Sen. Westerfield Named Co-Chair

Earlier this year, the National Conference of State Legislatures named me, along with a colleague from the Nebraska Senate, as Co-Chair of a newly formed Juvenile Justice Principles Working Group.  My Co-Chair and I have been working with NCSL staff over the last few months to prepare for the group's upcoming meetings this year.  We aim to produce a report, or white paper of sorts, to guide states looking at reforming their juvenile justice systems.  Here's my release about the news:

---

For Immediate Release
Contact: John Cox
859-492-2963
John.Cox@LRC.KY.GOV

SENATOR WHITNEY WESTERFIELD APPOINTED AS CO-CHAIRMAN OF NCSL JUVENILE JUSTICE PRINCIPLES WORK GROUP

FRANKFORT, Ky. (June 5, 2017) – State Senator Whitney Westerfield was recently appointed as co-chairman to the newly-established Juvenile Justice Principles Working Group, a subset of the National Conference of State Legislature’s (NCSL) Law, Criminal Justice And Public Safety Committee.

“It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men.”

— Frederick Douglass

According to NCSL, the purpose of the juvenile justice work group is to discuss and develop a set of principles of effective juvenile justice state policy that NCSL will publish as a report to guide policy review and reform in the states. The report is intended to identify policy-making strategies that are rooted in research, reflect bipartisan/nonpartisan values, and help states invest in proven methods to put justice-involved youth back on the right track, while also keeping communities safe.  The principles and report will be an important tool that state lawmakers can apply both now and well into the future.

Senator Westerfield, the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee and a member of both the Juvenile Justice Oversight Council and Governor Matt Bevin’s Criminal Justice Policy Assessment Council, thanked NCSL for the appointment. “Our work in the juvenile justice system here in Kentucky has set a national standard, giving a template for several other states to follow, yet we still have so much to do to improve outcomes for youth and improve public safety,” said Senator Westerfield. “I thank NCSL for this opportunity and I look forward to bringing my experience to the table, working with many dedicated men and women from across the United States to shape policy that will help our children in Kentucky and across the country.”

The Juvenile Justice Principles Working Group’s first meeting is June 6-8. Senator Westerfield championed Kentucky's comprehensive juvenile justice reform in 2014, and the Commonwealth's 2017 criminal justice reform law, Senate Bill 120, and will be presiding at two of the conference’s meetings. Those meetings will focus on juvenile justice research and data and juvenile justice reform, both for which Senator Westerfield has been an advocate in Kentucky.
 

The National Conference of State Legislatures was established in 1975 and is a bipartisan, non-governmental organization dedicated to the success of state legislatures. NCSL has three main objectives: improve the quality and effectiveness of state legislatures; promote policy innovation and communication among state legislatures; and ensure state legislatures have a strong, cohesive voice in the federal system.

###

Criminal Justice Policy Assessment Council

Yesterday, June 21, 2016, the Governor announced the formation of a group dedicated to studying Kentucky's criminal code and recommending legislation for the 2017 General Assembly to consider passing.  Yours truly, as Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, holds a seat in this august group.  Ultimately, we should aim to improve public safety, and improve outcomes for victims, for those accused and for the taxpayers footing the bill.   I'm excited about the work ahead!

Below I've included the Governor's press release in its entirety.  At the bottom you can see the "CJPAC" membership.

Gov. Bevin Announces Kentucky-led Council on Criminal Justice Reform

Bipartisan council will undertake a comprehensive review of justice policy for reforms next year

FRANKFORT, Ky. (June 21, 2016) –– With prisons at capacity, overdose deaths on the rise, and families fractured by incarceration, Gov. Matt Bevin today announced plans to seek a smarter, compassionate, evidence-based approach to criminal justice in Kentucky.

“Kentucky has achieved very important milestones in justice and public safety policy in dating violence protections, national model juvenile justice reform and annual efforts to combat the ever changing threat of substance abuse.”

— Sen. Whitney Westerfield

Standing in the Capitol Rotunda with a broad coalition of lawmakers, advocates and policy leaders, Gov. Bevin introduced his newly-formed Criminal Justice Policy Assessment Council. The 23-member panel will seek expert advice & study data-driven evidence over the next six months and recommend reforms in the 2017 General Assembly for a smarter, stronger and fairer system of justice.

“From the very beginning, America has been a land of second chances. Even so, many in our criminal justice system are not given a path forward to become productive members of society after they have served their time,” said Gov. Bevin. “I believe in the importance of supporting basic human dignity. When we hold individuals fully accountable for their actions while treating them with respect in the process, all of society benefits. I am excited today to announce the formation of the Criminal Justice Policy Assessment Council. Their purpose is to carefully study and then suggest actionable policy solutions for improving our criminal justice system.”

Justice and Public Safety Secretary John Tilley will lead the council, and Lt. Gov. Jenean Hampton will serve as Special Advisor to the committee and Liaison to the Governor.

"While we have made great strides, Kentucky can get smarter on crime while remaining tough on criminals,” Secretary Tilley said. "By using data-driven policy and clear evidence, we can cut re-offense rates, improve reentry, increase drug treatment and treat mental illness – all while maintaining, and even bettering public safety.”

Gov. Bevin formed the bipartisan council in response to a growing patchwork of statutes that now comprise much of the state’s penal code. This has resulted in a costly expansion of Kentucky’s criminal justice system with diminishing returns in public safety. 

“However, Kentucky’s criminal code has remained largely untouched for decades, and is sorely in need of updates reflecting public policies that spend scarce taxpayer dollars wisely and improve public safety.”

— Sen. Whitney Westerfield

The Kentucky legislature has enacted important reforms in recent years, including laws that increased substance abuse treatment in prisons, strengthened pretrial release policies, and modified sentences for certain drug offences. 

