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Date: November 25, 2024 Mon
Time: 8:21 pm
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Results for corrections reform
9 results foundAuthor: Rengifo, Andres F. Title: Context and Impact of Organizational Changes in State Corrections Agencies: A Study of Local Discourses and Practices in Kansas and Michigan Summary: Over the past five years, the states of Kansas and Michigan engaged in a comprehensive re-examination of their correctional systems, aiming for a better allocation of resources and more effective interventions to reintegrate offenders into the community. In Kansas, this process was largely known as the Kansas Offender Risk Reduction and Reentry Program (KOR3P); in Michigan, a similar set of reforms was developed as the Michigan Prisoner Reentry Initiative (MPRI). While research has documented the nature of such large-scale institutional reorganizations in corrections (Austin & Fabelo, 2004; Jacobson, 2005), little is known about the specific contexts in which corrections reforms are planned and executed (for exceptions see Zimring, Hawkins & Kamin, 2001; Clarkson & Morgan, 1995). In some jurisdictions, initiatives have been primarily motivated by state-wide efforts to reduce public spending. In other jurisdictions, reforms have emerged from within corrections through more substantive collaborations between corrections managers, staff, and key external partners—governors’ offices, legislatures, and agencies of technical assistance. The knowledge of "what works" in the process of planning, implementing, and executing of these system-wide reforms — as well as their challenges and pitfalls — has traditionally been limited to those directly involved in specific initiatives. From a broader perspective, it remains unclear to what extent the form and content of reform efforts are sensitive to the local social and institutional contexts in which corrections managers and staff operate. Such context may alter the structure of reforms, depending on levels of commitment and interest of key decision-makers. Local contexts can also alter the content of reforms via challenges in the implementation and execution of strategic programs. More generally, the sustainability and integrity of reforms depends on the relative availability of a wide range of internal and external resources – including leadership, technology, financial resources, and political and social support – that vary significantly across jurisdictions. This project documents the dynamics and context of organizational change within the Departments of Corrections (DOCs) of Kansas and Michigan, focusing on how these internal and external factors shaped the recent reforms. We conceptualize these two jurisdictions as laboratories of corrections policy innovation in which measures to control prison populations and enhance service delivery were implemented despite challenging institutional and social environments. As such, our study seeks to provide an empirical foundation for the development of more general propositions regarding the relationship between effective processes of organizational change within corrections and the social context in which these changes are implemented. Documenting the source, content, rationale, and context of these changes is important for disseminating policy innovations and expanding the existing framework for understanding corrections reform. The present report is divided into four chapters. Chapter 1 provides a brief history of corrections policy in Kansas and Michigan since the early 1980s. Chapter 2 examines the immediate context, and process of design and planning of the KOR3P and the MPRI in the early 2000s. Chapter 3 documents the process of implementation of these and other reforms guided by Evidence-Based Practices (EBP), including the realignment of internal processes as well as the overhauling of inter-institutional relations and community outreach. Chapter 4 then briefly examines the continuing internal and external challenges confronting KOR3P and MPRI. It discusses the impact of changing resource levels, staff resistance and fatigue, and evolving goals of other stakeholders on the sustainability of reforms. The last section of the report provides several recommendations for sustaining reform efforts in both Kansas and Michigan and other states. Details: Washington, DC: U.S. National Institute of Corrections, 2010. 65p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 24, 2011 at: http://static.nicic.gov/Library/025241.pdf Year: 2010 Country: United States URL: http://static.nicic.gov/Library/025241.pdf Shelf Number: 122898 Keywords: Correctional AdministrationCorrectional Institutions (U.S.)Corrections ReformPrison AdministrationPrisoner Reentry |
