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Date: April 30, 2024 Tue
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Results for alternative to incarceration
22 results foundAuthor: Loffman, Matt Title: Investigating Alternatives to Imprisonment Within Council of Europe Member States Summary: Most people leaving prison re-enter society with a drug addction, few qualifications, and no money and return to the lives within which their crime(s) took place in the first instance. Others will have lost local connections to their family, their job, and their home. In situations such as these the likelihood of repeat offending is high. Acknowledging this, and the fact that the practice of sending individuals to prison frequently leaves the needs of the victims, the offenders themselves, and their respective communities unmet, the Quaker Council for European ffairs has undertaken research into the use of alternatives to imprisonment sentences in Council of Europe members states. This report is the result of this research. Information has been compiled on how frequently different alternatives are used, what their costs are, and how they impact on the offender. The study also analyzed the available information regarding recidivism for imprisonment and the alternatives. This information has been gathered systematically from the criminal justice systems of the members states. The report concludes with reommendations for improvements to the use and management of alternatives to imprisonment sentences. Details: Brussels: Quaker Council for European Affairs, 2010. 112p. Source: Internet Resource Year: 2010 Country: Europe URL: Shelf Number: 118700 Keywords: Alternative to IncarcerationImprisonmentRecidivism |
Author: Success Works Title: Tasmania's Drug Mandated Drug Diversion Program: Evaluation Report Summary: This report evaluates the pilot Court Mandated Drug Diversion Program (CMD) in Tasmania. The goal of the program is to break the drug-crime cycle by involving offenders in treatment and rehabilitation programs and providing alternative pathways for offenders through increasing their access to drug, alcohol, or other welfare services. This evaluation considers the first two months of the pilot program. Data provided by the Tasmanian Department of Justice indicates that in its first year of operation 250 offenders were referred for screening for suitability for the program and 157 offenders commenced the program. Details: Hobart, Tasmania: Success Works, 2008. 147p. Source: Internet Resource Year: 2008 Country: Australia URL: Shelf Number: 117577 Keywords: Alternative to IncarcerationDrug Abuse and AddictionDrug Abuse Treatment (Tasmania)Drug OffendersDrugs and Crime |
Author: Matrix Evidence Title: Economic Analysis of Interventions for Young Adult Offenders Summary: This report summarizes an economic analysis of alternative interventions for young adult offenders. The report makes the case for a wholesale shift in the way the U.K. government works with young adults in, and at risk of becoming involved with, the criminal justice system. This shift requires more than tinkering around the edges of the system. Instead, it asks for a cross-departmental, in-depth look at vulnerable young people aged 18 to 24 involved in the criminal justice system, and a commitment to finding effective ways of working with these young adults in trouble to help them move away from crime. Details: London: Matrix Evidence, 2009. 29p. Source: Internet Resource Year: 2009 Country: United Kingdom URL: Shelf Number: 119154 Keywords: Alternative to IncarcerationCosts of Criminal JusticeEconomic AnalysisJuvenile Justice System (U.K.)Juvenile Offenders (U.K.)Young Adult Offenders (U.K.) |
Author: Katz, Joanne Title: Effective Alterntives to Incarceration: Police Collaborations with Corrections and Communities Summary: At a time when one in 100 American adults is confined to prison or jail, the ballooning cost of incarceration - about $29,000 per inmate annually - is strangling state budgets without increasing the safety of our communities. In response, police have collaborated with community corrections officials, others in the criminal justice system, and community members to find safe and effective alternatives to incarceration for the growing number of low-risk offenders who end up behind bars. This report provides concrete examples of some of the most successful and innovative alternative programs that have evolved from these collaborations and that are keeping our community safe at a fraction of the cost of incarceration. Details: Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, 2009. 93p. Source: Internet Resource Year: 2009 Country: United States URL: Shelf Number: 119257 Keywords: Alternative to IncarcerationCommunity Corrections |
Author: International Drug Policy Consortium Title: The Illicit Drug Market and Its Possible Regulation: Act Upon the Market to Fight the Illicit Drug Industry Summary: Today the social costs associated with the consumption of drugs are mainly borne by the family of the user. The four-pillar policy (prevention, law enforcement, treatment and harm reduction) is not sufficient without a retraining and reintegration of the drug user into productive activity, this being effectively the fifth pillar on which a more proactive policy to contrast struggle against the illegal trade of drugs can be built. For a policy oriented towards rehabilitation, we need a small shift of funding from the justice system - made possible by a reduction in imprisonment for the drug user - to rehabilitation and employment programmes. The other components of this policy include: more aid to families; decriminalization of possession for personal consumption; alternatives to prison for problematic drug users, even if they commit petty crimes; establishing a revolving solidarity fund for social enterprises and the formulation of an anti-discriminatory law aimed towards the reintegration of problematic drug users, similar to those that which protects people with disabilities. Details: London: IDPC, 2010. 97p. Source: Internet Resource Year: 2010 Country: International URL: Shelf Number: 119370 Keywords: Alternative to IncarcerationDrug MarketsDrug Offenders, RehabilitationDrug PolicyDruu Abuse and Addiction |
