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Date: April 18, 2024 Thu
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Results for ex-offenders
69 results foundAuthor: Penfold, Clarissa Title: Homelessness Prevention and Meeting Housing Need of (Ex)Offenders: A Guide to Practice Summary: This guide to practice in homelessness prevention and meeting housing need for (ex) offenders was commissioned by Communities and Local Government and overseen by a steering group including representatives from the Ministry of Justice (MoJ), Home Office and Youth Justice Board (YJB). It is based on research undertaken by the National Centre for Social Research (NatCen) in collaboration with Nacro and the Centre for Housing Policy (University of York). The guide is intended to help local authorities and their local partners address the housing needs and prevent homelessness of (ex)offenders. This guide should be read alongside the Homelessness Code of Guidance for Local Authorities (Communities and Local Government, 2006a) issued by the Secretaries of State, which local authorities must have regard to by law when exercising their homelessness functions, and Homelessness Prevention: A Guide to Good Practice (Communities and Local Government, 2006b) which provides non-statutory, good practice guidance for preventing homelessness through a range of activities commonly operated by local authorities. Also of relevance to this guide is non-statutory guidance published by Communities and Local Government and the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF), Joint working between Housing and Children's Services: Preventing homelessness and tackling its effects on children and young people (Communities and Local Government & DCSF, 2008). This includes specific guidance on joint working to prevent and tackle homelessness for 16 and 17 year olds and young people leaving care. This guide is intended to complement existing guidance by providing further detail on promising practice relating to assistance for (ex)offenders. This introductory chapter provides: - a brief overview of the policy context for the research - a description of the research methodology - an outline of the structure of the guide Details: London: Great Britain, Department for Communities and Local Government, 2009. 89p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed April 17, 2018 at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/595212/Homeless_prevention_and_meeting_the_needs_of_ex-offenders_archived.pdf Year: 2009 Country: United Kingdom URL: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/595212/Homeless_prevention_and_meeting_the_needs_of_ex-offenders_archived.pdf Shelf Number: 117122 Keywords: Ex-OffendersHomelessnessHousingPrisoner Reentry |
Author: Kirk, David S. Title: Lessons from Hurrican Katrina: A Natural Experiment of the Effect of Residential Change on Recidivism. Summary: In August 2005, Hurricane Katrina ravaged the Louisiana Gulf Coast, damaging many of the neighborhoods where ex-prisoners typically reside. Given the residential destruction resulting from Hurricane Katrina, it is unclear whether the resulting geographic displacement of returning prisoners has had any adverse, or even beneficial, impact on the likelihood of recidivism. In this study, a natural experiment is utilized as a means of addressing the selection issue, and seek to establish whether the migration of ex-prisoners away from their former place of residence will lead to lower levels of recidivism. Findings suggest that moving away from former geographic areas substantially lowers an ex-prisoner's likelihood of re-incarceration. Details: Ann Arbor, MI: National Poverty Center, University of Michigan, 2008 Source: National Poverty Center Working Paper Series: #08-10: Accessed April 25, 2018 at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/254046054_Lessons_from_Hurricane_Katrina_A_Natural_Experiment_of_the_Effect_of_Residential_Change_on_Recidivism Year: 2008 Country: United States URL: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/254046054_Lessons_from_Hurricane_Katrina_A_Natural_Experiment_of_the_Effect_of_Residential_Change_on_Recidivism Shelf Number: 117092 Keywords: Communities and CrimeEx-OffendersHurricane KatrinaNatural DisastersRecidivism |
Author: Fletcher, Renata Cobbs Title: Mentoring Former Prisoners: A Guide for Reentry Programs Summary: This manual draws on the experiences of the Ready4Work sites and established best practices in mentoring to provide guidelines for practitioners who are interested in developing a mentoring component that helps support ex-prisoners and quite possibly enhances the effectiveness of other program areas, such as job placement and retention. Details: Philadelphia: Public/Private Ventures, 2009. 90p. Source: Internet Resource Year: 2009 Country: United States URL: Shelf Number: 118601 Keywords: Employment, Ex-OffendersEx-OffendersMentoringReentry |
Author: McEvoy, Kieran Title: Enhancing Employability in Prison and Beyond: A Literature Review Summary: This literature review presents a comprehensive survey of books, reports and journal articles on crime and employability. Chapters include: Crime, Employment & Offending; Employability, Education and Training In Prison; Post Release Policy and Practice: What Works?: Good Practice & Desistance from Crime; Employment, Connectedness and the Notion of Social Capital; and Barriers to Employability. Details: NIACRO (Northern Ireland Association for the Care and Resettlement of Offenders), 2008. 53p. Source: Internet Resource Year: 2008 Country: United States URL: Shelf Number: 119369 Keywords: EmploymentEx-OffendersJob TrainingRehabilitation |
Author: Porter, Nicole D. Title: Expanding the Vote: State Felony Disenfranchisement Reform, 1997-2010 Summary: This report indicates that thousands of new voters can head to the polls next month due to changes to state laws that limit voting access for people convicted of felony offenses. Since 1997, 800,000 persons have regained the right to vote as a result of felony disenfranchisement reform in 23 states. The report found that: Nine states either repealed or amended lifetime disenfranchisement laws; Three states expanded voting rights to persons under community supervision (probation and parole); Eight states eased the restoration process for persons seeking to have their right to vote restored after completing sentence; and Three states improved data and information sharing. Details: Washington, DC: The Sentencing Project, 2010. 32p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed October 14, 2010 at: http://www.sentencingproject.org/doc/publications/publications/vr_ExpandingtheVoteFinalAddendum.pdf Year: 2010 Country: United States URL: http://www.sentencingproject.org/doc/publications/publications/vr_ExpandingtheVoteFinalAddendum.pdf Shelf Number: 119966 Keywords: Ex-OffendersFelony DisenfranchisementPolitical Rights, Loss ofSuffrage |
Author: Redcross, Cindy Title: Work After Prison: One-Year Findings From the Transitional Jobs Reentry Demonstration Summary: More than 2 million people are incarcerated in the United States, and around 700,000 are released from prison each year. Those who are released face daunting obstacles as they seek to reenter their communities, and rates of recidivism are high. Many experts believe that stable employment is critical to a successful transition from prison to the community. The Joyce Foundation’s Transitional Jobs Reentry Demonstration (TJRD), also funded by the JEHT Foundation and the U.S. Department of Labor, is testing employment programs for former prisoners in Chicago, Detroit, Milwaukee, and St. Paul, using a rigorous random assignment design. MDRC is leading the evaluation, along with the Urban Institute and the University of Michigan. The project focuses on transitional jobs (TJ) programs that provide temporary subsidized jobs, support services, and job placement help. Transitional jobs are seen as a promising model for former prisoners and for other disadvantaged groups. In 2007-2008, more than 1,800 men who had recently been released from prison were assigned, at random, to a transitional jobs program or to a program providing basic job search (JS) assistance but no subsidized jobs. Both groups are being followed using state data on employment and recidivism. Random assignment ensures that if significant differences emerge between the two groups, those differences can be attributed with confidence to the different types of employment services each group received. This is the first major report in the TJRD project. It describes how the demonstration was implemented and assesses how the transitional jobs programs affected employment and recidivism during the first year after people entered the project, a period when the recession caused unemployment rates to rise substantially in all four cities. Key findings include: 1. The TJRD project generally operated as intended. The TJ programs developed work slots and placed a very high percentage of participants into transitional jobs. About 85 percent of the men who were assigned to the TJ programs worked in a transitional job, reflecting a strong motivation to work. On average, participants worked in the TJs for about four months. 2. The TJ group was much more likely to work than the JS group early on, but the difference between groups faded as men left the transitional jobs; overall, the TJ group was no more likely to work in an unsubsidized job than the JS group. The programs provided temporary jobs to many who would not otherwise have worked, but at the end of the first year, only about one-third of the TJ group — about the same proportion as in the JS group — was employed in the formal labor market. 3. Overall, the TJ programs had no consistent impacts on recidivism during the first year of follow-up. About one-third of each group was arrested and a similar number returned to prison. Most of the prison admissions were for violations of parole rules, not new crimes. In one site, the transitional jobs group was less likely to be reincarcerated for a parole violation. These results point to the need to develop and test enhancements to the transitional jobs model and other strategies to improve outcomes for former prisoners who reenter society. They also raise questions about the assumed connection between employment and recidivism, since there were no decreases in arrests even during the period when the TJ group was much more likely to be employed. This is not the final word on the TJRD project; both groups will be followed up for another year, with two-year results available in 2011. Details: New York: MDRC, 2009. 245p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed November 9, 2010 at: http://www.mdrc.org/publications/570/full.pdf Year: 2009 Country: United States URL: http://www.mdrc.org/publications/570/full.pdf Shelf Number: 120265 Keywords: EmploymentEx-OffendersReentry |
Author: Mulmat, Darlanne Hoctor Title: Improving Reentry for Ex-Offenders in San Diego County: SB 618 Third Annual Evaluation Report Summary: In October 2005, California Senate Bill (SB) 618 was signed into law. This law is based on the concept that providing tangible reentry support services will increase parolees’ successful reintegration into the community. As the first county authorized to create a multiagency plan, and with the leadership from the District Attorney’s Office, San Diego County brought together a diverse group of stakeholders to develop policies and programs to educate and rehabilitate non-violent felony offenders. Key program components are based on best practices and include conducting screenings and assessments and providing case management and services to meet identified needs. The process begins before sentencing and continues through imprisonment, as well as up to 18 months post release. As part of this effort, process and impact evaluations are being conducted by SANDAG. This second annual evaluation report describes project implementation to date, outlines the research methodology, and presents preliminary research findings from the process and impact evaluation. Details: San Diego, CA: San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG), 2010. 238p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed November 10, 2010 at: http://sandiegohealth.org/sandag/sandag_pubs_2009-7-25/publicationid_1412_9234.pdf Year: 2010 Country: United States URL: http://sandiegohealth.org/sandag/sandag_pubs_2009-7-25/publicationid_1412_9234.pdf Shelf Number: 120277 Keywords: Ex-OffendersParoleesReentryRehabilitation |
Author: Blumstein, Alfred Title: Potential of Redemption in Criminal Background Checks Summary: Background checking, especially checking of criminal-history records, is becoming increasingly ubiquitous in the U.S. Recent advances in information technology and growing concern about employer liability have combined to increase the demand for such background checks. Also, a large number of individual criminal records have accumulated and been computerized in state repositories and commercial databases. As a result, many people who have made mistakes in their youthful past, but have since lived a law-abiding life face hardships in finding employment. The concern is evidenced by the report from the Attorney General sent to Congress in June, 2006 on criminal history background checks (U.S. Department of Justice, 2006). In the report, there is a recommendation for time limits on the relevancy of criminal records, which reflects the fact that the potentially lasting effect of criminal records is a common concern among many governmental and legal entities that have a say in this issue. Such entities include the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), which is concerned about discrimination based on criminal records because those with criminal records are disproportionately racial/ethnic minorities. The American Bar Association (ABA) is also concerned about the negative lasting effect of criminal records in employment settings. Both these organizations are taking an initiative to broaden the discussion about the problem of the way in which criminal records are currently used and to address how to regulate the use of criminal records, including a time limit on their relevancy. It is our goal in this project to provide guidance on the possibility of “redemption,” (which we define as the process of lifting the burden of the prior record), and to provide guidance on how one may estimate when such redemption is appropriate. Numerous studies have shown in the past that recidivism probability declines with time “clean,” so there is some point in time when a person with a criminal record who remained free of further contact with the criminal justice system is of no greater risk than any counterpart, an indication of redemption from the mark of an offender. We henceforth call this time point “redemption time.” Sections of this report discuss the recent trends about the practice of criminal background checking, particularly by employers, and the volume of computerized criminal records that are available for such background checks. They also address the problem of the lack of guidelines that could help employers understand how the “age” of a criminal record relates to the level of risk of a new crime. By discussing the trends, we demonstrate that the problem of redemption is a pressing public concern, and that empirically based guidance on redemption is urgently needed. Details: Pittsburgh: Carnegie Mellon University, 2010. 56p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed December 2, 2010 at: http://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/232358.pdf Year: 2010 Country: United States URL: http://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/232358.pdf Shelf Number: 120364 Keywords: Background ChecksCriminal RecordsEmploymentEx-Offenders |