Author: Paulhus, Elizabeth Title: Stemming the Tide: The Racial and Economic Impacts of West Virginia's Prison System Summary: Despite a relatively stable crime rate, West Virginia is facing a growing prison population, which currently is larger than the capacity of the existing state prisons. As a result, many state prisoners are being housed in regional jails where they cannot access educational and supportive services offered by the Division of Corrections. With more individuals serving sentences in prison, there is a growing financial burden on the state. This population increase is associated with an increase in prison spending, with a growing percentage of the General Revenue fund going toward the Division of Corrections. Prison population growth and its associated overcrowding are not only criminal justice issues, but also fiscal concerns for West Virginia. This growth in the prison population in a state with little total population growth and a stable crime rate is in part the effect of sentencing patterns that place offenders into prison rather than into alternatives like community corrections and give them long sentences, as well as a reduction in the rate of granting parole. It also is a result of the shift from understanding prison as a place of rehabilitation to one of punishment that accompanied the “war on drugs” and the movement in the 1970s toward harsher sentences and being tough on crime. The growing prison population appears to be mainly the result of structures and policies, rather than an increase in crime. Although overcrowding and housing inmates in regional jails may seem like new issues, they have actually plagued West Virginia for decades, even culminating in several lawsuits. After the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the overcrowding in California was unconstitutional, calling it “cruel and unusual,” states like West Virginia are anxious to find solutions to their own overcrowding problems. Although one option recommended during the 2011 legislative interim sessions is the building of a new 1,200- bed medium security prison at a cost of $120 to $200 million (not including annual operating costs), opponents argue that “state governments cannot build their way out of the overcrowding problems.” A better option is to find ways to reduce the prison population by decreasing the number of offenders entering the system and increasing the number exiting from it. West Virginia could consider several options for reducing prison admissions, such as: Expanding drug courts to every county and creating mental health courts. This would ensure that inmates in need of substance use or mental health care treatment would receive it; and Increasing the use of alternative sanctions for technical parole and probation violators. This could take the form of more traditional methods like electronic monitoring and day report centers, or could mean the creation of “halfway back centers” that would provide support services and programs. The state could also reduce the length of time that inmates spend in prison and increase the number exiting from the prison system by: Conducting a comprehensive review of its criminal code and comparing sentencing patterns to those in other states; Seeking ways to increase the number of inmates released to parole, which not only would reduce the prison population but also would give the inmates access to supportive services in their transition back into society; and Expanding its current “good time” credits to include the completion of educational and other programs rather than just simply good behavior. Key findings include: Many state prisoners are being housed in regional jails, where they lack access to various educational and rehabilitative services. In 2009, approximately 20 percent of the Division of Corrections population was housed in regional jails, while an additional seven percent was housed at the Stevens Correctional Center/McDowell County Corrections; Most state prisoners in West Virginia are not high risk. Only 10 percent are classified as maximum security. One in three inmates can work outside the confines of the prison or is eligible for community-based placements; Many state prisoners struggle with mental illness, substance abuse, or the co-occurence of the two. Many of these individuals would benefit more from treatment and rehabilitation than from regular incarceration; African Americans are disproportionately represented in the West Virginia prison system, and are four times more likely than whites to be in prison; The majority of recidivists in West Virginia are picked up for technical parole violations, not new crimes; Only five percent of state prisoners have more than a high school degree, compared with 43 percent of the state as a whole. As such, educational programs for inmates in prison are crucial to help them develop the skills and knowledge to be more competitive workers in the future; The cost of housing an inmate in prison is nearly 20 times greater than putting someone on parole or probation. Yet West Virginia had 6,200 inmates in prison in 2010 and only 1,264 in-state parolees; and West Virginia had the nation’s second highest growth in general revenue spending on corrections between 1990 and 2010. Details: Charleston, West Virginia: West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy, 2012. 27p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 20, 2012 at http://www.wvpolicy.org/downloads/PrisonReport022212.pdf Year: 2012 Country: United States URL: http://www.wvpolicy.org/downloads/PrisonReport022212.pdf Shelf Number: 124610 Keywords: Adult Corrections (West Virginia)Correctional Administration (West Virginia)Correctional ProgramsCorrections ReformDemographic TrendsRacial Disparities |