Author: Armstrong, Sarah Title: What Do the Punished Think of Punishment? The Comparative Experience of Short Prison Sentences and Community-Based Punishments Summary: Scotland is currently engaged in one of the biggest penal reform projects in a generation, seeking to fundamentally change its approach to punishment, which is characterised by high use of imprisonment compared to other parts of Europe, and the use of very short prison sentences. In Scotland around three quarters of prison sentences handed down by the courts are for six months or less. But because short sentences are seen as minimally intrusive compared to long-term or life sentences, there has been, until now, little research on their effects. This study sought to fill this gap in knowledge by speaking with those serving short prison sentences or a community-based sentence (the main proposed alternative on the reform agenda). The researchers spoke with 35 men and women ranging in age from 19 to 55 about their experiences of punishment. The aim was to accurately describe the experience for offenders of doing a short sentence, in prison or the community. In summary, the key findings of the report are the following: •Short prison sentences in Scotland are a form of ‘doing life by instalments’. Most of the people interviewed counted the times they had been in prison not in terms of numbers but as frequencies, that is, by how many times per year they are in prison. •It is the cumulative effect of doing many short sentences, more than the experience of any single sentence, which carries the largely negative impacts of short-term imprisonment. For many people short prison sentences have become a regular life activity, and the constant coming and going between community and prison interrupts the ability to deal with drug and alcohol issues, strengthen family relationships, and become employable. •The extensive use of short sentences is a function mainly of drug and alcohol dependency. For nearly everyone interviewed, the offending which led to their imprisonment was motivated by drug and alcohol use. Common offences were shoplifting (to pay for drugs) and minor assaults (while under the influence of drugs or alcohol). This finding suggests that prison and the criminalisation of addiction have become primary strategies of dealing with drug and alcohol problems, particularly for those in the most marginalised socio-economic groups. •Prison has produced positive life changes for some but in a way that is almost impossible to predict. Some people reported that it was during their short prison sentence they had achieved the resolution to abstain from drugs. In one case this resolution came after only serving two brief sentences in prison, while for another it took nearly twenty years of serving short sentences to make this step towards recovery. The finding suggests prison is an expensive and unpredictable technique of getting people to change. •Contrary to prior research, nearly everyone would prefer a community-based sentence to a prison sentence. Past research showed many people would choose a short period in prison over a longer period on probation. Armstrong and Weaver found the opposite: most people would prefer serving their time in the community, largely to preserve links to family and work. However, the preference was affected by the state of an addiction problem, suggesting reforms to community-based sentences need to develop effective means of addressing drug and alcohol dependency. Details: Edinburgh: Scottish Centre for Crime and Justice Research, 2010. 23p. Source: Internet Resource: SCCJR Research Report, No.4: Accessed December 16, 2010 at: http://www.sccjr.ac.uk/documents/Report%202010%2004%20-%20User%20Views%20of%20Punishment.pdf Year: 2010 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.sccjr.ac.uk/documents/Report%202010%2004%20-%20User%20Views%20of%20Punishment.pdf Shelf Number: 120525 Keywords: Alternative to IncarcerationCommunity Based CorrectionsImprisonmentPunishment (U.K.)Sentencing |
Author: Hennigan, Karen Title: Five Year Outcomes in a Randomized Trial of a Community-Based Multi-Agency Intensive Supervision Juvenile Probation Program Summary: The long term outcomes of an intensive supervision probation program implemented in several neighborhood afterschool centers in high crime neighborhoods in Los Angeles County California were evaluated. Over a two year period, youth were randomly assigned to this new program or to supervision-as-usual. Of all the boys age 15 or younger who were assessed at low risk for re-offending at program intake, those randomly assigned to the new program were three times more likely to have been incarcerated in prison or the California Youth Authority over the five years following the program (12% vs. 4% in the control program). At the end of the five-year follow-up period, 69% of the younger low risk boys in the new program were out of the criminal justice system altogether relative to 83% of their counterparts in the control program. Certain attitudes and perceptions associated with delinquent behavior in past empirical studies were changed among these boys who participated in the new program. When interviewed after the program, they had lower expectations of being caught and punished for delinquent activities, lower self esteem in the context of school and family, and were more likely to believe they were the type of kid who “gets into trouble” than their counterparts in the “supervision-as-usual” program. Each of these mediators was associated with the negative long term outcomes found among the younger low risk boys in this experimental study. These results are consistent with a social influence model called “deviancy training.” Of all the youth on probation who participated in the intensive probation program, only the younger lower risk boys were negatively affected. The older higher risk youth had favorable outcomes initially but these dissipated over time. One problem that may have contributed to the loss of the immediate advantages is a kind of “catch 22” that is common in intensive supervision programs where the intensity of the supervision can lead to more probation violations and more detention experiences. Youth that accumulate more detention experiences are typically treated more severely in their next encounter with law enforcement due to a labeling effect. Just looking at their records, it appears that their behavior is more serious and harder to control due to the increased sanctions experienced and future sanctions are calibrated in accordance with that view. There was an association between being detained in juvenile hall and the long term rate of incarceration among the older higher risk youth. The authors argue that it is important for those who plan, implement, and manage juvenile justice probation programs to consider the implications of the long term outcomes of this group-based intensive supervision program. Details: Unpublished report to the U.S. Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, U.S. Department of Justice, 2010. 47p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed December 21, 2010 at: http://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/232621.pdf Year: 2010 Country: United States URL: http://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/232621.pdf Shelf Number: 120558 Keywords: Alternative to IncarcerationIntensive SupervisionJuvenile OffendersJuvenile Probation |
Author: Mair, George Title: Doing Justice Locally: The North Liverpool Community Justice Centre Summary: This research project examines the changes brought about at the North Liverpool Community Justice Centre - the first and the most ambitious site of community justice in the UK. Opened in 2005 and inspired by the Red Hook Community Justice Centre in Brooklyn, the North Liverpool Centre is implementing key aspects of community justice in the UK. This includes a problem-solving approach, greater partnership working, local community engagement, and having a single judge with the capacity to review the progress of those sentenced to a community-based order. This report draws on data collected by the Centre as well as interviews with Centre staff, representatives of the agencies working at the Centre, defendants, and members of the local community to examine the innovations which have taken place. Details: London: Centre for Crime and Justice Studies, 2011. 105p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 8, 2011 at: http://www.crimeandjustice.org.uk/opus1828/Doing_justice_locally.pdf Year: 2011 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.crimeandjustice.org.uk/opus1828/Doing_justice_locally.pdf Shelf Number: 120910 Keywords: Alternative to IncarcerationCommunity Based CorrectionsCommunity Justice Centers (U.K.)Interagency CooperationIntermediate SanctionsSentencing |
Author: DeGusti, Berenice Title: The Impact of the Youth Criminal Justice Act on Case Flow in Alberta and System Response in Calgary Summary: The purpose of this study is to examine how the implementation of the YCJA has affected the flow of cases through the youth justice system, and the impact of the new legislation on workload for frontline staff in the youth justice system (i.e., police officers, probation officers). To achieve this goal, two main research activities were undertaken. First, CRILF examined the flow of cases processed through the youth justice system in Alberta from 2001 through 2006. This examination provides information on whether the youth system is adhering to the principles of diversion, fair sentencing and the reduction of incarceration mandated in the YCJA. Second, focus groups with police officers were conducted to identify the use of extrajudicial measures that would not be captured in the youth crime and correctional statistics and the effect of the new legislation on their work and workload. Focus groups were also conducted with probation officers to obtain information on changes in their workload patterns and their opinions on the success of rehabilitation and reintegration since the implementation of the YCJA. Participants of the focus groups were further asked to assess the current legislation’s effectiveness in achievi ng its objectives and to provide suggestions for improvement to the current youth criminal justice system. The objectives of this report are to: (1) Examine the flow of cases through the youth criminal justice system to understand the impact of the YCJA; and (2) Understand changes in the occupational practices and workload of police officers and probation officers working with offending youth as a result of the new legislation. Details: Calgary, Alberta: Canadian Research Institute for Law and the Family, 2008. 96p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 16, 2011 at: http://people.ucalgary.ca/~crilf/publications/Final_Case_Flow_and_Focus_Group_Report-September2008v3.pdf Year: 2008 Country: Canada URL: http://people.ucalgary.ca/~crilf/publications/Final_Case_Flow_and_Focus_Group_Report-September2008v3.pdf Shelf Number: 121030 Keywords: Alternative to IncarcerationCase Flow ManagementCriminal Justice SystemDiversionJuvenile Offenders (Alberta, Canada) |
Author: Fratello, Jennifer Title: Juvenile Detention Reform in New York City: Measuring Risk through Research Summary: The January 2006 closure of New York City’s only alternative to juvenile detention brought the city close to a crisis: family court lost its only alternative pretrial supervision option and the population in local detention facilities was at its highest in three years. This situation also presented an opportunity for the city’s juvenile justice system to take stock of how and when it was using detention — equivalent to jail in the adult context — for youth facing delinquency charges. The Office of the Criminal Justice Coordinator in conjunction with a variety of agencies and entities involved with the juvenile justice system seized this occasion to explore new methods for responding to young people awaiting sentencing that would be more effective at producing positive outcomes for youth and enhancing public safety. They embarked upon a two-phase reform process, with assistance from the Vera Institute of Justice. First, they conducted a research study and designed an empirically based risk-assessment instrument (RAI) measuring the likelihood that a youth would fail to appear in court or be rearrested during the pendency of his/her case. The tool would be used to help inform family court judges’ decisions about pretrial detention for juveniles. Second, the group planned a variety of community-based alternatives to detention (ATDs) for young people who did not require secure confinement and could be supervised and better served in their own communities. This report examines the development of both the RAI and the alternatives to detention and presents preliminary outcomes of the reforms. Details: New York: Vera Institute of Justice, Center on Youth Justice, 2011. 