Author: Redcross, Cindy Title: Transitional Jobs for Ex-Prisoners: Implementation, Two-Year Impacts, and Costs of the Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO) Prisoner Reentry Program Summary: Almost 700,000 people are released from state prisons each year. Ex-prisoners face daunting obstacles to successful reentry into society, and rates of recidivism are high. Most experts believe that stable employment is critical to a successful transition, but ex-prisoners have great difficulty finding steady work. This report presents interim results from a rigorous evaluation of the New York City-based Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO), a highly regarded employment program for ex-prisoners. CEO participants are placed in paid transitional jobs shortly after enrollment; they are supervised by CEO staff and receive a range of supports. Once they show good performance in the transitional job, participants get help finding a permanent job and additional support after placement. CEO is one of four sites in the Enhanced Services for the Hard-to-Employ Demonstration and Evaluation Project, which is sponsored by the Administration for Children and Families and the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), with additional funding from the U.S. Department of Labor. The project is being conducted under contract to HHS by MDRC, a nonprofit research organization, along with the Urban Institute and other partners. The impacts of CEO's program are being assessed using a rigorous research design. In 2004-2005, a total of 977 ex-prisoners who reported to CEO were assigned, at random, to a program group that was eligible for all of CEO's services or to a control group that received basic job search assistance. So far, the two groups have been followed for two years after study entry. Almost 700,000 people are released from state prisons each year. Ex-prisoners face daunting obstacles to successful reentry into society, and rates of recidivism are high. Most experts believe that stable employment is critical to a successful transition, but ex-prisoners have great difficulty finding steady work. This report presents interim results from a rigorous evaluation of the New York City-based Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO), a highly regarded employment program for ex-prisoners. CEO participants are placed in paid transitional jobs shortly after enrollment; they are supervised by CEO staff and receive a range of supports. Once they show good performance in the transitional job, participants get help finding a permanent job and additional support after placement. CEO is one of four sites in the Enhanced Services for the Hard-to-Employ Demonstration and Evaluation Project, which is sponsored by the Administration for Children and Families and the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), with additional funding from the U.S. Department of Labor. The project is being conducted under contract to HHS by MDRC, a nonprofit research organization, along with the Urban Institute and other partners. The impacts of CEO's program are being assessed using a rigorous research design. In 2004-2005, a total of 977 ex-prisoners who reported to CEO were assigned, at random, to a program group that was eligible for all of CEO's services or to a control group that received basic job search assistance. So far, the two groups have been followed for two years after study entry. Key Findings Include the following: CEO's program operated smoothly during the study period, and most program group members received the core services. More than 70 percent of the program group worked in a transitional job; the average length of that employment was about eight weeks; CEO generated a large but short-lived increase in employment; the increase was driven by CEO's transitional jobs. By the end of the first year of the study period, the program and control groups were equally likely to be employed, and their earnings were similar; CEO reduced recidivism during both the first and the second year of the study period. The program group was significantly less likely than the control group to be convicted of a crime, to be admitted to prison for a new conviction, or to be incarcerated for any reason in prison or jail during the first two years of the study period. In Year 1, CEO reduced recidivism only for those who came to the program within three months after their release from prison; in Year 2, however, the program reduced recidivism both for recently released study participants and for those who were not recently released at study entry. The study will follow the two groups for a third year, but the results so far show that CEO's program reduced recidivism, even after the employment gains faded. Decreases in recidivism have rarely been found in rigorous evaluations. Further research is needed to identify approaches that can produce more sustained increases in employment and earnings for ex-prisoners. Details: New York: MDRC, 2009. 159p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed December 6, 2010 at: http://www.urban.org/uploadedpdf/1001362_transitional_jobs.pdf Year: 2009 Country: United States URL: http://www.urban.org/uploadedpdf/1001362_transitional_jobs.pdf Shelf Number: 120375 Keywords: EmploymentEx-OffendersRecidivismReentryRehabilitation |
Author: Johnson, Laura E. Title: From Options to Action: A Roadmap for City Leaders to Connect Formerly Incarcerated Individuals to Work Summary: On February 28, 2008, P/PV, along with The United States Conference of Mayors, the Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service at NYU and the City of New York, convened the Mayors Summit on Reentry and Employment, where 150 city leaders, policymakers, practitioners and academics came together from more than 20 cities to share strategies for connecting formerly incarcerated people to the labor market. From Options to Action was inspired and informed by discussions that took place at the Summit, as well as P/PV's experience in the field and a review of pertinent literature. It is meant to provide a framework for reentry efforts, with guidance for cities in early planning phases as well as those implementing more advanced strategies. The report presents practical steps for achieving a more coordinated, comprehensive approach to reentry at the city level, including identifying and convening relevant stakeholders, addressing city-level barriers to employment, engaging the business community and working with county, state and federal leaders to implement collaborative approaches and produce needed policy change. Because mayors and other municipal leaders are confronted with the day-to-day reality of prison and jail reentry and see its detrimental effects in their cities, many have already begun to seek out, test and refine lasting solutions. We hope this publication will support their efforts, as they work to interrupt the revolving door of recidivism—and offer hope to returning prisoners, their families and communities. Details: Philadelphia: Public/Private Ventures, 2008. 52p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed December 9, 2010 at: http://www.ppv.org/ppv/publications/assets/235_publication.pdf Year: 2008 Country: United States URL: http://www.ppv.org/ppv/publications/assets/235_publication.pdf Shelf Number: 117634 Keywords: EmploymentEx-OffendersRecidivismReentry |
Author: Brews, Albert Title: Evaluation Report: Community Employment Centres Initiative Summary: Effective Corrections Enhancing Community Corrections Infrastructure funding was used to introduce and enhance services and programs targeted at increasing offender employment in the community, as CSC research indicates that about sixty percent of offenders have employment-related needs (identified during the Offender Intake Assessment process). When offenders are conditionally released, they should have access to meaningful employment interventions to build on what they have learned in the institution. Per the Treasury Board Decision letter, the centres were implemented to offer a spectrum of employment services, including individual assessment, counselling, job-search techniques and on-the-job placement. The purpose of this evaluation was to explore the functioning of the centres as it relates to offender referral, assessment, services and community supports. Another intention was to compare community-based results (e.g., length of time in the community) for offenders who used the centres, to other offenders with similar employment needs. Within CSC, the results have potential implications for offenders, management, staff (and parole officers, in particular), both in institutions and in the community. Other potential stakeholders include parties involved with, or impacted by, community employment centres, including: Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (formerly HRDC), Elizabeth Fry Society, John Howard Society, St. Leonard’s Society, and other local community-based service delivery agencies of the private sector as well as the general public. Details: Ottawa: Correctional Service Canada, Evaluation Branch, Policy Sector, 2010. 131p. Source: Internet Resource: File #394-2-82: Accessed December 10, 2010 at: http://www.csc-scc.gc.ca/text/pa/ev-ecci-ceci-394-2-37/FinalReportCEC_e.pdf Year: 2010 Country: Canada URL: http://www.csc-scc.gc.ca/text/pa/ev-ecci-ceci-394-2-37/FinalReportCEC_e.pdf Shelf Number: 120085 Keywords: Employment (Canada)Ex-OffendersReentry |
Author: Schmitt, John Title: Ex-offenders and the Labor Market Summary: We use Bureau of Justice Statistics data to estimate that, in 2008, the United States had between 12 and 14 million ex-offenders of working age. Because a prison record or felony conviction greatly lowers ex-offenders' prospects in the labor market, we estimate that this large population lowered the total male employment rate that year by 1.5 to 1.7 percentage points. In GDP terms, these reductions in employment cost the U.S. economy between $57 and $65 billion in lost output. Our estimates suggest that in 2008 there were between 5.4 and 6.1 million ex-prisoners (compared to a prison population of about 1.5 million and a jail population of about 0.8 million in that same year). Our calculations also suggest that in 2008 there were between 12.3 and 13.9 million ex-felons. In 2008, about one in 33 working-age adults was an ex-prisoner and about one in 15 working-age adults was an ex-felon. About one in 17 adult men of working-age was an ex-prisoner and about one in 8 was an ex-felon. An extensive body of research has established that a felony conviction or time in prison makes individuals significantly less employable. It is not simply that individuals who commit crimes are less likely to work in the first place, but rather, that felony convictions or time in prison act independently to lower the employment prospects of ex-offenders. Given our estimates of the number of ex-offenders and the best outside estimates of the associated reduction in employment suffered by ex-offenders, our calculations suggest that in 2008 the U.S. economy lost the equivalent of 1.5 to 1.7 million workers, or roughly a 0.8 to 0.9 percentage-point reduction in the overall employment rate. Since over 90 percent of ex-offenders are men, the effect on male employment rates was much higher, with ex-offenders lowering employment rates for men by 1.5 to 1.7 percentage points. Even at the relatively low productivity rates of ex-offenders (they typically have less education than the average worker), the resulting loss of output that year was likely somewhere between $57 and $65 billion. The rise in the ex-offender population -- and the resulting employment and output losses -- overwhelmingly reflects changes in the U.S. criminal justice system, not changes in underlying criminal activity. Instead, dramatic increases in sentencing, especially for drug-related offenses, account for the mushrooming of the ex-offender population that we document here. Substantial scope exists for improvement. Since high levels of incarceration are not the result of high levels of crime, changes in sentencing today can greatly reduce the size of the ex-offender population in the future. Moreover, the high cost in terms of lost output to the overall economy also suggests the benefits of taking action to reduce the substantial employment barriers facing ex-offenders. In the absence of some reform of the criminal justice system, the share of ex-offenders in the working-age population will rise substantially in coming decades, increasing the employment and output losses we estimate here. Details: Washington, DC: Center for Economic and Policy Research, 2010. 22p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed December 20, 2010 at: http://www.cepr.net/documents/publications/ex-offenders-2010-11.pdf Year: 2010 Country: United States URL: http://www.cepr.net/documents/publications/ex-offenders-2010-11.pdf Shelf Number: 120553 Keywords: EmploymentEx-OffendersReentry |
Author: Zweig, Janine Title: Recidivism Effects of the Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO) Program Vary by Former Prisoners’ Risk of Reoffending Summary: The New York City-based Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO) is a transitional jobs program designed to help former prisoners increase longer-term employment and, consequently, reduce recidivism. Interim results from MDRC’s rigorous impact evaluation of CEO show reduced recidivism in both the first and the second year of follow-up. This research brief expands on those results by using regression-based analysis to identify whether CEO had its greatest impact among low-, medium-, or high-risk offenders — with risk levels being defined by participants’ characteristics before random assignment that are associated with recidivism after random assignment. CEO had its strongest reductions in recidivism for former prisoners who were at highest risk of recidivism, for whom CEO reduced the probability of rearrest, the number of rearrests, and the probability of reconviction two years after random assignment. If confirmed by other studies, these findings suggest that the limited resources available to transitional jobs programs for former prisoners should be targeted toward the people at highest risk of recidivating, because they are helped most by this intervention. Details: New York: MDRC, 2010. 16p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed April 21, 2011 at: http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/opre/welfare_employ/enhanced_hardto/reports/ceo_program/ceo_program.pdf Year: 2010 Country: United States URL: http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/opre/welfare_employ/enhanced_hardto/reports/ceo_program/ceo_program.pdf Shelf Number: 121460 Keywords: EmploymentEx-OffendersRecidivismReentryReoffending |