Author: Cebula, Nancy Title: Understanding Corrections through the APEX Lens Summary: The APEX: Achieving Performance Excellence Initiative introduces a systems approach to change, specifically for correctional organizations, and incorporates multiple tools and strategies to assist agencies in building sustainable capacity for higher performance. The APEX Initiative includes the APEX Public Safety Model and its components, the APEX Assessment Tools Protocol, the APEX Guidebook series, and the APEX Change Agent Training. This initiative informs data-driven decisionmaking, enhances organizational change efforts, and provides support and resources to correctional agencies. At the heart of APEX is the fundamental mission of correctional organizations to maintain public safety, ensure safe and secure correctional supervision of offenders, and maintain safe and secure settings for those who work in the field. This comprehensive systems approach to continuous performance improvement encourages innovative ideas to enhance organizational operations, services, and processes and to achieve desired results. Corrections is a people business. Stakeholders, especially individuals under supervision and in custody, their families, criminal justice and human service professionals, the public, and the agency’s workforce, are part of a vast and complex network that determines every correctional agency’s success. Corrections is also a systems business, in which high performance is made more complicated by interdependent operations that must always consider subsystem impacts on safety and security. In short, a multitude of factors determine higher performance in corrections. Understanding Corrections through the APEX Lens, part of the APEX (Achieving Performance Excellence) Guidebook series, presents chapters on several of the APEX Public Safety Model domains: Operations, including Safe and Secure Supervision and Settings and Process Management; Stakeholder Focus; Workforce Focus; Strategic Planning; Measurement, Analysis, and Knowledge Management; and Results. Understanding and mastery of these domains can put a correctional organization on a fast track toward enhanced results. Details: Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice, National Institute of Corrections, 2012. 96p. Source: Achieving Performance Excellence (APEX) Guidebook Series: Internet Resource: Accessed May 13, 2012 at http://static.nicic.gov/Library/025299.pdf Year: 2012 Country: United States URL: http://static.nicic.gov/Library/025299.pdf Shelf Number: 125247 Keywords: CorrectionsCorrections AdministrationCorrections Reform |
Author: American Civil Liberties Union Title: At America's Expense: The Mass Incarceration of the Elderly Summary: At America’s Expense compiles extensive data detailing epidemic of aging prisoners in the United States. It provides a comprehensive 50-state and federal analysis of the unnecessary incarceration of aging prisoners and provides a fiscal analysis showing the actual amount states would save, on average, by releasing aging prisoners: over $66,000 per year per released prisoner. The report also includes new data showing that the elderly population is growing because of harsh sentencing laws and not because of new crimes, as well as data highlighting the low public safety risks posed by elderly prisoners. At America’s Expense supplies detailed and practical legislative solutions that states and the federal government can implement to address the dramatic and costly growth in the number of elderly prisoners without putting communities at risk. Details: New York: American Civil Liberties Union, 2012. 98p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed June 20, 2012 at https://www.aclu.org/files/assets/elderlyprisonreport_20120613_1.pdf Year: 2012 Country: United States URL: https://www.aclu.org/files/assets/elderlyprisonreport_20120613_1.pdf Shelf Number: 125389 Keywords: Corrections AdministrationCorrections ReformElderly InmatesImprisonment |
