Too many people are returning to New Hampshire's prisons.

At a press conference yesterday, the heads of the state's legislative, judicial and executive branches announced a grant that will allow the state to conduct a thorough study of how to lower its recidivism rate.

The study, which will cost between $300,000 and $700,000 will be done by the Council of State Government's Justice Center and funded mostly by the Pew Center on the States and the U.S. Department of Justice, with in-kind support from the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation. The state will contribute $10,000 from the Corrections Department and $90,000 over three years from the Attorney General's office.

"(People) having been released from prison only to commit more crimes when they're on the streets is a serious public safety concern," said Gov. John Lynch. "It's also a serious financial concern for our state."

Since Lynch announced his budget, he has talked about the importance of cutting the corrections budget, particularly by looking at recidivism, the number of people who are returned to jail for committing new crimes or for violating conditions of their parole or probation. New Hampshire has a 44 percent recidivism rate, which Lynch called "unacceptable." According to Corrections Commissioner William Wrenn, 500 to 600 people a year return to the criminal justice system.

According to the Department of Corrections, between 2000 and 2008, the state's prison population grew from 2,291 to 2,786. Spending on corrections grew from $59.2 million to $104 million.

Half a dozen state leaders yesterday praised the new study as a the first step in finding a way to reduce costs while protecting public safety. "We've all gathered to embrace this initiative which will help us be smarter about reducing crime, addressing public safety and assuring the best use of our dollars," said Senate President Sylvia Larsen.

Wrenn already created a Community Resource Division within the Department of Corrections, which offers support programs to former inmates. The state is also increasing the use of electronic monitoring and home confinement, which costs $7 a day, instead of $100 a day for an inmate, Lynch said. Wrenn said the cost of supervising an inmate in the community could be as low as $2 a day.

The study will be a comprehensive look at the entire corrections system. According to information provided by the Justice Center, the center will analyze state data on prisons, community corrections, crime, recidivism and behavioral health. Once changes have been recommended and adopted by the state, the center will help state agencies implement the new policies and develop ways to monitor them.

The center has previously worked with nine other states on reducing their prison populations. Michael Thompson, director of the Justice Center, said the entire process of analysis and policy changes generally takes one to three years, and budgets for the studies have varied from $300,000 to $700,000. The cost depends on what kind of data departments already have.

At a press conference, state leaders said the study would help the state ensure public safety, reduce recidivism and cut costs.

"If you're able to reduce recidivism, not only will you save money, but you will save lives," said Supreme Court Chief Justice John Broderick. Attorney General Michael Delaney said, "We need to better understand what causes the flow of individuals into our corrections system and this requires the type of analysis that this national team of experts can bring to New Hampshire."

State leaders cited a variety of ways the study could help the state. Superior Court Chief Justice Robert Lynn said he hoped the study would help judges make more intelligent decisions about sentencing. Larsen said she wanted a better understanding of how to address prisoners with mental health and substance abuse needs, and how to deal with the number of incarcerated women who leave children behind in the community - children who are then more likely to end up in prison themselves.

Republican Rep. Neal Kurk said he is happy the grant will allow the Legislature to make sound policy decisions, and to then monitor the result of those decisions and make adjustments. "This is going to allow us to actually reduce the amount of money we spend on corrections and shift that money back to taxpayers or other essential government services," Kurk said.

After the press conference, Jay Ward, political director for the State Employees' Association, said he was in favor of the study. "Whenever we can lower the cost of service and provide better service, it's got to be good for the state," Ward said.

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