17p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed July 19, 2011 at: http://www.jdaihelpdesk.org/Docs/Documents/RAI%20Report%20Vera.pdf Year: 2011 Country: United States URL: http://www.jdaihelpdesk.org/Docs/Documents/RAI%20Report%20Vera.pdf Shelf Number: 122116 Keywords: Alternative to IncarcerationCommunity-based CorrectionsJuvenile Detention (New York City)Juvenile Justice ReformJuvenile OffendersRisk Assessment, Juveniles |
Author: Rhyne, Charlene Title: Multnomah County Day Reporting Center Evaluation Summary: In January 1994 Multnomah County Department of Community Justice celebrated the opening of the Day Reporting Center (DRC). The DRC is a highly structured programming opportunity for offenders that can be used as an alternative to incarceration. DRC staff work closely with Parole/Probation Officers to address public safety concerns by addressing high risk/high need behaviors such as drug abuse, impulsivity, anti-social thinking, lack of employment and education, mental health concerns and lack of positive peer supports. In 2005 the Day Reporting Center was evaluated by this author. Findings included evidence of DRC's impact on recidivism with completers having a statistically significant 39% decrease in arrests pre- and post-DRC as compared to a 19% increase in arrests for non-completers. This current evaluation was conducted as a part of DCJ continuous quality improvement efforts. This form of monitoring allows course corrections to be made that are data and outcome driven. This evaluation utilized a sample of 642 offender referral entries to the Day Reporting Center in fiscal year 2008. These referral outcomes will be compared to 162 offenders who were referred to the DRC and no-showed. No-show samples are often used as comparison groups given they are identical in characteristics of the participants yet had no treatment (DRC) experience. Findings: Half of the episodes with engaged offenders resulted in 50% successful completion and 50% unsuccessful completion. The successful completion rate is up 5% from the 2005 study. Statistically significant reductions in pre- and post-DRC arrests were seen across all three groups: Successful -- 60% reduction --Unsuccessful -- 31% reduction - No show -- 27% reduction - Statistically significant percent of each group with post-arrests were in the expected direction: - Successful -- 12.1% of group had at least one arrest post-DRC exit - Unsuccessful -- 25.2% of group had at least one arrest post-DRC exit - No show - 38.9% of group had at least one arrest post-DRC exit - On average, the time to failure for the successful group was observed to be 50 days greater than the no show group. - Statistically significant differences were found between the DRC dosage of the successful group as compared to the unsuccessful group. Details: Portland, OR: Multnomah County Department of Community Justice, 2010. 12p. Source: Internet Resource: accessed August 2, 2011 at: http://web.multco.us/sites/default/files/dcj/documents/drc_final_document.doc Year: 2010 Country: United States URL: http://web.multco.us/sites/default/files/dcj/documents/drc_final_document.doc Shelf Number: 122256 Keywords: Alternative to IncarcerationCommunity-based CorrectionsDay Reporting CentersIntensive ProbationParoleRehabilitation |
Author: Rutgers School of Law–Newark Immigrant Rights Clinic (IRC) Title: Freed but not Free: A Report Examining the Current Use of Alternatives to Immigration Detention Summary: In May 2011, the White House released a report entitled, “Building a 21st Century Immigration System.”1 In recognition of the need to balance the valuable economic contributions made by immigrants with the need to secure the nation’s borders, the Obama Administration detailed its “blueprint” to remedy issues related to unlawful immigration as well as to strengthen the economy.2 The document also included other proposals for change, such as creating a more humane immigration system, providing clearer compliance guidance, and improving the immigration court system.3 Among its many outlined solutions, the Obama Administration made clear its desire to remedy critical detention issues, including expanding the capacity of alternative to detention (ATD) programs.4 As the use of ATD programs increases, the need to examine such programs to ensure they are being carried out fairly and effectively also becomes greater. As set forth in further detail in the report, immigration detention is costly, and it is unnecessary except in rare cases. For this reason, many advocates have called for an increase in alternatives to detention. Despite the proven effectiveness of many alternatives to detention, as this report makes clear, the capacity of the current ATD system is insufficient. At present, many individuals who are released from detention are placed on an Order of Release on Recognizance (ROR) or an Order of Supervision (OSUP), under which participants are required to check in periodically with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), among other requirements. Some of those individuals are subject to the Intensive Supervision Appearance Program (ISAP), which includes an electronic monitoring component and is administered by a private company. This report attempts to examine the use, enforcement, restrictions, and human impact of the existing ATD programs in New Jersey and nationally. For the thousands of individuals that ICE places on supervisory programs—many of whom have been determined to be neither a flight risk nor a danger to the community—ATD programs can be both liberating and debilitating. This report highlights the economic, psychological, emotional, and physical toll faced by individuals under ATD programs and proposes some recommendations for reform. Details: Newark, NJ: Rutgers School of Law-Newark, Immigrant Rights Clinic; Philadelphia: American Friends Service Committee, 2012. 58p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed July 5, 2012 at: http://www.law.newark.rutgers.edu/files/FreedbutnotFree.pdf Year: 2012 Country: United States URL: http://www.law.newark.rutgers.edu/files/FreedbutnotFree.pdf Shelf Number: 125470 Keywords: Alternative to IncarcerationIllegal AliensImmigrant Detention (U.S.)Immigrants |
