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Justice reform bills could provide significant savings for Mississippi taxpayers
RIDGELAND, Miss. – A new report indicates that justice reform measures currently before the legislature could have huge financial impacts on the state’s budget, saving taxpayers millions of dollars per year.
The report analyzes Senate Bill 2795, sponsored by Sen. Juan Barnett, that expands parole eligibility for people incarcerated in Mississippi prisons. The bill is modeled on SB 2123 from 2020, which was vetoed by Gov. Tate Reeves.
“When we speak about the true cost savings of conservative and impactful criminal justice reform, we are really talking about relieving some of the burdens on Mississippians and having the additional resources available for top priorities like education, healthcare, and roads and bridges,” said Steven Randle, Director of Justice and Work at Empower Mississippi. “We can protect public safety, provide second chances, and save limited taxpayer dollars.”
The report, conducted by Rounds Consulting Group, provides models of two different scenarios and finds that taxpayers could save anywhere from $880 million to $1.36 billion in the coming years. This analysis was based on the original language of SB 2123 from 2020, which passed the legislature with broader parole eligibility.
If passed as introduced in 2021, the fiscal impact is more limited, saving taxpayers between $584 million and $988 million in the coming years.
The varying ranges of savings presented by the report are based on the parole grant rate, which can vary from case to case. Researchers considered historical parole grant rates to construct their model, which provides estimated cost savings based on low-to-moderate parole grant rates.
If signed into law, SB S795 would not guarantee release for anyone. Instead, parole decisions would continue to be made by the Mississippi Parole Board, comprised of members appointed by the governor.
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