A bill to overhaul Alaska’s criminal justice system has advanced in the Senate although it’s still unclear how much money it will save the state if implemented.
A legislative fiscal analyst told the Senate State Affairs Committee that estimates of savings to the Department of Corrections are only speculative at this point based on if the bill passes and policies were implemented.
A portion of the bill outlines a new pretrial services program that the department estimates would require up to 125 new positions, including probation officers.
The department also estimates that by using that new program Alaska’s prison population would shrink by more than 1,300 by 2018.
Fiscal analyst Kelly Cunningham says it is easier to determine the cost of adding Department of Corrections positions rather than how much money the program would save the state.