Author: Meade, Erica Title: Overview and Inventory of HHS Efforts to Assist Incarcerated and Reentering Individuals and their Families Summary: The purpose of this document is to help Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) agencies know the full range of programs and services in the Department that currently address the needs of incarcerated individuals and their families and to understand what research and evaluation efforts are underway to identify evidence-based practices. Although HHS programs are not specifically targeted to incarcerated and reentering individuals and their families, many HHS programs do serve these individuals and families as part of the broader population served. Additionally, there are HHS research, demonstration, and evaluation efforts focused on this population because incarceration is an important risk factor for adult and child well-being, as well as the well-being of families and communities. The inventory that follows will facilitate stronger intra-agency collaborations to address the many needs of these individuals and families and to improve their well being. It will also serve as an information source for other Departments and our public and private sector partners. Increasing the safety, security and well-being of individuals, families and communities requires the resources of many partners. These partnerships will be stronger when all the partners know what resources are available and what activities are already in place. Details: Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, 2011. 126p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 16, 2011 at: http://aspe.hhs.gov/hsp/11/Incarceration&Reentry/Inventory/index.pdf Year: 2011 Country: United States URL: http://aspe.hhs.gov/hsp/11/Incarceration&Reentry/Inventory/index.pdf Shelf Number: 121729 Keywords: Ex-OffendersFamilies of Ex-OffendersHousingReentry |
Author: Rogers, David Title: Access Denied in Oregon: A Report on the Barriers Faced by People with a Past Felony Conviction Summary: The US incarcerates over 2.2 million people, more than any other country in the world. This means that one out of every 136 people in the U.S. is currently in jail or prison. The astronomical growth of incarceration in the U.S. over the past 25 years has created a wide range of social challenges, not least of which is how to respond to formerly incarcerated people upon their re-entry into the community. In 2005, Partnership for Safety and Justice (then know as Western Prison Project) began an intentional exploration of the range of civil barriers formerly incarcerated people face. We realized that not nearly enough attention is being paid to this critical set of issues. After a lengthy process of interviews, focus groups, and research, we have produced Access Denied in Oregon, a 12-page report on barriers faced by people with a past felony conviction. Access Denied in Oregon is by no means a comprehensive overview of the roadblocks to re-entry after prison. Rather, this report is designed to share some of the information we have collected with an emphasis on the key barriers identified by our survey and focus group participants. Details: Portland, OR: Partnership for Safety and Justice, 2006. 12p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed August 22, 2011 at: http://www.safetyandjustice.org/files/Access%20Denied%20Report.pdf Year: 2006 Country: United States URL: http://www.safetyandjustice.org/files/Access%20Denied%20Report.pdf Shelf Number: 122434 Keywords: Ex-OffendersPrisoner Reentry (Idaho) |
Author: Muntingh, Lukas Title: The Law and Business of Criminal Record Expungement in South Africa Summary: This report reviews the use and expungement of criminal records in South Africa and was prompted by a recent amendment to the Criminal Procedure Act which created, for the first time, a mechanism for certain criminal convictions to be expunged. The situation of criminal records and their expungement is, however, not a simple one and the creation of additional registers (Sex Offender Register, Child Protection Register and Diversion Register) have added another dimension to the issue. The overall impression from the legal framework is that different pieces of legislation use different yardsticks in respect of expungements. It is furthermore a general conclusion that the scope of the mechanism created in the Criminal Procedure is extremely narrow and that very few former offenders would in fact benefit from it. The creation of this mechanism also saw the private sector creating a profit opportunity with some companies charging amounts as high as R7 500 for handling the expungement application, a procedure that should cost no more than R100. The report concludes by recommending that the retention and expungement of criminal records should be selective, purposeful and based on knowledge. Details: Cape Town, South Africa: Community Law Centre, University of the Western Cape, 2011. 30p. Source: Internet Resource: Research Report No. 18: Accessed October 28, 2011 at: http://www.communitylawcentre.org.za/clc-projects/civil-society-prison-reform-initiative/publications-1/cspri-publications/SACriminal_record_expungement.PDF/ Year: 2011 Country: South Africa URL: http://www.communitylawcentre.org.za/clc-projects/civil-society-prison-reform-initiative/publications-1/cspri-publications/SACriminal_record_expungement.PDF/ Shelf Number: 123162 Keywords: Criminal Records (South Africa)Ex-OffendersExpungement |
Author: Ministry of Justice, Department for Work and Pensions Title: Offending, employment and benefits - emerging findings from the data linkage project Summary: The Offending, employment and benefits ad-hoc statistics release contains emerging findings from a project to share administrative data between the Ministry of Justice (MoJ), the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC). The aim of the data-share is to improve the evidence base on the links between offending, employment and benefits to support policy development. Details: United Kingdom: Ministry of Justice, Department for Work and Pensions, 2011. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed on December 7, 2011 at: http://statistics.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd1/adhoc_analysis/2011/offending_employment_and_benefits.pdf Year: 2011 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://statistics.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd1/adhoc_analysis/2011/offending_employment_and_benefits.pdf Shelf Number: 123502 Keywords: Diffusion of BenefitsEmploymentEx-Offenders |
Author: Redcross, Cindy Title: More Than a Job: Final Results from the Evaluation of the Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO) Transitional Jobs Program Summary: This report presents the final results of the evaluation of the Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO). CEO is one of four sites in the Enhanced Services for the Hard-to-Employ Demonstration and Evaluation Project, sponsored by the Administration for Children and Families and the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), with additional funding from the U.S. Department of Labor. MDRC, a nonprofit, nonpartisan social and education policy research organization, is leading the evaluation, in collaboration with the Urban Institute and other partners. Based in New York City, CEO is a comprehensive employment program for former prisoners — a population confronting many obstacles to finding and maintaining work. CEO provides temporary, paid jobs and other services in an effort to improve participants’ labor market prospects and reduce the odds that they will return to prison. The study uses a rigorous random assignment design: it compares outcomes for individuals assigned to the program group, who were given access to CEO’s jobs and other services, with the outcomes for those assigned to the control group, who were offered basic job search assistance at CEO along with other services in the community. The three-year evaluation found that CEO substantially increased employment early in the follow-up period but that the effects faded over time. The initial increase in employment was due to the temporary jobs provided by the program. After the first year, employment and earnings were similar for both the program group and the control group. CEO significantly reduced recidivism, with the most promising impacts occurring among a subgroup of former prisoners who enrolled shortly after release from prison (the group that the program was designed to serve). Among the subgroup that enrolled within three months after release, program group members were less likely than their control group counterparts to be arrested, convicted of a new crime, and reincarcerated. The program’s impacts on these outcomes represent reductions in recidivism of 16 percent to 22 percent. In general, CEO’s impacts were stronger for those who were more disadvantaged or at higher risk of recidivism when they enrolled in the study. The evaluation includes a benefit-cost analysis, which shows that CEO’s financial benefits outweighed its costs under a wide range of assumptions. Financial benefits exceeded the costs for taxpayers, victims, and participants. The majority of CEO’s benefits were the result of reduced criminal justice system expenditures. Details: Washington, DC: Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation, the Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2012. 166p. Source: OPRE Report 2011-18: Internet Resource: Accessed February 28, 2012 at http://www.mdrc.org/publications/616/full.pdf Year: 2012 Country: United States URL: http://www.mdrc.org/publications/616/full.pdf Shelf Number: 124308 Keywords: EmploymentEvaluative StudiesEx-OffendersRecidivism |
Author: Rodriguez, Michelle Natividad Title: State Reforms Promoting Employment of People with Criminal Records: 2010-11 Legislative Round-Up Summary: The severe economic climate facing the states has fueled a growing recognition of the need for cost-saving alternatives to incarceration. This paper seeks to contribute to this momentum for state-level reform by identifying policies that reduce the employment barriers faced by people with criminal records. As policy makers and advocates evaluate opportunities for reform heading into the 2012 state legislative sessions, the bills highlighted here, which seek to reduce crime and reward rehabilitation, warrant close attention. People with criminal records now confront unprecedented employment challenges that are not solely the result of a weak labor market. States, for example, have collectively adopted more than 30,000 laws that significantly restrict access to employment and other basic rights and benefits for people with criminal records, according to an exhaustive analysis2 by the American Bar Association. Recognizing that many such barriers fail to increase public safety, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder urged states to evaluate and remove laws that prevent people from living and working productively. The inspiring work of state policy makers and advocates across the country has led to new model policies that allow qualified people with criminal records to compete more fairly for employment. This paper highlights these laws enacted in 2010 and 2011 and reports on state trends of concern that broadly restrict employment based on a criminal record. This paper is organized into the following policy categories: (1) inventories of collateral consequences, (2) fair hiring and occupational licensing standards, (3) restoration of eligibility for employment and occupational licensing, (4) expungement and sealing of records, (5) prohibiting discrimination based on a criminal record, (6) securing identification documents, (7) reducing child support arrearages, (8) training and job placement for people with criminal records, and (9) employer negligent hiring protections. Key developments on these policy fronts include: Three states (Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New Mexico) have adopted “ban the box” policies that prescribe the point at which an individual’s criminal record may be revealed in the hiring process. Two states (North Carolina and Ohio) passed laws that create certificates that recognize an individual’s rehabilitation and thereby reduce employment sanctions and disqualifications. Thirteen states (Arkansas, California, Colorado, Delaware, Indiana, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Texas, and Utah), recognizing that old, minor offenses can plague job seekers years later, took positive steps to allow the expungement and sealing of a number of low-level offenses. Five states (Colorado, Kentucky, Nevada, New York, and Virginia) created new rights for workers to more easily access identification documents and other information needed to secure employment. Three states (Colorado, Massachusetts, and North Carolina) adopted laws, in conjunction with other reforms, to limit the liability of employers that hire people with criminal records. Details: New York: National Employment Law Project (NELP), 2011. 23p. Source: Legislative Update: Internet Resource: Accessed March 10, 2012 at http://www.nelp.org/page/-/SCLP/2011/PromotingEmploymentofPeoplewithCriminalRecords.pdf?nocdn=1 Year: 2011 Country: United States URL: http://www.nelp.org/page/-/SCLP/2011/PromotingEmploymentofPeoplewithCriminalRecords.pdf?nocdn=1 Shelf Number: 124428 Keywords: Criminal RecordsEmploymentEx-Offenders |
Author: Fontaine, Jocelyn Title: Housing as a Platform for Formerly Incarcerated Persons Summary: This policy framing paper is one of three that explores the potential for housing combined with support services to create better outcomes for vulnerable populations. The U.S. population of formerly incarcerated individuals has increased dramatically over the past decade, resulting in sweeping consequences to individuals and families, communities, safety, and public spending. Against the backdrop of these reentry challenges, this paper discusses how housing can be a platform or pathway toward more successful reentry and reintegration for formerly incarcerated persons. The authors then identify research needed to inform policymakers and practitioners in meeting the housing and service needs of this at-risk group. This framing paper is part of a series of field-building research agendas produced under the What Works Collaborative. More information can be found on the What Works Collaborative web page. Details: Washington, DC: Urban Institute, 2012. 23p. Source: What Works Collaborative Paper: Internet Resource: Accessed June 19, 2012 at http://www.urban.org/UploadedPDF/412552-Housing-as-a-Platform-for-Formerly-Incarcerated-Persons.pdf Year: 2012 Country: United States URL: http://www.urban.org/UploadedPDF/412552-Housing-as-a-Platform-for-Formerly-Incarcerated-Persons.pdf Shelf Number: 125354 Keywords: Ex-OffendersHousingReentryReintegration, Offenders |
Author: Gormally, Brian Title: Thematic Evaluation of Funded Projects: Politically-motivated Former Prisoners and their Families Summary: This thematic evaluation focuses on the work of projects which work in the border areas with politically motivated ex-prisoners and their families. Many of these projects have already been individually evaluated in terms of the details of their work and indeed those evaluations form part of the key data drawn upon in the current report. However, the function of this report is to draw out more general themes of broader applicability in assessing the peace and reconciliation outcomes and the impacts of the projects. This review encompasses nine, separate -- indeed sometimes very different -- projects providing services and support for the ex-prisoner community of the Border Region of Ireland and beyond. The projects reviewed include seven, primarily local projects in the border area: Abhaile Aris based in Letterkenny; Expac based in Monaghan; Failte Abhaile based in Dundalk; Failte Chluain Eois based in Clones; La Nua based in Ballinamore, Co Leitrim; Tus Nua Sligeach based in Sligo; and Teach na Failte based in Strabane. In addition, the thematic review also covers the all-Ireland work of Coiste na n-Iarchimi, the central co-ordinating organisation for Republican ex-prisoner projects, as well as The Educational Trust, a project run by the Northern Ireland Association for the Care and Resettlement of Offenders that offers grants to individual ex-prisoners or their family members enabling them to take accredited educational courses throughout Ireland. Details: Belfast: Institute of Criminology and Criminal Justice School of Law Queen’s University Belfast, 2007. 77p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed August 7, 2012 at: http://www.seupb.eu/Libraries/Peace_Network_Meetings_and_Events/PN__Thematic_Evaluation_of_Funded_Projects_Politically_motivated_former_prisoners_and_their_families__020210.sflb.ashx Year: 2007 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.seupb.eu/Libraries/Peace_Network_Meetings_and_Events/PN__Thematic_Evaluation_of_Funded_Projects_Politically_motivated_former_prisoners_and_their_families__020210.sflb.ashx Shelf Number: 125902 Keywords: Educational ProgramsEx-OffendersEx-Prisoners (Northern Ireland)Families of PrisonersPrisoner ReentryPrisoner Rehabilitation |
