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Date: April 29, 2024 Mon
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Results for early release
19 results foundAuthor: Drake, E.K. Title: Increased Earned Release From Prison: Impact of a 2003 Law on Recidivism and Crime Cost, Revised Summary: The 2003 Washington State Legislature passed ESSB 5990, which increased “earned early release time” for certain types of offenders. The bill authorized the Washington State Department of Corrections to release certain eligible offenders earlier if they have demonstrated good behavior in prison. This report presents an evaluation of the effect of the 2003 law. Ooverall recidivism findings remain consistent with those in the original November 2008 report; the cost-benefit analysis for this revised version has been strengthened and the study found that the law generates benefits of $1.88 per dollar of cost. Details: Olympia, WA: Washington State Institute for Public Policy, 2009. 15p. Source: Internet Resource; Document No. 09-04-1201 Year: 2009 Country: United States URL: Shelf Number: 114903 Keywords: Cost-Benefit AnalysisEarly ReleaseEarned ReleaseRecidivism |
Author: Young, Malcolm Title: Setting the Record Straight: The Truth About "Early Release" From Illinois Prisons Summary: Over the past year, Illinois citizens have read and heard troubling stories about a program providing men and women “early release” from state prisons. Reporters and commentators have written sensational accounts of a “secret” program by which the Department of Corrections “shaved” the sentences of dangerous and violent prisoners. Candidates for offices have ether attacked the program – called MGT (Meritorious Good Time) and MGT-Push -- or disowned it. Nearly all of the charges against the program are false. Contrary to media reports, MGT-Push has not been responsible for a single illegal or premature release of dangerous criminals or for the commission of additional violent crime. MGT-Push did not cut prison sentences by months or years. It did not add to the public risk or endanger public safety. And it was not “secret.” But the controversy over MGT-Push has had harmful effects. It has resulted in ill-advised legislative and Administration decisions including some that may actually increase risks to public safety. In addition, the MGT controversy and the decisions it spawned have resulted in a sharp and sudden increase in the prison population that will overburden corrections and cost the state millions. The purpose of this report is simply to set the record straight concerning MGT. Subsequent reports will consider the impact of decisions curtailing MGT on the future of corrections in Illinois. Details: Chicago: Program for Prison Reentry Strategies, Bluhm Legal Clinic, Northwestern University School of Law, 2010. 31p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed November 30, 2010 at: http://blogs.chicagotribune.com/files/setting-the-record-straight.pdf Year: 2010 Country: United States URL: http://blogs.chicagotribune.com/files/setting-the-record-straight.pdf Shelf Number: 120316 Keywords: Adult Corrections (Illinois)Early ReleaseGood Time Policies |
Author: Marie, Olivier Title: The Effect of Early Release of Prisoners on Home Detention Curfew (HDC) on Recidivism Summary: This report presents evidence that suggests offenders who receive Home Detention Curfew (HDC) under the current provision, are no more likely to engage in criminal behaviour when released from prison, when compared to offenders with similar characteristics, who are not eligible for HDC. The evidence also points towards the importance of certain factors taken into account when selecting prisoners for HDC. This study used centrally held data on 499,279 discharges from prison between January 2000 and March 2006, with 63,384 discharged receiving HDC. Offender criminal histories and reoffending information were extracted from the Police National Computer to evaluate the effectiveness of HDC in terms of reducing reoffending. Details: London: Ministry of Justice, 2011. 8p. Source: Internet Resource: Research Summary 1/11: Accessed May 9, 2011 at: http://www.justice.gov.uk/downloads/publications/research-and-analysis/moj-research/effect-early-release-hdc-recidivism.pdf Year: 2011 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.justice.gov.uk/downloads/publications/research-and-analysis/moj-research/effect-early-release-hdc-recidivism.pdf Shelf Number: 121661 Keywords: Alternatives to IncarcerationEarly ReleaseHome DetentionPrisoners (U.K.)Recidivism |
Author: Van Stelle, Kit R. Title: Evaluation of the Earned Release Program (ERP) Summary: The Earned Release Program (ERP) is a residential substance abuse treatment program offering the incentive of early release to eligible non-violent offenders that complete the program. ERP is available to eligible male inmates at the Drug Abuse Correctional Center (DACC) located in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. ERP is available to eligible female inmates at the Robert E. Ellsworth Correctional Center (REECC) located in Union Grove, Wisconsin. The evaluation included documenting program implementation, analyses of program participant criminal recidivism after release, an examination of the effectiveness of the “reach-in” or re-entry component, and an examination of patterns in program termination and drop-out. A broad range of qualitative and quantitative methodologies were utilized to gather process and outcome data related to the implementation of ERP. Extensive assistance in collection of data for the evaluation was provided by DOC central office staff, ERP administrative and treatment staff, and Division of Community Corrections (DCC) agents and administrative staff. In addition, preliminary evaluation results and recommendations for improvement were provided to the Secretary of the Department of Corrections in a private briefing in August 2006. Details: Madison, WI: University of Wisconsin, Population Health Institute, 2007. 62p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed August 22, 2011 at: http://uwphi.pophealth.wisc.edu/about/staff/vanstellek/erpFinalFullReport.pdf Year: 2007 Country: United States URL: http://uwphi.pophealth.wisc.edu/about/staff/vanstellek/erpFinalFullReport.pdf Shelf Number: 122435 Keywords: Drug Abuse Treatment (Wisconsin)Drug OffendersEarly ReleaseRehabilitation |
