Frye's Legislation Focused On Reducing Jail Overcrowding Moves To Senate

According to Frye, his legislation would also have the state council work with local councils to promote evidence-based practices.

(Indianapolis, Ind.) - The Indiana House of Representative recently voted unanimously to advance State Rep. Randy Frye's (R-Greensburg) legislation continuing to address jail overcrowding across the state.

Under House Bill 1068, counties would establish a local or regional justice reinvestment advisory council to review criminal justice systems, policies and procedures. Local councils and the state Justice Reinvestment Advisory Council would then be tasked with reviewing and evaluating local jail overcrowding and recommend solutions.

"Jail overcrowding is a complex issue, and many of our local jails struggle with repeat offenders," Frye said. "We are continuously working to address this ongoing issue, and this bill would give another tool to help local communities safely reduce inmate populations, and remove the strain on staff and budgets."

According to Frye, his legislation would also have the state council work with local councils to promote evidence-based practices and recidivism-reduction programs such as probation services, and mental health and addiction treatment and recovery services.

In response to a report from the Indiana Jail Overcrowding Task Force, the General Assembly passed legislation in 2020, which was also authored by Frye, allowing Indiana's jails to report population data to a new statewide database on who is in jail, why they are incarcerated, and how long they have been or will be behind bars.

Frye's bill now moves to the Senate for further consideration. To learn more and watch legislative proceedings, visit [iga.in.gov]iga.in.gov.