Author: Geoghegan, Rory Title: Future of Corrections: Exploring the Use of Electronic Monitoring Summary: Future of Corrections shows that the current system of tagging is in desperate need of reform. A more effective use of tagging, where police and probation officers are directly involved in keeping track of offenders and recommending to prison governors and the courts which criminals should be tagged, could save hundreds of millions of pounds of taxpayer money and help the Coalition achieve its goal of stabilising the prison population by 2015. The current procurement system is outdated and offers poor value for money to the taxpayer. Since tagging was first introduced in the UK in 1989, there have been three private sector suppliers each enjoying a monopoly position with little competitive pressure. This has led to a lack of innovation in technology and programmes with the majority of criminals wearing tags confined to night time curfews which do little to prevent them from reoffending during the day. The report notes that in other countries, in particular the US, ankle bracelets have become smaller, smarter and more durable. The most advanced forms of tags are now GPS-enabled allowing the police to pin point someone’s exact location at all times. However, the lack of competition and the current nature of the contracts in the UK market means the taxpayer is losing out. If England and Wales replicated the US system, where providers simply hand over the technology to the police and probation officers to monitor and fit the tags, £883million could have been freed up over the past 13 years. This money could have created 2,000 probation or more than 1,200 police officers. The report makes a number of recommendations including: Creating a real market by giving suppliers and customers the freedom to design, develop and contracts services that work for and address local priorities and needs. Devolving powers to locally elected Police and Crime Commissioners to decide on how much money, if any, should be spent on tagging and who should provide the services. Give the police a much greater say by asking officers to recommend the most effective use of tagging to prevent and detect crime. Details: London: Policy Exchange, 2012. 89p., app. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 26, 2012 at: http://www.policyexchange.org.uk/publications/category/item/future-of-corrections-exploring-the-use-of-electronic-monitoring Year: 2012 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.policyexchange.org.uk/publications/category/item/future-of-corrections-exploring-the-use-of-electronic-monitoring Shelf Number: 126455 Keywords: Alternative to IncarcerationElectronic Monitoring (U.K.)Electronic TaggingOffender Supervision |
Author: Dunklee, Caitlin Title: Effective Approaches to Drug Crimes In Texas: Strategies to Reduce Crime, Save Money, and Treat Addiction Summary: During the past 30 years, Texas has enacted laws and policies meant to enhance public safety, resulting in crowded prisons and jails, and a corrections budget that comprises a huge slice of the state budget. Laws that focus on incarcerating men and women have been founded in genuine concern. However, a considerable percentage of the people arrested, charged, and incarcerated have been low-level drug users. Since 1999, arrests for drug possession in Texas have skyrocketed. In fact, almost all drug arrests in Texas are not for delivery or distribution, but for possession of a controlled substance. These numbers include people arrested for possession of illicit drugs, as well as the increasing number of Texans who have become addicted to prescription drugs. Both of these groups share a common thread: their substance abuse problems are often rooted in addiction. A proper response to this public health issue is treatment, not incarceration. Many people prosecuted for low-level drug crimes battle other obstacles, including mental illness, homelessness, joblessness, and poverty. Prosecuting and incarcerating Texans whose addictions push them into using illicit drugs or abusing prescription drugs burdens them with the collateral consequences associated with conviction and incarceration; it (further) limits their housing options, employment opportunities, and access to educational and medical programs, and it ultimately lessens the likelihood that they will become healthy, contributing members of their communities. Incarceration-driven policies are also egregiously expensive: treatment is a fraction of the cost of imprisoning an individual in Texas. Finally, our prisons and jails are simply not equipped with staff or resources to adequately combat the root causes of substance abuse and addiction, which means that untreated individuals are much more likely to commit other crimes after release, threatening public safety and creating a continual drain on limited coffers. For those with addiction, drug treatment is a more effective strategy to treat the individual, reduce recidivism, and lower costs to the state. Texas should take steps to aggressively and proactively address drug addiction, and thereby decrease associated crime, by promoting medical and public health responses to this issue. Specifically, policy-makers must support the efforts of practitioners, including probation departments and judges, who are seeking to effectively treat those with substance abuse problems by improving and making more widely available community-based rehabilitation and treatment diversion alternatives. Details: Austin, TX: Texas Criminal Justice Coalition, 2013. 28p. Source: Internet Resource: accessed February 4, 2013 at: http://www.texascjc.org/sites/default/files/uploads/TCJC%20Addiction%20Primer%20(Jan%202013).pdf Year: 2013 Country: United States URL: http://www.texascjc.org/sites/default/files/uploads/TCJC%20Addiction%20Primer%20(Jan%202013).pdf Shelf Number: 127469 Keywords: Alternative to IncarcerationCosts of Criminal JusticeDrug Abuse and Addiction (Texas, U.S.)Drug OffendersDrug Treatment |