Author: Van Stelle, Kit R. Title: Progress Update on the Evaluation of the Earned Release Program (ERP) Summary: The University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute was asked by the WI Department of Corrections to provide an evaluation of its Earned Release Program (ERP). The examination of ERP began on March 1, 2006 and will conclude on December 31, 2007. A comprehensive report detailing the findings of the process and outcome evaluation was submitted to the Department in January 2007 and finalized in February 2007. The report also contained numerous recommendations for program improvement. Former Secretary Matthew Frank ordered the creation of an ERP Action Plan to address each recommendation made in the report. The current report summarizes progress toward the development and implementation of the ERP Action Plan since February 2007. Details: Madison, WI: University of Wisconsin, Population Health Institute, 2007. 34p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed August 22, 2011 at: http://uwphi.pophealth.wisc.edu/about/staff/vanstellek/erpProgressUpdateFullReport.pdf Year: 2007 Country: United States URL: http://uwphi.pophealth.wisc.edu/about/staff/vanstellek/erpProgressUpdateFullReport.pdf Shelf Number: 122436 Keywords: Drug Abuse Treatment (Wisconsin)Drug OffendersEarly ReleaseRehabilitation |
Author: Yvette, Emily Title: Offenders on the "Earned Release Date Housing Voucher" Program Summary: The objective of the Earned Release Date (ERD) Housing Voucher Program is to assist offenders release at or near their ERD. The aim of this report is to describe the participants of the voucher program beginning July 2009 through October 2010. This report describes the demographics of the housing voucher population, their release to the community relative to ERD, and the offenders’ recent history of homeless or transient status in the community. Additionally, this report provides an analysis of offender violations, sanctions, new offenses, and reincarceration during and after voucher funding. A comparison group comprised of offenders who did not receive housing vouchers was established in order to determine how voucher recipients differ from other offenders. The comparison group consists of offenders released during the same time period as voucher recipients. Non-voucher releases are separated into those that received supervision following release and those that did not; comparisons are between voucher recipients and supervised non-voucher releases. The distribution of demographics varies between voucher recipients and supervised non-voucher releases; voucher recipients are older and are more likely to have been convicted of a sex offense (33% vs. 12%). During 2010, voucher recipients had fewer average days past ERD than non-voucher releases (71 vs. 84 days) and contributed fewer days past ERD than non-voucher releases (42,671 vs. 54,264 days). The average length of follow up time is 274 days. Voucher recipients are more likely to report being homeless prior to incarceration and following release. Voucher recipients are more likely than supervised non-voucher releases to have a violation after release. A very small proportion of each group was convicted of new crimes during the follow up period. Overall, voucher recipients are more likely than non-voucher releases to be convicted of a new offense and to face reincarceration after release. Among offenders with at least one year of follow up, voucher funding status did not predict a new conviction or reincarceration for a new offense. This report could be improved by using a more appropriate comparison group and by incorporating other indicators of successful reentry. Details: Olympia, WA: Washington State Department of Corrections, 2011. 14p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed November 2, 2011 at: www.doc.wa.gov Year: 2011 Country: United States URL: Shelf Number: 122432 Keywords: Early ReleaseEarned ReleaseHousing, Ex-OffendersPrisoner Reentry (Washington State) |
Author: O'Hear, Michael M. Title: Solving the Good Time Puzzle: Why Following the Rules Should Get You Out of Prison Early Summary: Good-time programs have long been an important part of the American penal landscape. At least twenty-nine states and the federal government currently offer prison inmates early release, sometimes by many years, in return for good behavior. Written a generation ago, the leading scholarly article on the subject presented a strong case against good time, which has yet to be effectively addressed. Although good time is traditionally justified by reference to its usefulness in deterring inmate misconduct — credits can be denied or withdrawn as a penalty for violations of prison rules — the article questioned how it could possibly be just to impose additional incarceration based on mere violations of administrative regulations. In response to this important challenge, the present Essay proposes a new way to conceptualize good-time credits, specifically, as a way to recognize atonement. Drawing on increasingly influential communicative theories of punishment, the Essay argues that good time can be seen as congruent with (and not, as is commonly supposed, in opposition to) the basic purposes of sentencing. The Essay then proposes reforms that would help good-time programs more fully to embody the atonement ideal. Details: Milwaukee, WI: Marquette University Law School, 2011. 64p. Source: Internet Resource: Marquette Law School Legal Studies Paper No. 11-25: Accessed January 17, 2012 at: http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1969072 Year: 2011 Country: United States URL: http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1969072 Shelf Number: 123649 Keywords: Early ReleaseGood-TimeSentencing |