“Over each of the last few years Kentucky has achieved very important milestones in justice and public safety policy in dating violence protections, national model juvenile justice reform and annual efforts to combat the ever changing threat of substance abuse,” said Sen. Whitney Westerfield, Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. “However, Kentucky’s criminal code has remained largely untouched for decades, and is sorely in need of updates reflecting public policies that spend scarce taxpayer dollars wisely and improve public safety.” 

The need to address the cost of criminal justice is clear. Kentucky spent nearly half a billion dollars on corrections last year, consuming funds incarcerating individuals for non-violent crimes that could otherwise benefit classrooms and job training programs. Meanwhile, inmate populations at prisons and jails remain high, criminal sentences are often inconsistent and Kentucky is leading the nation in the number of children with an incarcerated parent.

“I am hopeful that we will treat this initiative for criminal justice reform as an opportunity to build upon the redemptive philosophy that we achieved with the passage of the felony expungement legislation that Rep. Darryl Owens sponsored for many years,” said Rep. Chris Harris, of Forest Hills. “We cannot continue to try to incarcerate our way out of the problems facing our society, many of which are rooted in addiction to controlled substances and mental health issues. Addressing these pervasive issues is the key to solving the problem of the revolving door of incarceration and allowing these folks to reenter society successfully and become contributing members of their communities.” 

Gov. Bevin said the bipartisan, Kentucky-led council will bring together people from across the Commonwealth – with a wide range of expertise – to look at the many complex issues that present challenges to the criminal justice system. 

“I am encouraged by the diverse community of stakeholders that criminal justice reform has brought to the table,” Labor Cabinet Secretary Derrick Ramsey said. “As both an African-American and the Secretary of the Labor Cabinet, it is deeply personal to me that I help find ways to reduce recidivism and provide workforce re-entry opportunities for the thousands of Kentuckians who deserve a second chance.  While there are no quick fixes to complex problems like this one, I am looking forward to collaborating with my colleagues on this council to identify real solutions needed to address this critically important issue.”

For Russell Coleman, the issues hit home when he confronted them head on as an FBI special agent.

“As someone who has been privileged to serve in our law enforcement community, I was a natural skeptic of reform,” said Coleman, a western Kentucky native, who now practices law at Frost Brown Todd in Louisville. “But when the data and experience of conservative governors in other states indicate that well-crafted reforms actually make our families safer, we can’t afford not to work together in achieving those successes in our commonwealth.”

Members of the Council include:

• Chairman John Tilley, Secretary of the Justice and Public Safety Cabinet
• Sen. Whitney Westerfield, R-Hopkinsville, Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee
• Rep. Darryl Owens, D-Louisville, Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee
• Derrick Ramsey, Secretary of the Labor Cabinet
• Sen. John Schickel, R-Union
• Sen. Morgan McGarvey, D-Louisville
• Rep. Denny Butler, R-Louisville
• Rep. Chris Harris, D-Forest Hills
• Dr. Allen Brenzel, Department of Behavioral Health, Cabinet for Health and Family Services
• Judge David A. Tapp, 28th Judicial Circuit Court, Division 1
• Judge-Executive Tommy Turner, LaRue County
• Amy Milliken, Warren County Attorney
• Courtney Baxter, Commonwealth’s Attorney for Oldham, Henry, Trimble counties
• Rick Sanders, Kentucky State Police Commissioner
• Damon Preston, Deputy Public Advocate, Department of Public Advocacy
• Russell Coleman, Spokesman for Kentucky Smart on Crime
• Tom Jensen, Attorney, retired Judge and former Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee
• Anthony Smith, Executive Director of Cities United
• Jason Woosley, Grayson County Jailer
• Bob Russell, Retired Senior Minister of Southeast Christian Church
• Bishop William Medley, Diocese of Owensboro
• Dave Adkisson, President and CEO of the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce
• Justice Daniel J. Venters, Supreme Court of Kentucky, 3rd District

 ###

KCAA 2014 Distinguished Legislator of the Year

LEXINGTON, KY — Third District State Senator Whitney Westerfield was selected as the 2014 Legislator of the Year by the Kentucky County Attorney Association (KCAA) on Thursday, August 21, at the annual Prosecutors Conference in Lexington. The award was made by Christian County Attorney J. Michael Foster, President of the KCAA.

Foster praised Senator Westerfield, who serves as Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, for being “sensitive and attuned to the needs of prosecutors in the state.”  During the 2014 General Assembly session, Senator Westerfield spearheaded significant revisions of the state juvenile justice code designed to reduce the number of juvenile status offenders who are incarcerated by the Commonwealth. 

Senator Westerfield’s Senate Bill 200 was the result of a two year-long study of juvenile offender issues by the Task Force on the Unified Juvenile, created by the 2012 General Assembly and reauthorized by the 2013 General Assembly.  Senate Bill 200 passed the 2014 General Assembly and was signed into law by the Governor. Foster noted that Senator Westerfield did an “amazing job” of listening to the concerns of the county attorneys as the issue was being studied and the bill was being drafted, and incorporating prosecutors’ suggestions into the substance of the bill.

Foster also praised Senator Westerfield for his work on legislation in the 2014 General Assembly impacting the traffic safety programs run by county attorneys. Fees from these programs help cover the county attorney office expenses.  Foster stated that Westerfield “went to war for us” over this legislation in order to protect this funding stream.

Senator Westerfield, a former Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney in Christian County, expressed his gratitude to the KCAA for the award and his camaraderie with the prosecutors who daily work to protect the safety of communities and families across Kentucky saying, "As a former prosecutor, I am particularly proud of this award, and thankful I can continue fighting for public safety in the Kentucky Senate.