Author: McCoy, Ellie Title: Evaluation of the Liverpool Women’s Turnaround Project Summary: Offending is less common amongst females, and women offenders often have complex multiple needs. The majority of women sentenced to prison are convicted of non-violent offences and are most often sent to prison for acquisitive crimes. Women offenders are likely to have multiple presenting problems including drug and alcohol misuse, accommodation needs, education and training needs, employment needs and financial needs and are often victims of domestic abuse. A significant proportion of women in prison are mothers and the sole carers of dependent children. A review of women with vulnerabilities in the Criminal Justice System was published in 2007 (the Corston report) and considered the needs of females inappropriately placed in prison and those outside of prison who were at risk of offending. The review highlighted the need for a new approach for working with women. Provision is traditionally focused on the needs of male offenders and does not meet the needs of females. There is a need for community provision to meet the needs of women, which requires a multi agency, women centred, holistic approach. Following the review, funding was made available to develop community provision aimed at diverting women away from custody. The Turnaround Project is part of the organisation PSS (Person Shaped Support, formerly known as Liverpool Personal Service Society). It is a female only service for Liverpool residents (and has now been expanded to cover Knowsley residents) who are already involved or at risk of becoming involved with the Criminal Justice System. The project is commissioned by Merseyside Probation Trust with additional funding from Liverpool Primary Care Trust. The Turnaround Project provides a service that fits the needs of women to help them tackle the reasons why they commit crimes and to reduce the risk of further offending and is designed to address attitudes and behaviours that may contribute to offending. The project is designed to divert women away from prison and therefore aims to reduce the number of females in prison, which will in turn work towards reducing family breakdown and the number of children taken out of the care of their mothers. The project is made up of a team of experienced staff who work with women who have practical, personal and emotional difficulties. The project offers a number of services, including legal advice, mediation and advocacy, housing, benefit and debt management, employment, education and training opportunities, drug and alcohol abuse, offending behaviour, domestic abuse, reading, IT, health, cooking and counselling. This research evaluation was commissioned by Liverpool PCT. The evaluation provides information on the Turnaround Project, activities and interventions undertaken and the outcomes achieved by the females accessing the project. This evaluation highlights good practice and makes recommendations for improvement of the project. The findings from the evaluation will be used to inform future commissioning decisions. Details: Liverpool: Centre for Public Health, Liverpool John Moores University, 2013. 71p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed April 4, 2013 at: http://www.cph.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Evaluation-of-the-Liverpool-Turnaround-Project.pdf Year: 2013 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.cph.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Evaluation-of-the-Liverpool-Turnaround-Project.pdf Shelf Number: 128214 Keywords: Alternative to IncarcerationCommunity-based CorrectionsFemale Offenders (U.K.) |
Author: Adler School Institute on Public Safety and Social Justice Title: Restorative Justice: A Primer and Exploration of Practice Across Two North American Cities Summary: Restorative justice is a philosophy of justice that seeks to address offenses by understanding the harm that was caused, understanding who was harmed, and deciding what can be done to repair the harm. Within this model, repairing broken relationships caused by crime is paramount. This philosophy can be contrasted with retributive justice, the predominant practice in most western societies. Retributive justice views an offense as a crime against the state rather than the victim and community, and seeks to deliver punishment thought to be proportionate to the crime. Here, less importance is placed on repairing harm and restoring the offender and victim to their highest level of functioning and potential. In fact, the harsh punishment aspect of retributive justice, particularly in the United States, has created an epidemic of incarceration for the most disadvantaged communities. In 1980, approximately 200,000 people in the United States were under some form of correctional supervision. Today that number is close to seven million. This increase has disproportionately affected poor urban communities of color, where large percentages of the population have been incarcerated. Since most who are incarcerated are eventually released, poor urban communities experience a virtual revolving door from neighborhood to prison and back. This cycle of incarceration and re-entry provides further challenges to the stability of neighborhoods already struggling with poverty, violence, and disinvestment. We believe that the United States justice system is overly reliant on harsh incarceration that has questionable effectiveness. The three-year reconviction rate for prisoners in the U.S. is approximately 43%. Approximately two thirds are re-arrested within three years. Correctional supervision is a costly public expense that deserves