Author: Phillips, Mary T. Title: Effect of Release Type on Failure to Appear - Final Report Summary: Prior research on bail making by the New York City Criminal Justice Agency (CJA) has documented the prevalence of commercial bonds in the City, described the costs and benefits of posting a commercial bond as opposed to cash bail, and identified case and defendant characteristics associated with each form of bail making (Phillips 2010a, 2010b, 2011a, 2011b). In the decades prior to this research New York City had nearly eliminated bail bonds from city jails, but the industry's huge nationwide growth since the early 1990s suggested that it was time to take another look. This research comes in the midst of an aggressive national campaign mounted by the bail bond industry, aimed at influencing public opinion and legislators around the country. At stake in many states is legislation that would protect the bail bond industry at the expense of pretrial agencies, which are viewed as competitors. Bondsmen argue that they are more successful than pretrial recidivism. This study addresses a part of that claim by comparing failure to appear (FTA) rates for defendants released on commercial bonds versus other types of release. This is the only contemporary research on the topic using New York City arrests, and the only study that controls for key factors that also affect FTA. Details: New York, NY: CJA New York City Criminal Justice Agency, Inc., 2011. 77p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed on January 31, 2012 at http://www.cjareports.org/reports/releasetype&fta.pdf Year: 2011 Country: United States URL: http://www.cjareports.org/reports/releasetype&fta.pdf Shelf Number: 123270 Keywords: Commercial Bail Bonds (New York City)Early ReleaseEvaluative StudiesFailure to Appear |
Author: U.S. Government Accountability Office Title: Bureau of Prisons: Eligibility and Capacity Impact Use of Flexibilities to Reduce Inmates’ Time in Prison Summary: The Department of Justice’s Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) is responsible for the custody and care of federal offenders. BOP’s population has increased from about 145,000 in 2000 to about 217,000 in 2011 and BOP is operating at 38 percent over capacity. There is no longer parole for federal offenders and BOP has limited authority to affect the length of an inmate's prison sentence. BOP has some statutory authorities and programs to reduce the amount of time an inmate remains in prison, which when balanced with BOP’s mission to protect public safety and prepare inmates for reentry, can help reduce crowding and the costs of incarceration. GAO was asked to address: (1) the extent to which BOP utilizes its authorities to reduce a federal prisoner’s period of incarceration; and (2) what factors, if any, impact BOP's use of these authorities. GAO analyzed relevant laws and BOP policies; obtained nationwide data on inmate participation in relevant programs and sentence reductions from fiscal years 2009 through 2011; conducted site visits to nine BOP institutions selected to cover a range of prison characteristics and at each, interviewed officials responsible for relevant programs; and visited four community-based facilities serving the institutions visited. Though not generalizable, the information obtained from these visits provided insights. GAO recommends that BOP establish a plan, including time frames and milestones, for requiring contractors to submit prices of RRC beds and home detention services. BOP concurred with this recommendation. Details: Washington, DC: GAO, 2012. 44p. Source: Internet Resource: GAO-12-320: Accessed February 13, 2012 at: http://www.gao.gov/assets/590/588284.pdf Year: 2012 Country: United States URL: http://www.gao.gov/assets/590/588284.pdf Shelf Number: 124115 Keywords: Costs of Criminal JusticeEarly ReleaseFederal Prisons (U.S.)InmatesPrison Overcrowding |
Author: Police Executive Research Forum Title: The Early Release of Prisoners and its Impact on Police Agencies and Communities in California Summary: For decades, probation and parole agencies have striven not only to protect the public by monitoring criminal offenders, but also to help offenders get their lives back on track. Probation and parole agents have helped offenders obtain job training, education, drug or alcohol treatment, and other help they need to start law-abiding lives. Prisons and jails have a similar dual mission: incapacitating criminals for a time, while also preparing most of them for a return to the community. The fact that prisons, jails, probation, and parole agencies are known collectively as the “correctional” system reflects the importance of their role in helping offenders to correct their behavior. In recent years, a number of police departments and sheriffs’ offices have come to a realization that their mission statements also should include “reentry” initiatives aimed at helping offenders reenter society successfully. This is perhaps the result of the most fundamental change in policing in our lifetime—the near-universal adoption of community policing and problem-oriented policing. No longer do police merely respond to calls for service and investigate crimes that have been committed. In a hundred different ways, today’s police aim to identify the problems that contribute to crime, and to solve those problems. And one of the biggest problems in policing is that recidivism rates are extremely high. In a study that looked at recidivism in more than 40 