State Senator Whitney Westerfield of Christian County has been appointed as a member of the newly formed Jail and Corrections Reform Task Force.
He says the group will look into what’s working and what’s not when it comes to the corrections system and what can be done to address any potential needs.
One thing that’s known is that the system is understaffed and that corrections officers are underpaid and Senator Westerfield says action will be needed soon to prevent major issues in the future.
Next year is a budget session for the Kentucky General Assembly and Westerfield says they could put funding in the spending plan to address issues they find and to potentially reduce recidivism by offenders.
The special committee will operate during the 2023 Interim, which is set to begin on Tuesday, June 6.