further scrutiny. In an era of fiscal austerity, government budgets are shrinking and violence remains a key challenge in many urban areas. There has never been a greater need to seek out evidence-based and cost-effective alternatives to more punishment and incarceration. This paper promotes ways in which restorative justice can reach its full potential as a place-based method of reducing violence and strengthening our most disadvantaged communities. Although restorative justice is more than just a strategy to reduce recidivism—it is a philosophical orientation, a set of principles and practices, a communication and learning tool, and more—this white paper explores how restorative practices can be more formally implemented. We believe that strong alignment with formal justice systems is necessary to provide a robust alternative to current sentencing procedures and incarceration as a public safety strategy. We believe that restorative justice has promise to increase safety, reduce the prison pipeline in poor communities of color and lower costs to society. The purpose of this paper is threefold. First, it provides a brief overview of the philosophy of restorative justice, the range of practice, and the evidence base behind the practices. Second, it provides an overview of how restorative practices are currently being used in two very different metropolitan contexts, Chicago, IL and Vancouver, B.C., Canada. This case study approach is used to draw out the different ways that formal systems and policies encourage or limit the potential of restorative practices. Third, it recommends expanded research, policy, and practice agendas that could further mainstream and align restorative justice in more formal ways. Ultimately, we hope this paper will be a useful primer and tool for practitioners, researchers, advocates, lawmakers, lay people and justice professionals alike. We highlight the core elements and philosophies of the practice, provide an initial analysis of how those characteristics and philosophies are currently being implemented, and discuss ways in which they can be expanded. Details: Chicago: Adler School Institute on Public Safety and Social Justice, 2011. 21p. Source: Internet Resource: White Paper: Accessed July 9, 2013 at: http://www.adler.edu/resources/content/4/1/documents/RJ_WhitePaper_Final_13_04_29.pdf Year: 2011 Country: United States URL: http://www.adler.edu/resources/content/4/1/documents/RJ_WhitePaper_Final_13_04_29.pdf Shelf Number: 129335 Keywords: Alternative to IncarcerationRestorative Justice |
Author: Muir, Rick Title: Tomorrow’s Prisons: Designing the future prison estate Summary: With much of the prison estate far too old to meet modern needs, there is an urgent need for fresh thinking about what we do in our prisons – and how they should be designed to facilitate those objectives. This project, of which this paper is the first output, aims to provide such new thinking by setting out a challenging but achievable agenda for change. We see two alternative futures for the prison estate: •We can continue on our present course, expanding the estate by building ever larger prisons based on standard designs. This might seem like the politically safer course, but it is a highly costly one and will do little to address the challenges identified. •We can embrace an ambitious but practical agenda of prison modernisation, which would create a more diverse range of penal institutions that are smaller, locally rooted, specialised and focused on rehabilitating prisoners. The report sets the scene for the second phase of the project, which will set out in detail what that alternative scenario could look like and how the political, financial and practical challenges to it can be overcome. Details: London: Institute for Public Policy Research, 2010. 51p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed July 18, 2013 at: http://www.ippr.org.uk/images/media/files/publication/2011/05/Tomorrows_prisons_web_1789.pdf Year: 2010 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.ippr.org.uk/images/media/files/publication/2011/05/Tomorrows_prisons_web_1789.pdf Shelf Number: 129448 Keywords: Alternative to IncarcerationPrison ReformPrisoner RehabilitationPrisons (U.K.) |
Author: Mews, Aidan Title: Updated Analysis of the Impact of the Intensive Alternatives to Custody Pilots on Re-offending Rates Summary: The Intensive Alternatives to Custody (IAC) pilot programme ran from April 2008 to March 2011 to test the use of intensive community orders in diverting offenders from short-term custodial sentences. The Ministry of Justice have undertaken updated analysis to compare re-offending rates for offenders receiving IAC orders in 2009 and 2010, with matched offenders receiving short custodial sentences and court orders. The analysis assesses the effectiveness of Intensive Alternatives to Custody (IAC) orders in reducing re-offending compared with a) short-term custodial sentences and b) court orders. Offenders starting an Intensive Alternative to Custody (IAC) order in 2009 or 2010 were matched to similar offenders receiving these disposals and their re-offending was compared. This report updates previous analysis published in July 2012 by including a larger sample (due to 2010 re-offending rates becoming available), using Propensity Score Matching (PSM) methodology as opposed to variable by variable matching, and by including additional offender information from Offender Assessment System (OASys), Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC) and Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) data sources. Details: London: Ministry of Justice, 2014. 16p. Source: Internet Resource: Analytical Summary: Accessed March 20, 2014 at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/289369/updated-analysis-impact-of-intensive-alternatives-to-custody-pilots-on-re-offending-rates.pdf Year: 2014 Country: United Kingdom URL: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/289369/updated-analysis-impact-of-intensive-alternatives-to-custody-pilots-on-re-offending-rates.pdf Shelf Number: 131989 Keywords: Alternative to IncarcerationIntensive SupervisionOffender SupervisionRe-OffendingRecidivism |