states, more than four in 10 offenders returned to state prison within three years of their release. Police and sheriffs’ departments see the futility of this “revolving door,” in which offenders cycle in and out of the justice system repeatedly, committing new crimes over and over again. Police executives recognize that if these repeat offenders can be set on a new path, crime rates will decline. This report is about the growing interest in reentry initiatives within law enforcement agencies. For many years, the COPS Office and other U.S. Department of Justice agencies have supported a wide variety of reentry programs. In this report, the COPS Office and the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF) collaborated on an effort to identify the successful efforts—as well as the challenges—in prisoner reentry programs, with a focus on California, where the reentry issue is tied up with a major prison overcrowding crisis that is resulting in the early release of thousands of inmates. A May 2011 decision by the U.S. Supreme Court brought the issue to a head, as the Court upheld a lower court order mandating the release of tens of thousands of California prisoners. Details: Washington, DC: Police Executive Research Forum, 2011. 60p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed June 27, 2012 at: http://www.hsdl.org/?view&did=695692 Year: 2011 Country: United States URL: http://www.hsdl.org/?view&did=695692 Shelf Number: 125418 Keywords: Early ReleaseLaw Enforcement Agencies, ReentryPrisoner Reentry (California) |
Author: Klingele, Cecelia M. Title: Changing the Sentence Without Hiding the Truth: Judicial Sentence Modification as a Promising Method of Early Release Summary: Last year, as the State of California struggled with a $42 billion budget deficit, its financial inability to correct constitutionally-deficient prison conditions led a federal court to order the release of 40,000 state prisoners. In Oregon, Michigan, Connecticut, Vermont, and Delaware, spending on corrections now exceeds spending on higher education. Across the nation, more than 1 of every 100 Americans is behind bars. When the financial crisis of 2008 dealt its blow, state correctional budgets were already nearing a breaking point. Now, in the wake of unprecedented budget shortfalls, state governments have been forced to confront a difficult reality: the ever-increasing prison population has come at too high a price. The question is no longer whether to reduce the number of prisoners, but how. Reversing years of ever-harsher sentencing policies, jurisdictions throughout the United States are trying to cut costs by expanding good time credit, increasing parole eligibility, and authorizing new forms of early release. This Article examines judicial sentence modification, an often overlooked ameliorative mechanism that has potential benefits many other forms of early release lack. For states wishing to promote early release in a manner that is both transparent and publicly accountable, judicial sentence modification is a promising, and potentially sustainable, new mechanism for sentence reduction. Details: Madison, WI: University of Wisconsin Law School, 2010. 49p. Source: Internet Resource: University of Wisconsin Legal Studies Research Paper No. 1109: Accessed August 3, 2012 at: http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1576131 Year: 2010 Country: United States URL: http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1576131 Shelf Number: 125853 Keywords: Compassionate ReleaseCosts of Criminal JusticeEarly ReleaseEarned Release CreditGood TimeMeritorious Good TimeParoleSentencingState Budgets |
Author: Kuziemko, Ilyana Title: Should Prison Inmates be Released via Rules or Discretion? Summary: In 1980, nearly all state and federal prisoners were released via the discretion of a parole board, whereas today the majority are subject to rules-based regimes where the original sentence is binding. While opponents of parole have argued that boards are discriminatory or overly lenient, discretion might also have important benefits. If prison time lowers recidivism risk and if parole boards can accurately estimate inmates' risk, then, relative to a rules-based regime where sentences are binding, discretion produces allocative-efficiency benefits (costly prison space is allocated to the highest-risk offenders) and incentive bene ts (prisoners know they must reduce their recidivism risk to gain an early release, so invest in their own rehabilitation). Exploiting quasi-experiments from the state of Georgia, I show that prison time reduces recidivism risk and that parole boards set prison time in an allocatively efficient manner. Prisoners respond to these incentives -- after a reform that limited parole for certain offenders, they accumulated a greater number of disciplinary infractions, completed fewer prison rehabilitative programs, and recidivated at higher rates than inmates unaffected by the reform. I estimate that eliminating parole increases the prison population by ten percent while simultaneously increasing the crime rate through deleterious effects on recidivism. Details: Princeton, NJ: Princeton University, 2011. 54p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed August 3, 2012 at: http://www.princeton.edu/~kuziemko/parole_29oct2011.pdf Year: 2011 Country: United States URL: http://www.princeton.edu/~kuziemko/parole_29oct2011.pdf Shelf Number: 125854 Keywords: DiscretionEarly ReleaseParoleParole BoardsRecidivism |