Author: Kilsby, Mark Title: Independent Evaluation of the Vulnerable Learners Apprenticeship Project Summary: The Vulnerable Learner Apprenticeship Project (VLP) is a pilot funded through Kent County Council (KCC) focussing on early intervention for 4 groups of vulnerable people aged 16 to 24 years, considered ‘NEET’. The cohorts are i) Young Parents ii) Young People with Learning and/or Physical Disabilities and/or Mental Health Issues iii) Young Offenders iv) Looked After Children Leaving Care. The VLP intervention aimed to enable 20 young people from each group to access local apprenticeship opportunities and help them to engage/re-engage more fully in the labour market. KCC paid the salary of each young person (£105pw) for 12 months with the support of local specialist teams. Ten Training Providers delivered the assessment and training aspects of the apprenticeships. This evaluation covers the progress of the project for the first 19 months from September 1st 2010 to March 31st 2012. Details: Cardiff: Kilsby/Allan Consulting, 2012. 61p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 4, 2012 at: http://base-uk.org/sites/base-uk.org/files/knowledge/Evaluation%20of%20the%20Vulnerable%20Learner%20Apprenticeship%20Project/final_vlp_eval_july2012.pdf Year: 2012 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://base-uk.org/sites/base-uk.org/files/knowledge/Evaluation%20of%20the%20Vulnerable%20Learner%20Apprenticeship%20Project/final_vlp_eval_july2012.pdf Shelf Number: 126239 Keywords: Ex-OffendersLearning DisabilitiesPrisoner Reentry (U.K.)Young Adult Offenders |
Author: Edgar, Kimmett Title: Out For Good: Taking Responsibility for Resettlement Summary: Enabling prisoners to take responsibility for their own resettlement is key to helping them address the challenges they will face on release and reduce their risk of reoffending, according to a new report by the Prison Reform Trust. Effective resettlement - the successful re-integration of people after prison - is a linchpin for reducing reoffending and a key element of the Coalition Government’s rehabilitation revolution. However, while prisoners hope to be out for good, almost half of adults released from prison are reconvicted within one year of release; the rate is 57% for those serving sentences of less than 12 months. Factors linked to re-offending help to explain these high rates: •79% of offenders who are homeless at the time they go to prison are reconvicted, compared to 47% who have accommodation •Over half of prisoners report that their drug-taking is a factor in acquisitive offences such as shoplifting, vehicle crime and theft •Only 36% of people leaving prison go into a job, educational course or training •48% of prisoners are at, or below, the level expected of an 11 year old in reading, 65% in numeracy and 82% in writing Drawing on the views and experiences of prisoners, along with prison governors and staff and voluntary sector providers, the Prison Reform Trust, supported by the Pilgrim Trust, conducted applied research to determine what makes for effective resettlement. The reports’ authors visited nine prisons, held discussion groups with about 40 prisoners and 30 staff, and interviewed 34 individual prisoners, and a wide range of staff from the prison service and the voluntary sector. Out for Good: taking responsibility for resettlement, also draws on data provided by the Prisoners Education Trust, from its Inside Time survey of 532 prisoners on their plans for resettlement. Key to effective resettlement was a commitment by prison staff to work closely with the prisoner not just to do things to, or for them. Alongside controlling risk and managing cases, prison staff and support services needed to share responsibility with the person preparing for his or her resettlement. Prison staff should enable offenders to make choices about the practical challenges they will face on release, and support those choices with appropriate help and advice. The prisoners interviewed as part of the study advocated a new set of priorities for resettlement work while in prison. These include: • An individual approach to each prisoner • Provision of information prisoners need to make reasoned decisions • Enhanced communication with the outside • Extended use of Release on Temporary Licence • Training focused on employable skills • Improved contact with family and involvement of families in preparation for release Most of the solutions to effective resettlement do not lie behind bars. The report recommends that the Ministry of Justice should work across government departments and local authorities to put in place housing, employment, health and social care and family support which are pivotal to successful rehabilitation. The report also recommends that prison managers should place the concept of sharing responsibility for resettlement between staff members and individual prisoners at the heart of their resettlement strategy. Every resettlement team should develop links to community-based organisations with the expertise prisoners need, including housing, finance and debt, family support and employment. Details: London: Prison Reform Trust, 2012. 99p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 13, 2012 at: http://www.prisonreformtrust.org.uk/Portals/0/Documents/OutforGood.pdf Year: 2012 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.prisonreformtrust.org.uk/Portals/0/Documents/OutforGood.pdf Shelf Number: 126332 Keywords: Ex-OffendersPrisoner Reentry (U.K.)RehabilitationResettlement |
Author: John Howard Society of Ontario Title: Effective, Just and Humane: A Case for Client-Centered Collaboration: Case Study of John Howard Society of Toronto’s Housing Program Summary: Access to safe and affordable housing is a cornerstone of healthy communities. Failure to provide this necessary foundation for individuals who are vulnerable to homelessness results in a population that faces enormous health disparities, not to mention massive costs to health care and social service systems. Health disparities or inequities are differences in health outcomes that are avoidable, unfair and systematically related to social inequality and disadvantage. The literature is quite clear in this regard: homelessness is inexorably linked with significantly poorer health outcomes, including, but certainly not limited to: being at a higher risk for communicable diseases, acute and often life-threatening conditions, victimization and extremely high mortality rates. Social determinants of health such as poverty, lack of social supports, unemployment and lack of stable housing all increase an individual’s likelihood of becoming homeless. In fact, the underlying determinants of homelessness tend to be the very same factors that predict involvement in the criminal justice system. Indeed, there is a significant bidirectional relationship between homelessness and involvement in the criminal justice system, whereby precariously housed or homeless individuals are more likely to come into conflict with the law and be incarcerated, and once incarcerated, risk of homelessness becomes greater upon eventual release. Not surprisingly then, simply providing housing will not eliminate the existence of homelessness, given all of its associated complexities. It is also necessary to provide resources that address the underlying causes of homelessness, which are manifold (Tremblay, 2009). It is evident from the current literature that the challenges of homelessness require a comprehensive and multi-sectoral solution, which not only addresses the issue of lack of safe and affordable housing, but also targets other intersecting determinants of health inequities experienced by the homeless population. Despite this need, there generally exists a lack of, or inadequate mechanisms for, effective communication between community organizations, government agencies, and other key stakeholders in coordinating the multiple services often required by individuals who are homeless. This need is especially salient for homeless populations who have been recently released from correctional institutions, or who have had previous contact with the criminal justice system, as this population tends to have added challenges that cross-cut any one service sector. Details: Toronto: John Howard Society of Ontario, 2012. 47p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 18, 2012 at: http://www.johnhoward.on.ca/pdfs/FINAL%20Community%20Report%20May%202012.pdf Year: 2012 Country: Canada URL: http://www.johnhoward.on.ca/pdfs/FINAL%20Community%20Report%20May%202012.pdf Shelf Number: 126369 Keywords: Crime PreventionEx-OffendersHomeless PersonsHomelessnessPrisoner ReentrySupportive Housing (Toronto, Canada) |
Author: Riskiyani, Shanti Title: Barriers to Health and Other Services for Ex-Prisoners Summary: The National Survey of Drug Abuse Development reported that the police had caught 1 of 5 abusers; even 1 of 2 injection addicts had dealt with police. Furthermore, there was 1 of 7 respondents in the survey admitted that had been in prison, especially the injection addicts group. One of the strongest lessons from the end of the last century is that public health can no longer afford to ignore the prisoner health. The rise and rapid spread of HIV infection and AIDS, the resurgence of other serious communicable diseases such as tuberculosis and hepatitis and the increasing recognition that prisons are inappropriate receptacles for people with dependence and mental health problems have thrust prison health high on the public health agenda (WHO, 2007). Substance use disorders among inmates are at epidemic proportions. Almost twothirds (64.5 percent) of the inmate population in the U.S. (1.5 million) met medical criteria for an alcohol or other drug use disorder. Prison and jail inmates are seven times likelier than are individuals in the general population to have a substance use disorder (Califano et.al, 2010). This activity was carried out as an advocacy tool, as an important part of the strategy in implementing Harm Reduction Network in raising the issue of drug user’s especially former prisoners. Particulary to explore the information about health services accessed by former prisoners narcotics, to explore the availabality of health services for the former prisoners and exploring accessed of former prisoners to the health services. By taking samples in seven provincial cities, the recording process is done by an objective and conducted by the research team. We’re collecting data using a qualitative method, data collection through in-depth interviews and focus group discussions. The instrument used in this study had previously been tested in two provinces, Medan –a city as the representation of western region- and Bali, for the eastern region. The results of this trial had then been discussed in a meeting attended by FHI staff, NGO staff of Charisma, Ministry of Health officials, Directorate General of Corrections and UNODC, to get feedback on improving the instrument. The results of this meeting was followed by a Data Collecting Team workshop and delivered new instrument that was then used in the farther data collection. Our workshops were conducted to similize perceptions of the reseracher members in the process of data collection in the field. Details: Indonesian Harm Reduction Federal; United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, 2012. 97p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed January 31, 2013 at: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/64663568/library/Final-Rep-UNODC-Eng.pdf Year: 2012 Country: Asia URL: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/64663568/library/Final-Rep-UNODC-Eng.pdf Shelf Number: 127459 Keywords: Drug AddictionDrug TreatmentEx-OffendersEx-PrisonersHealth CareMental Health Services |
Author: Priest, Gabriella Title: The Continuing Challenge of CORI Reform: Implementing the Groundbreaking 2010 Massachusetts Law Summary: Criminal Offender Record Information (CORI) has a profound impact on many lives, posing challenges to Massachusetts cities, towns, landlords and employers and creating barriers for individuals with a CORI seeking jobs and housing in order to become productive citizens. CORI was established in 1972 to limit access to criminal record information and to create a system with guidelines enabling access to these records in limited circumstances. Over the next 40 years, access to criminal records was greatly expanded. While CORI plays a crucial role in ensuring public safety, the expansion of access had a significant effect on people with criminal records. CORI subjects not only have to deal with their criminal records immediately after the conviction and after release from incarceration, but for several years after the conviction, even when no subsequent criminal activity occurred. Research shows that among other needs, obtaining employment, steady housing and positive social ties are necessary aspects in reducing someone’s chances for reoffending, yet a CORI often impedes these positive elements of successful reintegration. In July 2010, the Massachusetts legislature passed, and the Governor signed, landmark legislation to reform the state’s CORI system. When the CORI bill passed, it was met with broad support and relief, and most people and organizations interested in the issue had high hopes for the impact of the reforms. The main goals of the legislation were to improve the process of obtaining housing and employment for people with a criminal history and to ensure that public safety in sensitive areas of public life was maintained. The 2010 law that rewrote the CORI system changed a number of aspects on how CORI is accessed, who is able to see which portions of criminal history and ways to increase employment opportunities for individuals with CORI. At the same time, the reform did not change all the features for which many people hoped. As with any piece of broad-based legislation, the final law was a compromise between multiple parties. Since 2002, The Boston Foundation (TBF) and the Crime and Justice Institute (CJI) at CRJ have examined the issues in the CORI system in Massachusetts. In 2005 and in 2007, this collaboration produced two reports that peeled back the layers of the CORI system as well as illuminated the impact of the system on those who use it including employers, ex-offenders, law enforcement and others. This report provides information about reactions to whether the implemented elements of the CORI reform law have had the intended impact, and what the public should expect going forward. While the CORI reform law had several crucial elements and changes, such as the restructuring of the Criminal History Systems Board (CHSB) as the Department of Criminal Justice Information Services (DCJIS), this report focuses on elements of the reform discussed by CORI advocates, employers, housing officials, landlords and legislators. Details: Boston: Boston Foundation; Crime and Justice Institute at Community Resources for Justice, 2012. 24p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed February 12, 2013 at: http://www.tbf.org/~/media/TBFOrg/Files/Reports/CORI%20May2012.pdf Year: 2012 Country: United States URL: http://www.tbf.org/~/media/TBFOrg/Files/Reports/CORI%20May2012.pdf Shelf Number: 127592 Keywords: Criminal Records (Massachusetts)Ex-Offenders |
