John Tilley (Kentucky politician)

John C. Tilley is an American politician and attorney. He is a former member of the Kentucky House of Representatives and served as the Secretary of the Kentucky Justice and Public Safety Cabinet.

John Tilley
Secretary of the Kentucky Justice and Public Safety Cabinet
In office
December 10, 2015 – December 10, 2019
GovernorMatt Bevin
Preceded byJ. Michael Brown
Succeeded byMary C. Noble
Member of the Kentucky House of Representatives
from the 8th district
In office
2006 – December 10, 2015
Preceded byJames R. Carr
Succeeded byWalker Thomas
Personal details
BornHopkinsville, Kentucky
Political partyDemocratic
EducationUK College of Communications
Salmon P. Chase College of Law

Tilley is a former chair of the National Association of State Legislature's Criminal Law and Justice Committee. He has worked both nationally and internationally in the areas of criminal justice reform, drug policy, and juvenile justice. Previously, Tilley served on various boards and committees, including the Council of State Governments (CSG) Leadership Council and the CSG Justice Center’s Executive Committee until his term was up in 2019.

Early life

Tilley is from Hopkinsville, Kentucky. He graduated from Christian County High School. He then went to the University of Kentucky and graduated from the College of Communications with a degree in journalism in 1991. He interned at WKYT-TV and worked for them as a general assignment reporter.[1] and then earned his Juris Doctor from Salmon P. Chase College of Law at Northern Kentucky University.

Political career

Tilley challenged James R. Carr, the incumbent Republican Representative for Kentucky's 8th State House district, in the 2006 elections. Carr had been elected as a Democrat in 2004, but switched to the Republican Party in 2005.[2] Tilley defeated Carr in the election.

During his time in the House, Tilley served as the chairman of the Judiciary Committee from 2009 to 2015.[3] During his tenure, he sponsored legislation to strengthen public safety, while controlling corrections costs and increasing drug treatment.[4] He also sponsored or championed sweeping legislation on opioids and pill mills, dating violence, stalking and sexual assault, synthetic drugs, juvenile justice and internet crimes against children. He was interested in running for Attorney General of Kentucky in the 2015 election, but declined to run.[5]

In December 2015, Governor Matt Bevin appointed Tilley to the position of Secretary of the Kentucky Justice and Public Safety Cabinet.[6] In his capacity as secretary, he oversaw more than 7,000 employees and five major departments, including Corrections, Criminal Justice Training, Public Advocacy, Juvenile Justice, and the Kentucky State Police. The office also oversaw the State Medical Examiner and the Office of Drug Control Policy. He has led an overhaul of the Department of Juvenile Justice to modernize policy, lower costs, and achieve better outcomes for both children and public safety. He also spearheaded a redesign of the Department of Corrections Reentry Division to focus resources on training inmates and connecting them with sustainable employment, housing and transportation.[7] In addition, Tilley headed up the 23-member Criminal Justice Policy Assessment Council, a bipartisan panel focused on lowering recidivism and building a fairer system of justice.[8] The council's work led to successful reforms that reduced barriers to reentry and boosted job training for inmates.[9]

Arrest

In August 2022, Tilley was charged with first-degree rape in connection to an alleged incident that occurred earlier that year.[10]

References
  1. "Kentucky New Era - Google News Archive Search". news.google.com. Retrieved July 30, 2021.
  2. Brown, Jennifer P. "Tilley criticizes voting record of James Carr". Kentucky New Era. Retrieved July 30, 2021.
  3. "State Rep. John Tilley to testify before U.S. Senate committee on corrections reform | Our Government". Archived from the original on November 13, 2014. Retrieved November 13, 2014.
  4. "Rep. John Tilley, others highlight success of House Bill 463". BereaOnline. Berea Online. September 25, 2013. Retrieved September 17, 2018.
  5. "Andy Beshear Raises Over $1 Million for Kentucky Attorney General Race". WFPL News. April 7, 2014. Retrieved July 22, 2014.
  6. Joseph Gerth; Mike Wynn; Tom Loftus (December 10, 2015). "Bevin depletes House Dems with appointment". The Courier-Journal.
  7. "Justice & Public Safety Cabinet Secretary John Tilley". justice.ky.gov. Retrieved September 17, 2018.
  8. Kennedy, Kristen. "Governor announces new panel to reform Kentucky's criminal justice system". WKYT. Retrieved September 17, 2018.
  9. "Justice reform bill includes behind-bars jobs". The Courier-Journal. The Courier-Journal.
  10. Horn, Austin. "Former Kentucky justice secretary arrested in downtown Lexington, charged with rape". kentucky.com. Lexington Herald Leader. Retrieved August 8, 2022.
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