Author: Klingele, Cecelia M. Title: The Early Demise of Early Release Summary: Reversing the tough-on-crime policies that have defined American criminal justice for the past two decades, cash-strapped states across the nation have begun reducing the number of people they confine in prisons and jails. In their efforts to reduce correctional populations, numerous states have passed laws that allow parole boards, prison officials, or judges to shorten the sentences of people already serving time in custody. These so-called "early release" laws have proven highly controversial, and in at least three states have been repealed outright. In others, they remain on the books but have provided less savings than anticipated because of the failure of decision-makers to utilize their newly-conferred authority. This Article examines the early demise of early release in several jurisdictions, identifying practical, political, and moral obstacles to the practice of early release that may account for the failure of recent legislation. Responding to those concerns, I suggest principles to guide future efforts to reduce custodial populations through the use of early release. These include drafting laws that respect the limits of institutional capacity, adopting principled rules about who may be released early and for what reasons, and emphasizing the moral concerns that justify efforts to reduce prison populations. Details: Madison, WI: University of Wisconsin Law School, 2011. 46p. Source: Internet Resource: Univ. of Wisconsin Legal Studies Research Paper No. 1179: Accessed August 7, 2012 at: http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1968432 Year: 2011 Country: United States URL: http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1968432 Shelf Number: 125901 Keywords: Costs of Criminal JusticeEarly ReleaseParolePrisoners |
Author: Stys, Yvonne Title: Federal Offenders with a High Reintegration Potential (RP): Characteristics and Community Outcomes Summary: Correctional systems are tasked with managing a diverse population of offenders from those who could be released from custody early in their sentence, without risk of re-offence; to those who may never be safely released. The challenge is to identify those suitable for early release through an effective assessment process. In addition to individual measures of risk, the Correctional Service of Canada (CSC or the Service) calculates a reintegration potential (RP) score; this RP classification forms the basis of the offender's correctional plan and paves the way for a specific correctional path. Given the potential value of effective assessment for identifying lower risk offenders, it is important to know whether the expected differences in the flow of offenders through correctional systems can actually be demonstrated. To do so, this research examined the characteristics of 21,746 offenders admitted to the CSC between 2002 and 2006 and recorded the success of their releases into the community until January 2010. Of this group, a total of 8,824 offenders identified at admission as being lower risk (high RP) were followed through the system from admission to release (and for those who were not successful, back to custody) in order to investigate the characteristics of these offenders and to determine if they are following a correctional trajectory that is consistent with what would be expected for this group. A profile of offenders with a high RP was created through the examination of admission information, institutional experiences, and community outcomes. These results were then compared against those who were designated as offenders with medium or low RPs in order to identify the distinct attributes of the high RP cohort. Analyses were conducted separately for four groups of offenders (study groups); non-Aboriginal males (n=16,815), Aboriginal males (n=3,731), non-Aboriginal women (n=876) and Aboriginal women (n=324). At the time of admission, both high RP non-Aboriginal offender groups were found to be significantly older than their medium and low RP counterparts. Generally, males with a high RP tended to be admitted for shorter sentence lengths than the medium and low RP groups, although this relationship did not always hold true for the women's groups. Offenders with a high RP were also generally less likely to be admitted with a violent offence, and more likely to be admitted for a drug-related offence than offenders with medium or low RPs. Examination of institutional experience revealed that only non-Aboriginal women offenders with a high RP differed from their medium RP counterparts in institutional program participation - they were more likely to start and complete programs - and only non-Aboriginal male offenders with a high RP were less likely than their low RP counterparts to complete programs. Where there were significant differences in institutional employment, the high RP groups were always employed for significantly fewer days than the other RP levels, even when time served in the institution was taken into account. The high RP Aboriginal groups did not differ from the medium RP groups and the high RP Aboriginal women group did not differ from the low RP group in terms of involvement in institutional incidents, however in all other instances, the high RP groups were significantly less likely than the medium and low RP groups to be involved in institutional incidents as the instigator/associate. When considering release types, results indicated that offenders with a high RP were generally more likely than offenders with medium and low RPs to participate in escorted and unescorted temporary absences (ETAs and UTAs), with limited exceptions for women offenders. Overall, offenders with a high RP were significantly more likely than the other RP levels to be granted day or full parole as their first release from custody, again with limited exceptions for women offenders - for example there was no significant difference in this regard when comparing high and medium RP Aboriginal women. All four high RP offender groups served a significantly smaller percentage of their sentence prior to their first release than offenders in the medium and low RP groups. Finally, survival analyses conducted to determine differences in the risk of failure