Author: Thomson, Jessica Title: Housing Needs of Adults Post-Incarceration in Edmonton Summary: The Mustard Seed is a humanitarian organization that delivers basic services, housing, and employment programs to those in need and partners with the community to address the root causes of poverty. As the organization develops and expands its housing programs it recognizes that one of its strengths is the ability and experience to work with the correctional population. This research study is an investigation into the housing status and plans of adults being discharged from correctional facilities into the Edmonton area. Headed by the Mustard Seed, the project was conducted in collaboration with researchers from the University of Alberta. Aside from one recent study conducted by the John Howard Society in Toronto it appears that very little research has been conducted on this topic in the Canadian context and virtually none has been done in Edmonton. This exploratory study aims to address a gap in the research on the challenges faced by incarcerated populations and their post-incarceration housing status in Edmonton and surrounding area. There are five federal institutions (Edmonton Institution, Edmonton Institution for Women, Stan Daniels, Buffalo Sage, Grierson) in Edmonton, another a federal institution that releases into Edmonton (Bowden Institution), a Remand Centre, and a Provincial Centre in a suburb near Edmonton. The consequence of being home to or near to these institutions is a high number of offenders settling in the Edmonton area post-incarceration. The implications for housing-related issues and challenges to reintegration are significant. Although research specific to the Edmonton area is lacking other research suggests that the first 90 days after release is the critical period that can ‘make or break’ the reintegration effort (Oregon Re-entry, 2011). Numerous studies acknowledge the link between incarceration, reintegration, and homelessness. In a recent study of homelessness and incarceration among Aboriginal women in Canada, Walsh et al. (2012) pointed out that Aboriginal women who are incarcerated are at an increased risk to be homeless and those who are homeless are at an increased risk for being incarcerated. A 2004 study in the United Kingdom acknowledged that the risk of re-offending is linked to a former prisoner’s housing situation and that accommodation issues can increase the likelihood of reoffending by up to 20% (Home Office, 2004a, p. 9, from Harding & Harding, 2006). In Canada, the link between incarceration and homelessness has been most fully described by a recent Toronto study. According to Homeless and Jailed: Jailed and Homeless, a study conducted by the John Howard Society of Toronto (2010) being homeless increases the likelihood of ending up in jail, while imprisonment increases the risk of homelessness. As Padgett et al. (2006) have argued, a ‘housing first’ approach to addressing the needs of those dealing with homelessness, mental illness, and drug addiction – common challenges to many leaving prison – is much more successful in dealing with mental illness and drug addiction issues than standard models of care. Research Questions The research questions informing this project are: 1. What is the housing status of adults transitioning from correctional facilities into the Greater Edmonton Area into the community? 2. Do releases from correctional facilities impact the homeless count in the Greater Edmonton area? 3. Does this demographic require additional support around issues pertaining to housing? Details: Edmonton, AB, Canada: Mustard Seed Edmonton and the University of Alberta, 2013. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed February 22, 2013 at: http://www.homewardtrust.ca/images/resources/2013-02-11-14-31MustardSeed_FINAL_2013%2001%2030.pdf Year: 2013 Country: Canada URL: http://www.homewardtrust.ca/images/resources/2013-02-11-14-31MustardSeed_FINAL_2013%2001%2030.pdf Shelf Number: 127705 Keywords: Ex-OffendersHomelessnessHousingPrisoner Reentry (Canada) |
Author: Trotter, Chris Title: Evaluation of Programs for Support of Prisoners and Ex-Prisoners Summary: In 2006 representatives from four community sector organisations, Melbourne Citymission, Whitelion, Prison Network Ministries and Prison Fellowship Victoria - Australia commissioned researchers from the Monash University Criminal Justice Research Consortium, to undertake an evaluation of prison transition programs conducted by each of the four agencies. The purpose of the research was to evaluate the effectiveness of transitional support programs and develop an evidence base that would assist the agencies to advocate for transitional support for people exiting prison. The report highlights the most effective approaches in delivery of pre and post release programs and interventions. It underlines the importance of programs that provide holistic support to people exiting prison, pro-social modelling, and assistance to develop problem solving with a focus on goals settings. The report also acknowledges the significance on the worker client relationship in achieving positive outcomes. Partnerships between services are also recognised as critical to the success of these pre and post release programs. The authors also argue that these programs should be offered to medium to high risk clients. Details: Clayton, VIC: Monash University, Criminal Justice Research Consortium, 2009. 42p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 5, 2013 at: http://www.whitelion.asn.au/files/publications/Transition_Evaluation_final_revised_7_July_2009.pdf Year: 2009 Country: Australia URL: http://www.whitelion.asn.au/files/publications/Transition_Evaluation_final_revised_7_July_2009.pdf Shelf Number: 127831 Keywords: Ex-OffendersPartnershipsPrisoner Reentry (Australia)Rehabilitation |
Author: Bloom, Dan Title: Transitional Jobs: Background, Program Models, and Evaluation Evidence Summary: The budget for the U.S. Department of Labor for Fiscal Year 2010 includes a total of $45 million to support and study transitional jobs. This paper describes the origins of the transitional jobs models that are operating today, reviews the evidence on the effectiveness of this approach and other subsidized employment models, and offers some suggestions regarding the next steps for program design and research. The paper was produced for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services by MDRC as part of the Enhanced Services for the Hard-to-Employ project, which includes two random assignment evaluations of transitional jobs programs. Transitional jobs programs provide temporary, wage-paying jobs, support services, and job placement help to individuals who have difficulty getting and holding jobs in the regular labor market. Although recent evaluation results have raised doubts about whether TJ programs, as currently designed, are an effective way to improve participants’ long-term employment prospects, the studies have also confirmed that TJ programs can be operated at scale, can create useful work opportunities for very disadvantaged people, and can lead to critical indirect impacts such as reducing recidivism among former prisoners. Thus, in drawing lessons from the recent results, the paper argues that it may be important to think more broadly about the goals of TJ programs while simultaneously testing new strategies that may produce better long-term employment outcomes. Details: New York: MDRC, 2010. 59p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 5, 2013 at: http://www.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/opre/tj_09_paper_embed.pdf Year: 2010 Country: United States URL: http://www.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/opre/tj_09_paper_embed.pdf Shelf Number: 127848 Keywords: Employment (U.S.)Ex-OffendersReentryTransitional Jobs |
Author: Normandin, Heidi Title: Looking Beyond the Prison Gate: New Directions in Prisoner Reentry Summary: The iron law of incarceration is that nearly all prisoners come back—to their families and communities. In FY 2006, over 14,500 prisoners were released from Wisconsin prisons. This means that the population returned to society last year was similar in size to Bayfield County, the city of Menomonie, or the combined student bodies of UW-Stevens Point and UW-Green Bay. After being behind bars an average of 10 years, many prisoners have difficulty with the most basic requirements of life outside prison, such as finding a steady job, locating housing, and reestablishing positive relationships with family and friends. This report examines the latest evidence on how reentry policy can keep the public safe by better preparing prisoners for their inevitable return. The first chapter is written by Jeremy Travis, president of the John Jay College of Criminal Justice at the City University of New York. Sentencing policy in the United States has changed dramatically in the last 30 years. During this time, U.S. incarceration rates quadrupled (largely due to drug offenses) and corrections budgets have become the second fastest growing state expenditure. More offenders entering prison means that more prisoners will eventually leave and return to their families and communities. Yet returning prisoners face a number of challenges in their family relationships, work, health, and housing. Many have a low level of human capital; for example, the longest that half of them have held a job is two years. Two-thirds of released prisoners end up being rearrested for a new offense within three years, and one-quarter are returned to prison for a new conviction. To turn these numbers around, new policy directions include a) reinventing supervision by front-loading services to ex-prisoners during the first six months after their release, the time they are most likely to commit a new crime, and b) establishing reentry courts to provide appropriate sanctions and incentives for successful reintegration. The next chapter on designing reentry programs is written by Edward Latessa, professor and division head in the Division of Criminal Justice at the University of Cincinnati. Successful prisoner reentry programs have garnered public support because of their potential to reduce recidivism and save taxpayer dollars. To be effective, reentry programs must apply the four principles of effective corrections interventions. First, programs should be targeted to high-risk offenders. Placing low-risk offenders in intensive programs might actually increase their recidivism rates. Second, programs should focus on crime-producing factors such as antisocial attitudes and substance abuse. Boot camp programs are ineffective because they target factors unrelated to crime, model aggressive behavior, and bond criminals together. Third, programs should use a cognitive-behavioral approach, which has been shown to reduce reoffenses by an average of 10%. This actionoriented approach teaches prisoners new skills through modeling, practice, and reinforcement. Fourth, for model programs to be effective, implementation must closely replicate the original design; poorly implemented programs can do more harm than good. Given budget deficits, other states may follow Oregon’s lead in requiring all programs for offenders to be evidence-based. The third chapter by Christina Carmichael and Jere Bauer, Jr. of the Legislative Fiscal Bureau describes prisoner reentry programs in Wisconsin. The reentry process begins at the time of sentencing. For felony offenses, except those punishable by life imprisonment, felons receive a bifurcated sentence. The judge specifies the time to be spent in (a) prison and (b) the community on extended supervision. Reentry services assist prisoners in transitioning back into the community through programs provided to inmates in prison and to offenders under community supervision who need assistance with housing, job readiness, and access to services. As of July 2007, Wisconsin correctional institutions had 22,729 inmates, and community corrections served 55,879 offenders on probation and 17,084 on parole or extended supervision. Upon admission, an assessment identifies the offender’s individual needs for services such as cognitive intervention, education, employment training, medical care, and sex offender treatment. For example, almost half of adult inmates lack a high school diploma or GED and, when admitted, about two thirds have alcohol and drug abuse problems. The portion of inmate spending allocated to reentry programming is not available; however, $123.7 million is spent for probation, parole, and extended supervision in the community and $24.8 million to purchase community services for offenders. The Family Impact Seminars encourages policymakers to consider how families are affected by problems and whether policies would be more effective if families were part of the solution. This report details a number of ways that families are affected by prisoner reentry. In the U.S., two-thirds of female inmates and one-half of male inmates are parents. When one parent is incarcerated, the children left behind are at risk of unhealthy development. The remaining family members also face financial stress and strain from the separation. When prisoners return home, the family can be central to the reentry process. Of course, not all families are in a position to help or want to help. Yet in one study, 90% of former prisoners “agreed” or “strongly agreed” that their family had been supportive in the first few months after their release. Former prisoners who felt that their family was a source of support had more success finding a job and staying off drugs. In fact, continuing contact with family members during and following incarceration can reduce recidivism and foster reintegration. As critical as this support is, it often comes at a price for families, many of whom are fragile. For families to serve as a cornerstone of successful prisoner reentry, policies should take family needs into account. For example, policymakers could enact programs that strengthen families who, in turn, will support the returning prisoner. Policymakers could also examine the state’s statutes, policies, and practices that may interfere with successful prisoner reentry and disadvantage their families. Some of these are summarized in a table prepared by the Wisconsin Department of Corrections. Corrections agencies could improve visitation policies; make it easier to maintain phone, video, or Internet contact; and expand the definition of family to allow visitation by girlfriends or boyfriends who are sometimes raising the prisoner’s children. Schools, youth organizations, and agencies that serve families could take into account the special challenges families face when a parent or partner enters into or returns from prison. Details: Madison, WI: University of Wisconsin - Madison, 2008. 68p. Source: Internet Resource: 26th Wisconsin Family Impact Seminar: Accessed March 18, 2013 at: http://www.familyimpactseminars.org/s_wifis26report.pdf Year: 2008 Country: United States URL: http://www.familyimpactseminars.org/s_wifis26report.pdf Shelf Number: 128004 Keywords: Ex-OffendersFamilies of InmatesPrisoner Reentry (U.S.) |
