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A new report from the Vera Institute of Justice examines the challenges associated with Performance Incentive Funding (PIF) programs, which reward local municipalities for reducing recidivism.

PIF programs address what the report calls a “structural flaw” in the way most states handle incarceration: local jurisdictions often have little financial incentive to reduce recidivism, because state corrections agencies typically bear the cost of incarceration.

In September 2011, Vera gathered more than 50 practitioners from states that have enacted or were considering PIF legislation. “The group identified seven key challenges and tasks… that a state must address when designing and implementing a PIF program.”

Those challenges and tasks include choosing an administrative structure; selecting a funding mechanism; deciding whether to provide seed funding; selecting outcome measures; determining baseline measures; estimating savings and
 engaging stakeholders.

Read the report HERE.

See Vera’s list of PIF resources by state HERE.