upon release for the three RP levels found that for all four interest groups, offenders with a high RP were significantly more likely to be successful on release, and less likely to experience a revocation or a new offence upon release. Specifically, being an offender with a medium RP rather than an offender with a low RP was found to increase the hazard of return to custody by between 1.52 (Aboriginal males) and 2.39 (non-Aboriginal males), and being an offender with a low RP rather than an offender with a high RP increased the hazard of return to custody by between 1.93 (Aboriginal males) and 3.37 (non-Aboriginal males). In conclusion, based on these outcomes, it would appear that the designation of high reintegration potential is associated with better access to correctional resources and earlier release from prison to serve the balance of the sentence in the community. Offenders with a high RP are generally following a correctional trajectory appropriate for that RP level and are performing as would be expected in the community. However, it should be noted that not all offenders who are identified as having a high RP are actually released early, nor do they all succeed after release. This demonstrates the variability of risk within the high RP group and suggests that reintegration potential may require some adjustments to the scoring which serves to define the levels for the three groups. Details: Ottawa: Correctional Service of Canada, 2012. 122p. Source: Internet Resource: Research Report No. R-260: Accessed May 15, 2014 at: http://www.publicsafety.gc.ca/lbrr/archives/cn21494-eng.pdf Year: 2012 Country: Canada URL: http://www.publicsafety.gc.ca/lbrr/archives/cn21494-eng.pdf Shelf Number: 132371 Keywords: Early ReleaseParolePrisoner ReentryRecidivismReintegrationReoffendingRisk Assessment (Canada) |
Author: Johnson, Sarah Title: An Analysis on the Effects of Earned Time for Inmates Charged with Robbery Summary: "Good time" - or "earned time", as it is called in Iowa - is a vehicle by which incarcerated inmates are able to earn time off their sentences beyond the time they actually serve. In Iowa, for example, imprisoned inmates exhibiting good behavior earn 1.2 additional days off their sentences for each day served so that, for example, a Class C sentence with a maximum term of ten years can actually expire in just over 4.5 years. Earned time policies were created to serve two critical functions: 1) to allow for the management of prison populations by releasing compliant inmates while keeping inmates incarcerated who are believed to pose more societal risk; and 2) to promote positive inmate behavior while incarcerated, ensuring the safety of other inmates and correctional staff. The purpose of this analysis is to examine the latter contention: do earned time policies achieve their intended purpose by reducing institutional misconduct? Institutional misconduct rates were examined among inmates who were newly admitted to prison between FY2006-FY2008 after originally having been charged with either Robbery-1 or Robbery-2. A conviction under either of these offenses requires serving a mandatory minimum sentence of 70 percent of the maximum prison sentence before being eligible for release. A second component to these mandatory minimum sentences is the limited accrual of earned time, capped at 15 percent to be applied after 70 percent of the sentence has been served. This analysis compares misconduct rates between offenders serving a 70 percent sentence and offenders who escaped the mandatory minimum and were convicted of an alternative (non-70%) crime. Offenders in this analysis are referred to as the 70 percent and non-70 percent groups. The analysis provided the following findings: - Inmates serving non-70 percent sentences tended to have higher amounts of total misconduct than the 70 percent group during year-two and -three of incarceration when examining independent incarceration years (i.e. not cumulatively). - Misconduct rates tended to decrease for both the 70 percent and non-70 percent groups as release approached, although this reduction occurred much earlier for the 70 percent group. - Misconduct rates began to decrease for the 70 percent group around five-and-one-half years prior to release and hovered around zero to six percent until release, while misconduct rates began to decrease for the non-70 percent group only within the last year-and-one-half of incarceration. - Age was one of the strongest and most consistent significant predictors of institutional misconduct. Significant predictors of misconduct during years-two and three of incarceration also included offender custody classification and facility security level. It is important to note that sentence type (70% or non-70%) was not found to be a significant predictor of offender misconduct. While the findings from this report appear to suggest that earned time has little influence on offender misconduct, it is important to acknowledge the possible effects that removal or modification of the policy could have on misconduct rates. While findings suggest that the rates of misconduct are higher for the non-70% than the 70 percent group, it is possible that, absent earned time policies, misconduct rates could increase or decrease. It should also be remembered that our findings relate specifically to a certain group of offenders (i.e., inmates originally charged with robbery) who are not necessarily representative of prison inmates as a whole. The analysis also occurs within a unique sentencing structure that contains element of both indeterminate and determinate sentencing. It should also be said that these findings should not necessarily suggest abolishment or modification of current earned time practices. Simply doing away with earned time, within Iowa's current sentencing structure, would result in a nearly immediate rise in prison population. Without earned time, a ten-year sentence would actually expire in ten years rather than the current 4.54 years, a change likely to delay discretionary releases (i.e., paroles and work releases) as well as expirations of sentence. While abolishing or reducing the opportunity for earned time may be attractive in terms of "truth in sentencing," such a change should not be made without considering the possible impact on the size of Iowa's prison population. Details: Des Moines, IA: Iowa Department of Human Rights, Division of Criminal and Juvenile Justice Planning, Statistical Analysis Center, 2014. 