Author: Lutze, Faith E. Title: Washington State's Reentry Housing Pilot Program Evaluation: Year 3 Final Report Summary: In 2007 Washington State continued its work to end homelessness and to reduce recidivism committed by high risk and high need offenders being released from prison or jail without a home or a viable release plan. To address the issue of recidivism and homelessness the State implemented the Reentry Housing Pilot Program (RHPP) and similar programs funded by the Housing Grant Assistance Program (HGAP). This report provides the results of the final phase of the research project designed to determine whether providing wrap around services, treatment, and offender accountability with the provision of affordable and safe housing reduces recidivism. This report provides (1) a description of each of the RHPP programs implemented in Clark, King, and Spokane Counties and the HGAP programs implemented in Clallam and Whatcom Counties; and (2) a 24 month follow-up outcome evaluation comparing RHPP/HGAP participants with a similar group of offenders released from prison. RHPP/HGAP participants are compared with offenders who were released from prison into homelessness, unstable housing, or stable housing. The Washington State Legislature eliminated funding for the RHPP program in 2009 due to the economic crisis confronting the state. RHPP Outcome Evaluation Findings: RHPP participants were less likely (32%) than the comparison groups (36%) to be convicted for a new crime 24 months following their release from prison. This finding was not statistically significant. RHPP participants were less likely (45%) than the comparison groups (50%) to be revoked from community supervision for a violation. This finding was not statistically significant. RHPP participants were significantly less likely (53%) than the comparison groups (62%) to be readmitted to prison. HGAP Outcome Evaluation Findings: HGAP participants experience significantly fewer new convictions. These findings were mixed based on county. HGAP participants were significantly less likely (17%) to have their community supervision revoked than the comparison group (41%). HGAP participants were significantly less likely (41%) to be readmitted to prison than the comparison groups (60%). Details: Pullman, WA: Washington State University, Criminal Justice Program, 2011. 49p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 20, 2013 at: http://www.co.whatcom.wa.us/health/wchac/pdf/rhpp_year3_report_june_2011.pdf Year: 2011 Country: United States URL: http://www.co.whatcom.wa.us/health/wchac/pdf/rhpp_year3_report_june_2011.pdf Shelf Number: 128016 Keywords: Ex-OffendersHomelessnessHousingPrisoner Reentry (Washington State, U.S.Recidivism |
Author: Gaebler, Helen Title: Criminal Records in the Digital Age: A Review of Current Practices and Recommendations for Reform in Texas Summary: “Smart on Crime” reentry reforms have tended to focus on problems arising after criminal records are already publicly available. This is too late. Once criminal records have been released and incorporated into online databases it is difficult, if not impossible, to put the genie back in the bottle. It is time to broaden the reentry discussion and take a comprehensive look at how criminal records are accessed, disseminated, and utilized in this digital age and to find ways to make the criminal justice system more effective at providing meaningful opportunities for successful and lasting reintegration into our communities. Across the United States criminal records are increasingly available to the public through government repositories and commercial vendors alike. The opportunities and benefits lost as a result of a criminal record create lifelong barriers for anyone attempting to overcome a criminal past. Easy access to records means that most employers and landlords routinely request criminal history information when screening applicants. A criminal record severely restricts most employment opportunities and can entirely eliminate the opportunity to work in hundreds of licensed professions. A criminal record makes it significantly harder to find housing, whether with private landlords or in publicly subsidized housing, with some offenses requiring lifetime bans. Government benefits, including, cash assistance, food stamps, and student loans, may be denied or restricted because of a criminal history. More than 65 million adults nationwide have a criminal history; the numbers in Texas are equally alarming, with an estimated 4.7 million adults possessing a criminal record. These numbers continue to increase as more people are arrested and drawn into the criminal justice system. In Texas alone, law enforcement makes more than 1 million new arrests annually. All of these individuals are at risk for the long term negative collateral consequences that flow from a criminal record. With the rise of the Internet and the emergence of electronic databases, more than 40 million criminal background checks are performed annually for non-criminal justice purposes. But despite the technological advances that make criminal records so easy and cheap to access, little oversight exists to ensure that the information being reported is accurate and legally compliant. Equally problematic is that efforts to minimize collateral consequences by limiting access to the criminal records are undermined by the absence of uniform statewide release procedures. Widespread access to criminal records has serious long-term societal implications: Employment and housing are determinant factors in assessing recidivism risks, with the first year following release being the most critical time for reentry. Collateral consequences affect everyone in contact with the individual, including families and children. Many communities most affected already contend with high rates of unemployment, homelessness, and crime. The overrepresentation of African Americans and Latinos at every level of the criminal justice system puts these individuals at greater risk of harm. The risk of recidivism and danger to public safety are the most common concerns voiced by those advocating for increased access to criminal records, but such fears are overstated. Few, if any, contend that criminal history information is never a relevant factor to be considered. Problems arise, however, when policies and practices allow searches to include any past criminal involvement or law enforcement contact, regardless of offense, circumstance, and time passed. Restricting all opportunity for those living with a criminal record does not enhance public safety. A review of legislative efforts from across the US illustrates the complex nature of these problems. Lawmakers must combine many small solutions to create comprehensive system-wide reform to better control access to and use of criminal records and to minimize downstream reentry barriers. It is time for Texas to engage in this same process. Details: Austin, TX: William Wayne Justice Center for Public Interest Law The University of Texas School of law, 2013. 43p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 9, 2013 at: http://www.utexas.edu/law/centers/publicinterest/research/criminalrecords_report.pdf Year: 2013 Country: United States URL: http://www.utexas.edu/law/centers/publicinterest/research/criminalrecords_report.pdf Shelf Number: 128687 Keywords: Criminal Records (U.S.)Ex-OffendersPrisoner Reentry |
Author: Monnery, Benjamin Title: The Determinants of Recidivism among Ex-Prisoners: A Survival Analysis on French Data Summary: This article explores the main determinants of the hazard of recidivism among ex-prisoners. We use a nationally-representative sample of prisoners released in 1996-1997 in France, drawn from a 5-year follow-up survey run by the French correctional administration. We estimate semiparametric duration models which deal with violations of the proportional hazards hypothesis. Our results confirm the importance of gender, age, nationality, access to employment and prior convictions on recidivism within five years after release from prison. We also find significant differences in hazards of recidivism by type of initial offense, penal status at entry, and type of release (early release under parole, etc.), while controlling for prison fixed effects. Finally, our study casts doubt on the influence of certain variables (marital status at entry, education, homelessness) and on the effectiveness of semi-liberte as a way to prevent recidivism. Details: Saint-Etienne, France: University of Lyon 2 - Groupe d'Analyse et de Théorie Economique (GATE), 2013. 21p. Source: Internet Resource: GATE - Groupe d’Analyse et de Théorie Économique Lyon-St Étienne Working Paper No. WP 1320 : Accessed May 25, 2013 at: http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2265349 Year: 2013 Country: France URL: http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2265349 Shelf Number: 128790 Keywords: Economics of CrimeEx-OffendersRecidivism (France) |
Author: Feasey, Simon Title: The Resettlement of Offenders and ex-Offenders in Doncaster: Developing an Integrated Framework Summary: The Hallam Centre for Community Justice (HCCJ) was commissioned by Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council (DMBC), to undertake an evaluation of the existing processes and arrangements that underpin the delivery of services to offenders and ex-offenders within the district. From this evaluation a needs and gap analysis has been completed which informs the identification of a set of key proposals which underpin the development of an Integrated Framework for Resettlement. In order to progress this piece of research the HCCJ developed a four component methodology which included a range of evaluation methods which were designed to ensure that both quantitative and qualitative data sources from a broad range of agencies were analysed to ensure that diverse and divergent perspectives were identified and discussed. This Final Report includes the analysis of data across the four components which included: • An analysis of current provision and service and offender needs; • A Gap Analysis that identifies the gap between offender needs and the provision of services; • A Directory of Services to provide an information bank for service providers; • An Integrated Framework for Multi-agency Delivery. Within these four components were specified a number of approaches including: • Focus groups with offenders within custodial and community settings; • Semi-structured interviews with key managers, practitioners and policy makers; • An on-line survey across the community justice sector with the district; • The analysis of desk top materials including strategy documents and statistical data; • The completion of three Consultative Workshops to debate and explore emerging themes and proposals. Details: Sheffield, UK: Hallam Centre for Community Justice, Sheffield Hallam University, 2008. 76p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed August 5, 2013 at: http://shura.shu.ac.uk/998/1/fulltext.pdf Year: 2008 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://shura.shu.ac.uk/998/1/fulltext.pdf Shelf Number: 129544 Keywords: Ex-OffendersPrisoner Reentry (U.K.)Resettlement |
Author: Kilmer, Beau Title: Offender Reentry: Correctional Statistics, Reintegration into the Community, and Recidivism Summary: The prison population in the United States has been growing steadily for more than 30 years. The Bureau of Justice Statistics reports that since 1990 an average of 590,400 inmates have been released annually from state and federal prisons and almost 5 million ex-offenders are under some form of community-based supervision. Offender reentry can include all the activities and programming conducted to prepare ex-convicts to return safely to the community and to live as law-abiding citizens. Some ex-offenders, however, eventually end up back in prison. The most recent national-level recidivism study is 10 years old; this study showed that two-thirds of ex-offenders released in 1994 came back into contact with the criminal justice system within three years of their release. Compared with the average American, ex-offenders are less educated, less likely to be gainfully employed, and more likely to have a history of mental illness or substance abuse - all of which have been shown to be risk factors for recidivism. Three phases are associated with offender reentry programs: programs that take place during incarceration, which aim to prepare offenders for their eventual release; programs that take place during offenders' release period, which seek to connect ex-offenders with the various services they may require; and long-term programs that take place as ex-offenders permanently reintegrate into their communities, which attempt to provide offenders with support and supervision. There is a wide array of offender reentry program designs, and these programs can differ significantly in range, scope, and methodology. Researchers in the offender reentry field have suggested that the best programs begin during incarceration and extend throughout the release and reintegration process. Despite the relative lack of research in the field of offender reentry, an emerging "what works" literature suggests that programs focusing on work training and placement, drug and mental health treatment, and housing assistance have proven to be effective. The federal government's involvement in offender reentry programs typically occurs through grant funding, which is available through a wide array of federal programs at the Departments of Justice, Labor, Education, and Health and Human Services. However, only a handful of grant programs in the federal government are designed explicitly for offender reentry purposes. The Second Chance Act (P.L. 110-199) was enacted on April 9, 2008. The act expanded the existing offender reentry grant program at the Department of Justice and created a wide array of targeted grant-funded pilot programs. Details: Washington, DC: Congressional Research Service, 2014, 34p. Source: Internet Resource: RL34287: Accessed March 14, 2014 at: http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/RL34287.pdf Year: 2014 Country: United States URL: http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/RL34287.pdf Shelf Number: 131911 Keywords: Ex-OffendersPrisoner ReentryPrisonersRecidivismRehabilitationSecond Chance Act |
