement that such recommendations include estimates of fiscal impact, the department of public safety established the sentencing simulation model project in October 2000. The model includes:

(1) A centralized computer-based criminal defendant population database;

(2) A computerized network for maintaining the centralized database, including connectivity among the components of the state's criminal justice and correctional systems to assure that the centralized database's information is current and accurate; and

(3) Computer modeling techniques that use information in the centralized database to project the impact of different sentencing policies and proposals on future criminal justice and corrections populations and resources.

The sentencing simulation model project has been supported since its inception by grants from the Edward Byrne memorial state and local law enforcement assistance grant program (Byrne formula grant program), and matching funds from the general fund or the department of public safety's federal reimbursement maximization fund. The project began its third year of federal funding on January 1, 2003. This funding expires December 31, 2003.

The legislature finds the continuation of the sentencing simulation model project is necessary to provide information that will guide policy makers in developing cost-effective sentencing measures. Accordingly, the purpose of this Act is to provide funding to support the work of the project over fiscal biennium 2003-2005.

SECTION 2. There is appropriated out of the general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $86,900 or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2003-2004 and the sum of $173,173 or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2004-2005 to carry out the purposes of this Act.

The sums appropriated shall be expended by the department of public safety for the purposes of this Act.

SECTION 3. This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2003.

INTRODUCED BY:

_____________________________