55p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed June 30, 2014 at: https://humanrights.iowa.gov/sites/default/files/media/CJJP_Analysis%20on%20the%20Effects%20of%20Earned%20time%20for%20Inmates%20Charged%20with%20Robbery.pdf Year: 2014 Country: United States URL: https://humanrights.iowa.gov/sites/default/files/media/CJJP_Analysis%20on%20the%20Effects%20of%20Earned%20time%20for%20Inmates%20Charged%20with%20Robbery.pdf Shelf Number: 132567 Keywords: Early ReleaseEarned TimeGood TimePrisonersRobberySentencing |
Author: Irish Prison Service Title: Community Return: A Unique Opportunity. A descriptive evaluation of the first twenty six months (2011 - 2013) Summary: In October 2011, the Probation Service, in partnership with the Irish Prison Service, commenced a pilot Community Return Programme. The Community Return Programme is an incentivised early release scheme introduced in line with the recommendations of the Thornton Hall Project Review Group. All participants have demonstrated their willingness and ability to co-operate with the prison regime and to engage with the therapeutic services available. Community Return is a novel and unique initiative combining unpaid work for the benefit of the community with early release and resettlement support. In its development, no equivalent or similar initiative could be identified anywhere in the world and none had been reported in academic reviews or criminal justice literature. In the Community Return Programme, qualifying prisoners may be released early from their custodial sentences, with a period of unpaid community work as a condition of their incentivised, structured and reviewable temporary release. The Community Return Programme pilot, between October 2011 and April 2012, proved to be very successful in assessed compliance with the conditions of the release and behaviour, and in terms of the very low level of reconviction of participants. The success of the pilot led to the programme being mainstreamed. The aim of this research study is to assess the operation, impact, and effectiveness of the Community Return programme through a piece of descriptive and evaluative research. The study cohort comprised all 761 Community Return Programme participants between October 2011 and December 31st 2013. A mixed methods approach was used in the study, as well as analysis of anonymised pre-existing data on participants held by the Irish Prison Service. Questionnaires were completed by relevant Irish Prison Service and Probation Service personnel. The Community Return Programme participants were predominantly male, with females comprising approximately 6% of the population on the programme. 77% of the population were aged between 21 and 40, with the greatest concentration in both genders (43%) in the ten year age group between 21 and 30 years. - 62% of Community Return Programme participants were from Leinster. 43% of all participants were from Dublin. Of the total population who commenced the Community Return Programme, approximately 53% were located in three major urban areas (Dublin, Cork and Limerick). - Of the 761 offenders who commenced the Community Return Programme, (90%) were serving custodial sentences of less than six years. 45% were serving sentences of between two and four years imprisonment. The average sentence length was 3.2 years - 40% of Community Return Programme participants had been convicted on drug offences. 16% had been convicted in respect of offences including assaults and related offending. 9% were convicted of offences including robbery and related offences. - 38% of participants were released from open prisons, Shelton Abbey and Loughan House, while Mountjoy Prison was the closed prison with the highest release rate at 11%. The high percentage of prisoners released onto the Community Return programme from open prisons reflects the Irish Prison Service Incentivised Regime policy in practice and the pre-release role of open prisons. - Of the 761 participants who had commenced the Community Return Programme between October 2011 and December 31st 2013, 548 had completed it and 108 were still in progress. 88, approximately 11%, breached conditions of the Community Return Programme and were returned to custody. Almost 89% had either successfully completed their Community Return Programme or were still working on the Programme. Of those participants (n =233) released during the first year of the programme, 91% had not been committed to prison on a new custodial sentence in the period up to the end of 2013. - 9,580 weeks of Community Return Programme work, comprising 201,056 hours unpaid work, was completed by participants. Based on the national minimum wage in 2014 for an adult worker of L8.65 per hour, this represents L1,739,135 worth of unpaid work completed for the community by Community Return participants. - The most common types of work undertaken by Community Return Programme participants were landscaping/gardening, painting/decorating and renovation, with participants preferring work which allowed them to see 'a job through from beginning to end rather than constant switching between jobs'. Supervisors reported that Community Return Programme participants performed positively in their work and displayed a positive attitude towards the