Author: Davis, Lois M. Title: How Effective is Correctional Education, and Where Do We Go from Here? The Results of a Comprehensive Evaluation Summary: Each year, more than 700,000 incarcerated individuals leave federal and state prisons; within three years of release, 40 percent will have committed new crimes or violated the terms of their release and be reincarcerated. Although a number of factors impede the ability of ex-offenders to successfully reintegrate into communities and, thus, affect recidivism rates, one key factor is that many ex-offenders do not have the knowledge, training, and skills to support a successful return to their communities. Research, for example, shows that ex-offenders, on average, are less educated than the general population: 37 percent of individuals in state prisons had attained less than a high school education in 2004, compared with 19 percent of the general U.S. population age 16 and over; 16.5 percent of state prisoners had just a high school diploma, compared with 26 percent of the general population; and 14.4 percent of state prison inmates had at least some postsecondary education, compared with 51 percent of the general U.S. adult population. Moreover, literacy levels for the prison population also tend to be lower than that of the general U.S. population. This lower level of educational attainment represents a significant challenge for exoffenders returning to local communities, because it impedes their ability to find employment. A lack of vocational skills and a steady history of employment also have an impact, with research showing that incarceration impacts unemployment and earnings in a number of ways, including higher unemployment rates for ex-offenders and lower hourly wages when they are employed. Also, individuals being released to the community face a very different set of job market needs than ever before, given the growing role of computer technology and the need for at least basic computer skills. Given these gaps in educational attainment and vocational skills and the impact they have on ex-offenders, one strategy is to provide education to inmates while they are incarcerated, so that they have the skills to support a successful return to their communities. Historically, support for educational programs within correctional settings has waxed and waned over time as the nations philosophy of punishment has shifted from rehabilitation to crime control. Although there is general consensus today that education is an important component of rehabilitation, the question remains: How effective is it in helping to reduce recidivism and improve postrelease employment outcomes? The question is especially salient as the nation as a whole and states in particular have struggled with the need to make spending cuts to all social programs due to the recession of 2008 and its long aftermath. With funding from the Second Chance Act of 2007 (Pub. L. 110-199), the U.S. Justice Department's Bureau of Justice Assistance awarded RAND a cooperative agreement in 2010 to comprehensively examine the current state of correctional education for incarcerated adults and juveniles, where it is headed, which correctional education programs are effective, and how effective programs can be implemented across different settings. The study was designed to address the following key questions of importance to the field of correctional education: 1. What is known about the effectiveness of correctional education programs for incarcerated adults? 2. What is known about the effectiveness of correctional education programs for juvenile offenders? 3. What does the current landscape of correctional education look like in the United States, and what are some emerging issues and trends to consider? 4. What recommendations emerge from the study for the U.S. Department of Justice and other federal departments to further the field of correction education, and where are there gaps in our knowledge? What promising practices, if any, emerge from this review and evaluation? To address these questions, we used a mixed-methods approach. This report first presents a summary of the prior systematic literature review and meta-analysis of adult correctional education programs (Davis et al., 2013), which included studies completed between 1980 and 2011. It then presents two new sections: a systematic literature review of primary studies of correctional education programs for juveniles and a nationwide web-based survey of state correctional education directors. We conclude with a set of recommendations for moving the field forward. For purposes of our study, we defined correctional education for incarcerated adults as including the following: - Adult basic education: basic skills instruction in arithmetic, reading, writing, and, if needed, English as a second language (ESL) - Adult secondary education: instruction to complete high school or prepare for a certificate of high school equivalency, such as the General Education Development (GED) certificate - Vocational education or career technical education (CTE): training in general employment skills and in skills for specific jobs or industries - Postsecondary education: college-level instruction that enables an individual to earn college credit that may be applied toward a two- or four-year postsecondary degree. To meet our definition of correctional education, the program had to be administered at least partly within a correctional facility. Programs that also included a postrelease transition component remained eligible as long as part of the program was administered in a correctional setting. For the juvenile program systematic review, we define incarcerated youth as individuals under age 21 who are legally assigned to correctional facilities as a result of arrest, detainment for court proceedings, adjudication by a juvenile court, or conviction in an adult criminal court (Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, 2013). We define correctional education as any academic or vocational education/CTE program provided within the correctional facility setting, regardless of jurisdiction. As with our adult review, we permitted eligible interventions for juveniles to include an aftercare (postrelease) component, but the interventions had to be delivered primarily in the correctional facility. Details: Santa Monica, CA: RAND, 2014. 156p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed April 19, 2014 at: http://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/research_reports/RR500/RR564/RAND_RR564.pdf Year: 2014 Country: United States URL: http://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/research_reports/RR500/RR564/RAND_RR564.pdf Shelf Number: 132085 Keywords: Correctional EducationEmploymentEx-OffendersRecidivismReentryRehabilitation Vocational Education and Training |
Author: Lee, Dara N. Title: The Digital Scarlet Letter: The Effect of Online Criminal Records on Crime Summary: How does public access to criminal records affect crime? Economic theory suggests that expanding access to criminal information may increase the cost of crime to potential criminals by endangering their future work prospects and thus act as a deterrent. However, increased provision of information could also obstruct ex-convicts from finding legal employment and lead to higher recidivism rates. I exploit the state and time variation in the introduction of state-maintained online criminal databases - which represent a sharp drop in the cost and effort of gaining criminal background information on another person - to empirically investigate the trade-off between deterrence and recidivism. I find that online criminal records lead to a small net reduction in property crime rates, but also a marked increase of approximately 11 percent in recidivism among ex-offenders. Details: Unpublished paper, 2012. 39p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 12, 2014 at: http://web.missouri.edu/~leedn/OnlineRecords_DLee.pdf Year: 2012 Country: United States URL: http://web.missouri.edu/~leedn/OnlineRecords_DLee.pdf Shelf Number: 132337 Keywords: Criminal RecordsEmploymentEx-OffendersRecidivism |
Author: Gerber, Alan S. Title: Can Incarcerated Felons Be (Re)integrated into the Political System? Results from a Field Experiment Summary: How does America's high rate of incarceration shape political participation? Few studies have examined the direct effects of incarceration on patterns of political engagement. Answering this question is particularly relevant for the 93% of formerly incarcerated individuals who are eligible to vote. Drawing on new administrative data from Connecticut, we present evidence from a field experiment showing that a simple informational outreach campaign to released felons can recover a large proportion of the reduction in participation observed following incarceration. The treatment effect estimates imply that efforts to reintegrate released felons into the political process can substantially reduce the participatory consequences of incarceration. Details: New Haven, CT: Yale University, Department of Political Science, 2014. 29p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed June 20, 2014 at: http://www.davidhendry.net/research-supplemental/gerberetal2014-ctfelons_fieldexperiment/gerberetal2014-ctfelons_fieldexperiment.pdf Year: 2014 Country: United States URL: http://www.davidhendry.net/research-supplemental/gerberetal2014-ctfelons_fieldexperiment/gerberetal2014-ctfelons_fieldexperiment.pdf Shelf Number: 132536 Keywords: Ex-OffendersPoliticsVoting |
Author: Wormith, J. Stephen Title: Homelessness Among Offenders Released from Federal Correctional Facilities in Saskatchewan Summary: A growing body of research has identified housing as a key component in the successful reintegration of offenders into the community following a period of incarceration. Federal offenders are likely to face greater challenges obtaining stable housing than provincial offenders because, by law, they have been sentenced to longer periods of custody (i.e., a minimum of two years, although most are released within 16 months). Longer time away from the community may result in additional difficulty obtaining stable housing for reasons, which include the loss of past contacts. The purpose of this project was to examine issues related to housing and homelessness of federal offenders released from custody into the Saskatchewan community. More specifically, an examination of current services available to assist offenders in finding appropriate housing, characteristics of offenders who are homeless and housing services that are needed was conducted. Three kinds of research methodology were utilized: 1. A search of Saskatchewan housing services and programs available to released federal offenders was undertaken. 2. In-depth interviews were conducted with a broad cross-section of key informants involved in housing related activities with federal offenders. 3. Data were collected from offender files and interviews with 41 inmates residing in Saskatchewan federal correctional facilities. Two sets of interviews were conducted. One interview took place prior to the offenders' release from prison and the other interview took place after they were released to communities in Saskatchewan. Both qualitative and quantitative analyses were conducted in order to address the research questions of this study. Qualitative content analyses were conducted in order to provide detailed descriptive information of the current services and the housing needs and issues of federal offenders. Quantitative research methods were used to analyze numerical data and conduct analyses to determine whether offender characteristics are related to homelessness. The use of multiple data sources and methods of analyses increases the validity of the findings. Prior to analyzing the findings that address each of the research questions, a description of the housing situation of the participants was provided. Homelessness was found to increase after incarceration. For the 11 participants interviewed in the community only, homelessness decreased to similar levels as pre-incarceration when in the community. It is difficult to state that the levels of homelessness would have decreased to the pre-incarceration levels for the whole sample since they were a more serious offender group. Therefore, the small sample size at follow-up was a limitation for this specific analysis. However, the community sample may be more representative of offenders actually remaining in the community as more serious offenders are more likely to re-offend and be re-incarcerated. The following main findings are presented as they address each of the research questions below. 1. Are there adequate housing resources and support for released offenders? To determine whether there are adequate housing resources and support for released offenders the inventory of housing services, key informant interviews and offender interviews were analyzed. The inventory of housing services available for released offenders indicated that single males who are high risk/high needs with a violent or sexual criminal history and not on parole or conditional release have the least options. Key informant interviews found that a number of positive housing programs and services are available. However, waitlists and accessibility to these programs pose a barrier to offenders trying to access them. Federal offenders stated that more housing support and resources are needed prior to their release in order to help them better establish their housing plans and avoid some of the difficulties they face when trying to obtain housing, such as finding safe and affordable accommodation. 2. How can we prevent federally released offenders from becoming homeless? Federal offenders and key informants identified factors that would prevent offenders from becoming homeless. Federal offenders stated that support/access to resources, financial assistance and accommodation was needed to prevent them from becoming homeless. Key informants stated that a central housing registry and/or an offender housing complex, housing life skills programs, less discrimination, and an appropriate minimum wage to keep up with housing costs was needed to prevent federal offenders from becoming homeless. 3. Are there characteristics that differentiate those who find stable housing from those who do not? Offenders who were homeless prior to incarceration were likely to be more violent and have higher needs than those who had more stable housing. Those who had more stable housing were also more likely to have greater community support. Furthermore, sex offenders and those who engaged in Aboriginal programming were less likely to have an adequate housing plan at release. Key informants reported that offenders who were more likely to be homeless were those who lacked finances, needed housing resources, lacked life skills, had to search for a new home, and did not have a job. 4. Is there a need for specific programs for federally released offenders? Lastly, a review of the information provided through the inventory of housing services available, key informants and federal offenders indicated the need for programs that create more accessibility to housing resources and increase pre-release planning, and the creation of a central housing registry and supportive living unit for federal offenders with no other housing options. Details: Saskatoon: University of Saskatchewan, 2010. 77p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed June 26, 2014 at: http://www.usask.ca/cfbsjs/research/pdf/research_reports/Federal_Offenders_Housing_and_Homelessness_Final-2.pdf Year: 2010 Country: Canada URL: http://www.usask.ca/cfbsjs/research/pdf/research_reports/Federal_Offenders_Housing_and_Homelessness_Final-2.pdf Shelf Number: 132552 Keywords: Ex-OffendersHomelessnessHousingOffender ReentryReintegration |
Author: Sugie, Naomi F. Title: Chilling Effects: Diminished political participation among romantic partners of formerly incarcerated men Summary: Over the past four decades, the criminal justice system has emerged as a key institution structuring social, economic, and political inequalities in the United States. The political dampening of ex-offenders resulting from legal and non-legal barriers has likely altered election outcomes and has critical implications for our democratic principles; yet, the focus on individuals may underestimate the reverberating consequences of diminished political participation. In this paper, I propose that criminal justice contact, and specifically incarceration, diminishes political behavior among not only formerly incarcerated individuals but also their romantic partners. To examine this, I use data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing survey. I find that partner incarceration is associated with reduced political participation that is not explained by socioeconomic characteristics and is robust to different modeling approaches. Diminished participation is not fully explained by partner's political participation nor is it one aspect of broader withdrawal from spheres of civic and religious participation. Rather, reduced participation appears to be the product of political socialization processes, specific to retreat from government, that result from partner's criminal justice involvement. Details: Princeton, NJ: Princeton University, Center for Research on Child Wellbeing, 2014. 39p. Source: Internet Resource: Working Paper WP11-19-FF: Accessed July 3, 2014 at: http://crcw.princeton.edu/workingpapers/WP11-19-FF-2.pdf Year: 2014 Country: United States URL: http://crcw.princeton.edu/workingpapers/WP11-19-FF-2.pdf Shelf Number: 132619 Keywords: Ex-OffendersPolitical ParticipationPolitics |
