23.3082.01000
Sixty-eighth
Legislative Assembly HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 3026
of North Dakota
Introduced by
Representatives Hanson, Klemin
Senator Larson
1 A concurrent resolution directing the Legislative Management to consider studying improving
2 re-entry outcomes for incarcerated adults and youth.
3 WHEREAS, North Dakota releases about 1,400 prisoners each year from state prisons and
4 thousands more from county jails; and
5 WHEREAS, North Dakota has a range of public and private programs that assist formerly
6 incarcerated individuals in their transition back to society, including services related to
7 employment, housing, and behavioral health services; and
8 WHEREAS, identifying improvements in re-entry services could reduce North Dakota's
9 recidivism rate of 40.3 percent, which would save taxpayer dollars and improve lives; and
10 WHEREAS, North Dakota has a workforce shortage with more than 30,000 open jobs, so
11 businesses would benefit if the state helped former offenders enter and stay in the workforce;
12 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF
13 NORTH DAKOTA, THE SENATE CONCURRING THEREIN:
14 That the Legislative Management consider studying improving re-entry outcomes for
15 incarcerated adults and youth; and
16 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, the study include an assessment of current public and
17 private re-entry services, policies, practices, statutes, data, and resource allocation with the
18 goal of identifying opportunities to implement research-based strategies proven to reduce
19 recidivism, improve education and employment outcomes, and maximize resources for the
20 greatest public safety and return on taxpayer dollars; and
21 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, the assessment include examining re-entry services in the
22 areas of correctional supervision, employment, job training, housing, transportation, support
23 services, and behavioral health services; levels of collaboration across service systems; and
24 current disparities in re-entry outcomes; and
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Sixty-eighth
Legislative Assembly
1 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Legislative Management may develop a working
2 group to oversee the study which includes legislators, representatives from nonprofit
3 organizations that assist with re-entry, community members with re-entry experience, and
4 representatives from the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, county jails, the
5 Behavioral Health Division of the Department of Health and Human Services, the Supreme
6 Court, job service or business community, adult and postsecondary education institutions, and
7 tribal nations; and
8 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, in conducting the study, the Legislative Management may
9 seek technical assistance, as appropriate, from the Council of State Governments' Justice
10 Center or the Crime and Justice Institute; and
11 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Legislative Management report its findings and
12 recommendations, together with any legislation required to implement the recommendations, to
13 the Sixty-ninth Legislative Assembly.
Page No. 2 23.3082.01000