Author: Pew Center on the States Title: Arkansas's 2011 Public Safety Reform: Legislation to Reduce Recidivism and Curtail Prison Growth Summary: In 2011, Arkansas's prison population had more than doubled over the course of two decades, driving corrections costs up more than 800 percent. At the same time, recidivism and crime rates remained stubbornly high. Without action, the prison population would have grown by as much as 43 percent and cost Arkansas taxpayers an additional $1.1 billion over the next decade. State leaders established a bipartisan, inter-branch working group to examine the drivers of Arkansas's prison population growth. With technical assistance from the Pew Center on the States and its partners, The Arkansas Working Group on Sentencing and Corrections conducted an extensive review of state data and issued recommendations to reduce recidivism and contain corrections costs. In March of 2011, the Public Safety Improvement Act passed the Arkansas General Assembly with overwhelming bipartisan majorities and was signed into law by Governor Mike Beebe. The new law will cut Arkansas's prison population growth in half, avert $875 million in new prison costs and improve public safety by investing in evidence-based community supervision practices. Details: Washington, DC: Pew Center on the States, 2011. 16p. Source: Internet Resource: Issue Brief: Accessed July 18, 2014 at: http://www.pewtrusts.org/~/media/legacy/uploadedfiles/PewArkansasbriefpdf.pdf Year: 2011 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.pewtrusts.org/~/media/legacy/uploadedfiles/PewArkansasbriefpdf.pdf Shelf Number: 114679 Keywords: Alternative to IncarcerationCommunity-Based CorrectionsCosts of CorrectionsCosts of Criminal JusticePrisons (Arkansas)Recidivism |
Author: Radcliffe, Polly Title: Imagining penal policy for women: The case for Women's Community Services Summary: The Women's Community Services (WCSs) established in 2009 in England and Wales were based on the model of one-stop-shop, women-only provision endorsed by the 2007 Corston report. In this paper we discuss the development of WCSs as part of a governmental/voluntary sector initiative that was arguably an attempt to re-imagine penal policy for women offenders in the community, and explore themes emerging from interviews carried out with 30 women attending six WCSs between April 2011-2012. We argue that WCSs have filled a gap in provision for low risk women offenders by providing a range of social capital opportunities that are not available in mainstream, mixed-gender community punishment provision. We highlight the gendered processes of desistance; the understanding of which, we argue, is vital in making provision for women offenders in the new contracting landscape. Details: London: Howard League for Penal Reform, 2014. 16p. Source: Internet Resource: Howard League 'What is Justice?' Working Papers 4/2014: Accessed September 27, 2014 at: http://www.icpr.org.uk/media/37856/HLWP_4_2014.pdf Year: 2014 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.icpr.org.uk/media/37856/HLWP_4_2014.pdf Shelf Number: 133459 Keywords: Alternative to IncarcerationCommunity SentencesFemale Offenders (U.K.) |
Author: Murphy, Kate Title: Overincarceration Of People With Mental Illness. Pretrial Diversion Across the Country and the Next Steps for Texas to Improve its Efforts and Increase Utilization Summary: Key Points - - The state should delegate its responsibility to provide mental health services to local governments that are already making decisions about how to address people with mental illness in local jails. - The lack of coordination between the state and local governments has impeded local governments' ability to resolve the problems associated with people with mental illness who cycle through local jails. - Local governments should continue to reallocate funding to expand effective, efficient community-based mental health services that may prevent or could be an alternative to incarceration. Details: Austin, TX: Texas Public Policy Foundation, 2015. 24p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed July 20, 2015 at: http://www.texaspolicy.com/library/doclib/Overincarceration-of-People-with-Mental-Illness.pdf Year: 2015 Country: United States URL: http://www.texaspolicy.com/library/doclib/Overincarceration-of-People-with-Mental-Illness.pdf Shelf Number: 136118 Keywords: Alternative to IncarcerationMental Health ServicesMentally Ill OffendersPretrial Diversion |
Author: Orr, David Title: Movement Restriction Conditions (MRCs) and youth justice: Learning from the past, challenges in the present and possibilities for the future Summary: This paper draws on qualitative and quantitative data from a survey of youth justice practitioners' and managers' experience of the implementation and use of movement restriction conditions (MRCs) in Scotland. It aims: - to review briefly some of the international literature pertaining to electronic monitoring (EM); - to provide an historical overview of the policy and legal developments that enabled EM to be introduced through the Children's Hearings System (CHS); and, - to consider some of the learning from practice since 2005 from those who have had responsibility for the implementation of EM arrangements and related packages of support for young people under the age of eighteen. In conclusion, the majority view held by respondents to the questionnaire was that MRCs, combined with intensive support, may help to reduce the frequency and seriousness of a child or young person's offending behaviour in addition to helping them to address some of the underlying difficulties they experience while facilitating the process of change. Details: Glasgow: Centre for Youth and Criminal Justice, University of Strathclyde, 2013. 12p. Source: Internet Resource: Briefing paper, No. 2: Accessed March 10, 2016 at: http://www.cycj.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Briefing-Paper-2-David-Orr.pdf Year: 2013 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.cycj.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Briefing-Paper-2-David-Orr.pdf Shelf Number: 138170 Keywords: Alternative to IncarcerationElectronic MonitoringTagging |