Author: LaVigne, Nancy Title: Justice Reinvestment Initiative State Assessment Report Summary: Seventeen Justice Reinvestment Initiative states are projected to save as much as $4.6 billion through reforms that increase the efficiency of their criminal justice systems. Eight states that had JRI policies in effect for at least one year - Arkansas, Hawaii, Louisiana, Kentucky, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio, and South Carolina - reduced their prison populations. Through the Initiative, states receive federal dollars to assess and improve their criminal justice systems while enhancing public safety. This report chronicles 17 states as they enacted comprehensive criminal justice reforms relying on bipartisan and inter-branch collaboration. The study notes common factors that drove prison growth and costs and documents how each state responded with targeted policies. Details: Washington, DC: The Urban Institute, 2014. 145p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed April 22, 2014 at: http://www.urban.org/UploadedPDF/412994-Justice-Reinvestment-Initiative-State-Assessment-Report.pdf Year: 2014 Country: United States URL: http://www.urban.org/UploadedPDF/412994-Justice-Reinvestment-Initiative-State-Assessment-Report.pdf Shelf Number: 132123 Keywords: Community JusticeCorrections ReformCosts of Criminal JusticeCriminal Justice ReformJustice Reinvestment |
Author: Council of State Governments. Justice Center Title: Justice Reinvestment in Idaho: Analyses and Policy Framework Summary: Idaho's crime rate is among the lowest in the nation. Recidivism in the state, however, is increasing, and adults sentenced to prison for nonviolent crimes do twice as much time as adults sentenced to prison for nonviolent crimes in other states. In 2012, Idaho's incarceration rate was the eighth highest in the country. Since 2008, the state's prison population has increased by 10 percent and is projected to increase another 16 percent over the next five years, from 8,076 people in FY2014 to 9,408 people by FY2019. Increasing the capacity of the prison system to absorb the growth over that time period will cost Idaho an estimated $288 million in operating and construction costs. Frustrated by rising corrections spending and a high rate of recidivism, policymakers came together to identify a more effective path forward. In June 2013, Idaho Governor C.L. "Butch" Otter, Chief Justice Roger Burdick, legislative leaders from both parties, and other state policymakers requested technical assistance from the Council of State Governments Justice Center (CSG Justice Center) to employ a data-driven "justice reinvestment" approach to develop a statewide policy framework that would decrease spending on corrections and reinvest savings in strategies to reduce recidivism and increase public safety. Assistance provided by the CSG Justice Center was made possible in partnership with The Pew Charitable Trusts and the U.S. Department of Justice's Bureau of Justice Assistance. Senate Concurrent Resolution 128, enacted in March 2013, established a bipartisan Interim Legislative Committee to study Idaho's criminal justice system using the justice reinvestment approach. State leaders also established the interbranch Justice Reinvestment Working Group, which is made up of state lawmakers, corrections and court officials, and other stakeholders in the criminal justice system. Both groups were co-chaired by Senator Patti Anne Lodge (R-District 11) and Representative Richard Wills (R-District 23). The groups reviewed analyses that the CSG Justice Center conducted and discussed policy options to increase public safety and avert growth in the prison population. In preparing its analyses, the CSG Justice Center reviewed vast amounts of data, drawing on information systems maintained by the Idaho Department of Corrections (IDOC), Idaho Commission of Pardons and Parole (Parole Commission), Idaho Supreme Court, Idaho State Police, and others. In total, the CSG Justice Center analyzed over 570,000 individual records across these information systems. In addition to these quantitative analyses, the CSG Justice Center convened focus groups and meetings with prosecutors, sheriffs, victim advocates, district judges, police chiefs, and others. Between June 2013 and January 2014, the CSG Justice Center conducted more than 100 in-person meetings with nearly 250 individuals. Ultimately, the CSG Justice Center helped state leaders identify three challenges contributing to Idaho's prison growth. Details: New York: Council of State Governments Justice Center, 2014. 27p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 7, 2014 at: https://www.bja.gov/Publications/CSG-IdahoJusticeReinvestment.pdf Year: 2014 Country: United States URL: https://www.bja.gov/Publications/CSG-IdahoJusticeReinvestment.pdf Shelf Number: 132268 Keywords: Corrections ReformCosts of Criminal JusticeCriminal Justice ReformJustice Reinvestment (Idaho) |