work. - Over 80% of community based Probation Officers attributed Community Return Programme participant compliance primarily to a desire to avoid returning to prison. In some cases this was complemented by secondary motivational factors such as participant enjoyment of the work experience, appreciation of their early release or, a sense of commitment to the Community Return contract. - Access to social protection entitlements ('social welfare') was the single biggest difficulty faced by Community Return participants involved in this study following their release, affecting one third of participants. According to participant feedback, difficulties appear to have stemmed from an apparent lack of a shared understanding regarding access to income maintenance payments by Community Return participants. - The Community Return Programme participants identified particular benefits in the Programme, including the structure and routine which aided re-integration, the work ethic and self-esteem developed, their positive profile in working in the community and the learning of work skills transferable to employment. Challenges included coping with the strictness and frequency of the signing-on conditions, difficulties accessing entitlements and payments, and time and costs in travelling to worksites. - The Community Return Programme helped participants stay out of trouble according to some of them, by keeping them occupied, providing positive supports and a starting point to build on, particularly in the early stages after release, when, according to research here and abroad, newly released prisoners are particularly vulnerable to relapse to anti-social behaviour, companions and offending. The Community Return Programme has potential for further expansion and detailed recommendations are outlined in Chapter 7. Details: Longford, IE: Irish Prisons Service; Dublin: Irish Probation Service, 2014. 52p. Source: Internet Resource: Probation Service Research Report 5: Accessed February 12, 2015 at: http://www.justice.ie/en/JELR/Community_Return_Study_Report_v3_9.pdf/Files/Community_Return_Study_Report_v3_9.pdf Year: 2014 Country: Ireland URL: http://www.justice.ie/en/JELR/Community_Return_Study_Report_v3_9.pdf/Files/Community_Return_Study_Report_v3_9.pdf Shelf Number: 134613 Keywords: Alternatives to Incarceration (Ireland)Community ServiceEarly ReleaseProbationProbationsWork Programs |
Author: Stanford Justice Advocacy Project Title: Proposition 47 Progress Report: Year One Implementation Summary: Since the enactment of Proposition 47 on November 14, 2014, the number of people incarcerated in California[s prisons and jails has decreased by approximately 13,000 inmates, helping alleviate crowding conditions in those institutions. Proposition 47 has also reduced the number of jail inmates released from custody early due to overcrowding and should generate over $150 million in state savings this fiscal year. County governments stand to save even more money: over $200 million annually, in aggregate. Details: Stanford, CA: Stanford Justice Advocacy Project, Stanford Law School, 2015. 11p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed November 16, 2015 at: https://2pe0o743k0s82lo5l6trs9j1-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Prop-47-report.pdf Year: 2015 Country: United States URL: https://2pe0o743k0s82lo5l6trs9j1-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Prop-47-report.pdf Shelf Number: 137299 Keywords: Costs of CorrectionsEarly ReleasePrison OvercrowdingPrison PopulationPrisonersProposition 47 |
Author: Price, Mary Title: Everywhere and Nowhere: Compassionate Release in the States Summary: "Everywhere and Nowhere: Compassionate Release in the States," is a comprehensive, state-by-state report on the early-release programs available to prisoners struggling with certain extraordinary circumstances, such as a terminal or age-related illness. The report takes a deep dive into the regulations and requirements of these programs in each state, including the varying categories of release, eligibility criteria, and reporting. The analysis also reveals a troubling number of barriers faced by prisoners and their families when applying for early release. The report is accompanied by a comparison chart, 21 recommendations for policymakers, and 51 individual state memos. Details: Washington, DC: Families Against Mandatory Minimums (FAMM), 2018. 36p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed June 29, 2018 at: https://famm.org/wp-content/uploads/Exec-Summary-Report.pdf Year: 2018 Country: United States URL: https://famm.org/wp-content/uploads/Exec-Summary-Report.pdf Shelf Number: 150734 Keywords: Compassionate Release Early ReleasePrisoner Furlough |
Author: Demoscopia, S.A. Title: Everywhere and Nowhere: Compassionate Release in the States Summary: "Everywhere and Nowhere: Compassionate Release in the States," is a comprehensive, state-by-state report on the early-release programs available to prisoners struggling with certain extraordinary circumstances, such as a terminal or age-related illness. The report takes a deep dive into the regulations and requirements of these programs in each state, including the varying categories of release, eligibility criteria, and reporting. The analysis also reveals a troubling number of barriers faced by prisoners and their families when applying for early release. The report is accompanied by a comparison chart, 21 recommendations for policymakers, and 51 individual state memos. Details: Washington, DC: Families Against Mandatory Minimums (FAMM), 2018. 36p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed June 29, 2018 at: https://famm.org/wp-content/uploads/Exec-Summary-Report.pdf Year: 2018 Country: United States URL: https://famm.org/wp-content/uploads/Exec-Summary-Report.pdf Shelf Number: 150734 Keywords: Compassionate Release Early ReleasePrisoner Furlough |