Author: Council of State Governments Justice Center Title: Justice Reinvestment in Hawaii: Analyses & Policy Options to Reduce Spending on Corrections & Reinvest in Strategies to Increase Public Safety Summary: In June 2011, Governor Neil Abercrombie and House and Senate leaders in Hawaii requested technical assistance from the Council of State Governments Justice Center (CSG Justice Center) to employ a data-driven justice reinvestment approach to develop a statewide policy framework that would reduce spending on corrections and reinvest savings in strategies that increase public safety. This report outlines the analyses conducted by the CSG Justice Center and policy options proposed to the Hawaii State Legislature as a result of the justice reinvestment process. Details: New York: Council of State Governments Justice Center, 2014). 12p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed October 9, 2014 at: http://csgjusticecenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/JR-in-HI-Analyses-and-Policy-Options.pdf Year: 2014 Country: United States URL: http://csgjusticecenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/JR-in-HI-Analyses-and-Policy-Options.pdf Shelf Number: 134219 Keywords: Community Justice (Hawaii) Corrections Reform Costs of Criminal Justice Criminal Justice Reform Justice Reinvestment |
Author: Council of State Governments Justice Center Title: Justice Reinvestment in Kansas: Analyses & Policy Options to Reduce Spending on Corrections & Reinvest in Strategies to Increase Public Safety Summary: In June 2012, Governor Sam Brownback, Chief Justice Lawton Nuss, Attorney General Derek Schmidt, Department of Corrections (DOC) Secretary Ray Roberts, and House and Senate leaders requested technical assistance from the Council of State Governments Justice Center (CSG Justice Center). They sought to employ a data-driven "justice reinvestment" approach to develop a statewide policy frame work that would reduce spending on corrections and reinvest resulting savings in strategies that increase public safety. Assistance provided by the CSG Justice Center was made possible through a partnership with and funding from the Pew Center on the States Public Safety Performance Project and the Bureau of Justice Assistance, a component of the U.S. Department of Justice. Details: New York: Council of State Governments Justice Center, 2013. 20p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed October 9. 2014 at: http://csgjusticecenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Kansas-JR-Final-Report.pdf Year: 2013 Country: United States URL: http://csgjusticecenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Kansas-JR-Final-Report.pdf Shelf Number: 134218 Keywords: Community Justice (Kansas)Corrections Reform Costs of Criminal Justice Criminal Justice Reform Justice Reinvestment |
Author: Council of State Governments Justice Center Title: Justice Reinvestment in Alabama: Overview Summary: In early 2014, Alabama Governor Robert Bentley, Chief Justice Roy Moore, Senate President Pro Tempore Del Marsh, House Speaker Michael Hubbard, and Department of Corrections Commissioner Kim Thomas requested support from The Pew Charitable Trusts and the U.S. Department of Justice's Bureau of Justice Assistance to explore a 'justice reinvestment' approach to improve public safety, manage corrections spending, and reinvest savings in strategies that can decrease crime and reduce recidivism. The Council of State Governments Justice Center (CSG Justice Center) was asked to provide intensive technical assistance to help collect and analyze data and develop appropriate policy options for the state. The Alabama legislature passed a joint resolution (SJR 20) in February 2014 that created the bipartisan, inter-branch Prison Reform Task Force (Task Force)-which includes designees from all three branches of government and state and local criminal justice system stakeholders-to study the state's criminal justice system using the justice reinvestment approach.1 Senator Cam Ward (R-Alabaster) will chair the Task Force, which will submit a report on the study's findings and policy recommendations to the legislature prior to the 2015 session. CSG Justice Center staff, under the direction of the Task Force, will conduct a comprehensive analysis of data collected from various relevant state agencies and branches of government. To build a broad picture of statewide criminal justice trends, data on jail and community corrections will be sought from local governments and analyzed where possible. CSG Justice Center staff also will convene focus groups and lead interviews with people working on the front lines of Alabama's criminal justice system. Based on these exhaustive quantitative and qualitative analyses, the Task Force will use its findings to develop options for the legislature's consideration that are designed to both increase public safety and contain the cost of corrections. This overview highlights recent criminal justice trends in Alabama that the Task Force will be exploring in the coming months. Details: New York: Council of State Governments Justice Center, 2014. 6p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed November 18, 2014 at: http://csgjusticecenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/JR-in-Alabama-Overview.pdf Year: 2014 Country: United States URL: http://csgjusticecenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/JR-in-Alabama-Overview.pdf Shelf Number: 134124 Keywords: Corrections ReformCosts of Criminal JusticeCriminal Justice ReviewCriminal Justice Systems (Alabama)Justice Reinvestment |