Author: Formerly Incarcerated Convicted People's Movement Title: Communities, Evictions, and Criminal Convictions: Public Housing and Disparate Impact: A Model Policy Summary: This report is broken into five primary pieces, along with an Introduction and conclusion. Section I: Introduction provides a starting point on the topic of public housing and criminal conviction policies, rooting this issue in one particular city. New Orleans tangles with the most intense incarceration in America, and thus the world. Seemingly innocent programs related to criminal convictions, can take on a primary role in a city such as New Orleans, where one in seven Black men is either in prison, on parole or probation. To fully grasp the community impact of affordable housing barriers in this sphere, one must account for arrest, incarceration, and poverty rates. Particular to civil rights law, one should factor in the proportionality between recognized ethnic and language groups. It is no mystery that in New Orleans, policies that affect people impacted by the criminal justice system (both individuals and families) are disproportionately affecting people of Color- especially African-Americans. The contrasting affect is most glaring when comparing the drug enforcement policies of densely populated, overwhelmingly White, college students. The excuse of 'experimentation' has been reserved for a certain segment of young drug users. Public housing exclusion standards apply to entire families, thus the impact is far broader than the tens of thousands who are formerly convicted, whether incarcerated or not. Statistics typically fail to account for those who are no longer serving a punishment, yet they too have a criminal history that impacts their ability to obtain housing or employment. Hurricane Katrina exasperated the dilemma of a public housing shortage, and rebuilding efforts have intentionally been below previous capacity. There are now over 27,000 households on the waiting list for affordable housing, putting pressure on other services to deal with homelessness. In Section II, this report provides a brief overview on housing and policing policies within the context of The War on Drugs. The primary method of encouraging 'drug free' behavior has been punishment, while the primary mode of enforcement has been to focus on densely populated low-income communities of Color. The exclusions and evictions from public housing has been accelerated along with the escalation of the War on Drugs. Accordingly, it may make sense for a recession of the punitive policies to span all fronts as widespread de-escalation is afoot in response to the growing sentiment that the War on Drugs has been a failure. The goal of Forced Sobriety has justified highly-policed communities and a massive construction boom (and employment growth) associated with prison expansion. The Department of Justice estimates that nearly 7% of all people born after 2001 will serve time in state or federal prison; this is on top of the 65 million people who currently have been convicted of a crime. If current rates continue, about 1 in 17 White men, 1 in 6 Hispanic men, and 1 in 3 African American men are expected to serve prison time in their lifetime. It is difficult to imagine anyone in the public sphere being satisfied with these statistics. The history of public housing, and HUD, includes an acknowledged discrimination over time. The 1.1 million remaining public housing units, and 2.2 million households assisted by vouchers, must be implemented in a manner consistent with HUD's mission to support community development. HUD has long been a partner with local policing efforts. This partnership deserves scrutiny in the same manner as the police, as overly aggressive tactics have become (in some opinions) more destructive than the harms they purport to reduce. Section III looks at how government actors are evolving on criminal justice, and new policies are competing with the 'Tough on Crime' reactionary rhetoric. The National Reentry Council is an interagency approach to confront the effects of mass incarceration. The most active agency among them, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, has been dealing with employment issues for decades, and the agency's 2012 policy change regarding the use of criminal records in hiring is a major breakthrough. The EEOC provided one of the most significant advances in recent Civil Rights law, and they make specific findings regarding national data. Specifically, the EEOC finds that the criminal justice system disproportionately impacts Black and Latino people in America. This is significant when assessing a neutral policy under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1965, and any blanket policy using criminal history alone to exclude people will run afoul of Title VII. The EEOC provides a framework to guide policies in both the public and private sector. Courts have held that the various Civil Rights statutes are intended to work as a unified framework, thus developments in employment law can be persuasive regarding similar issues in housing law. Section IV lays out the complex web of laws that serve as Congressional guidance to local public housing authorities (PHA), regarding the exclusions and evictions from subsidized programs. Ultimately, HUD allows broad discretion to the local PHA. By comparing policies to the HUD requirements, and comparing them to each other, it is clear that overly restrictive, and extremely vague, policies are guiding decisions that have a far-reaching affect on community housing. When HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan put out a clear statement, that only two types of crimes are barred from HUD, few local agencies took any action. Only people convicted of sex offenses, and on a Registry for life, along with those who manufactured methamphetamines on federal property, are barred from public housing. Congress makes particular exclusions optional beyond that, generally related to drug use. If someone was previously evicted for a drug related crime, they are faced with a three-year ban unless the offending family member is in prison, dead, or completed a drug rehabilitation program. However, community members around the country have been dealing with policies that don't provide for those nuances. A model admission and eviction policy is included. This policy is currently being used as a starting point for changes in New Orleans, and has gotten past a public hearing stage. It addresses the need for the PHA to be part of a system where mentally ill and addicted people are directed towards help rather than prisons and homelessness. The phrase 'Reasonable Time' is reasonably defined, eliminating the extreme lengths of time people are facing around the country before eligibility for affordable housing. The Housing Authority of New Orleans is currently working to develop and finalize a policy in accordance with these principals. Section V is a detailed assessment of housing discrimination under federal law. It also includes a proposed change (as of this writing) of HUD's policy, by finally providing a federal code regarding disparate impact in housing. Disparate impact is when a neutral policy becomes discriminatory- such as using drug convictions to exclude people from public housing. Whereas studies indicate drug use is similar across all identified races, the chosen policing patterns result in an overwhelming percentage of drug convictions concentrated in Black and Latino communities. All additional penalties attached, based on those convictions, will disproportionately impact Black and Latino people. Thus, 'Disparate Impact.' Courts have long transferred disparate impact theory between employment and housing, but at times differed on the proper standards and process. It is important for advocates to gain a full understanding of disparate impact theory. This is likely to serve as a legal framework for pushing back against a myriad of criminal justice policies that have resulted in the systemic loss of economic and political power among Black and Latino communities. The EEOC has found four key factors so that employers may design an acceptable 'targeted screen,'rather than a blanket policy subject to civil rights lawsuits. These factors are (1) Nature of the crime; (2) Time elapsed; (3) Nature of the job; and (4) Individual assessment. Housing providers, particularly where there is a documented shortage of affordable housing (i.e. New Orleans), should develop a similar screen suitable to residential life. Section VI focuses on the key elements to make a legal case for dispirate impact in the courts. Those who are not interested in litigating a claim will nonetheless want to appropriate some of the standards and justifications that the courts have developed as consistent with the constitution. One complication in presenting 'impact' data is that many people with criminal records (and their families) do not apply for public housing. Most people have 'heard' you can't get in with a felony, to some degree of accuracy or another. Even if they were fully knowledgeable about the waiting periods, it is impossible to know how many are foreclosed because they would need to not know the policy, apply anyway, and be denied. Thus, data of this sort may require a study of the potential (rather than actual) applicants who are deemed ineligible solely due to criminal convictions. If Black residents have a rate below 80% of the White residents' rate, it is likely to be deemed sufficiently 'disparate.' Under disparate impact litigation, housing providers would need to present the court with their substantial, legitimate, nondiscriminatory interests being served by the exclusion policies. Furthermore, they will be tasked to show that the exclusions actually serve the goal: Resident safety. This cannot merely be speculation. Finally, reformers can still prove victorious by showing that the interests (i.e. resident safety) can be achieved in a less discriminatory manner. PHA's who understand this civil rights litigation framework are more likely to recognize that a court may ultimately order them to a negotiating position exactly like the one being offered at the outset. Delaying the adoption of a new policy by requiring the court order is the least cost-efficient way forward. This report recognizes that there is a movement to repeal Civil Rights protections for people of Color in America. Although Justice Antonin Scalia famously referred to the protection of voting rights as 'just another racial entitlement,' the sentiments of state and federal policymakers suggest that Civil Rights are not going to be eroded. Racial disproportion is one manner of addressing the problems of discrimination, and is the primary path outlined in this report. As criminal records impact a larger swath of America, however, new legal arguments will emerge regarding the rationale to continue, or repeal, this framework that supports two separate citizenships. The Appendix provides the complete proposed policy for the Housing Authority of New Orleans, and a nationwide sample snapshot of six other cities. Details: Formerly Incarcerated & Convicted People's Movement, 2013. 68p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed July 23, 2014 at: http://ficpmovement.files.wordpress.com/2013/04/communities-evictions-criminal-convictions.pdf Year: 2013 Country: United States URL: http://ficpmovement.files.wordpress.com/2013/04/communities-evictions-criminal-convictions.pdf Shelf Number: 132744 Keywords: Ex-OffendersEx-Offenders, HousingPrisoner Reentry |
Author: Rickey, Benedict Title: Unlocking Offending Data: How access to offending data could help charities improve outcomes for offenders Summary: Oak Foundation often asks charities to demonstrate the lasting change they have brought about in people's lives. Their impact might be helping someone who has been sleeping rough to secure stable housing, or supporting someone to give up a life of crime. Unfortunately, charities often struggle to capture and demonstrate this type of impact. As a funder, we often feel that charities are doing a good job, but lack the hard data to prove it. NPC is seeking to change this. In this report, NPC finds that providing better access to offending data through a 'Justice Data Lab' would have huge benefits. The government's recent introduction of payment by results contracts means charities are under renewed pressure to prove their impact on things like reoffending. But the lab would not just be about payment by results - it would have three other major benefits for charities: It would help charities to prove their impact on reoffending, by showing how their users' offending behaviour changes over time, and assessing whether reductions in offending were due to the charity's support; It would help charities to improve their impact, for instance by identifying groups that continue to reoffend in spite of support, and may need more attention; and It would help charities to identify what works, by analysing the impact different services have on offending to identify which is most effective at reducing reoffending. In an era where government cuts to services are commonplace, the potential benefits of knowing what works are significant. If the Justice Data Lab proves a success, the concept could be adopted by other government departments in the UK and abroad. This could mean providing access to data in areas such as drug use, mental health, and housing, where there is a real need to improve our knowledge of what works. Establishing a Justice Data Lab will be complex and certainly will not happen overnight. However, we are heartened by the commitment of the Ministry of Justice and the contributions of the charities that have been involved so far. We also appreciate the tenacity of NPC in supporting the Ministry of Justice to take this challenging work forward. We are optimistic that the Justice Data Lab can be turned from concept into reality, bringing us one step nearer to the long term transformation in data sharing and improving services that we all want to see.. Details: London: New Philanthropy Capital, 2012. 34p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 24, 2014 at: http://www.oakfnd.org/secure/sites/default/files/Unlocking-offending-data-FINAL.pdf Year: 2012 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.oakfnd.org/secure/sites/default/files/Unlocking-offending-data-FINAL.pdf Shelf Number: 133403 Keywords: Charitable Foundations Ex-OffendersHomelessness (U.K.)RecidivismReoffending |
Author: Center for Community Alternatives Title: The Use of Criminal History Records in College Admissions Reconsidered Summary: This report reviews findings from a first-of-its-kind survey conducted by the Center for Community Alternatives in collaboration with the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO) that explores the use of criminal history screening in college admissions procedures. A 59-question survey was administered electronically between September 30 and October 29, 2009 through AACRAO's network of 3,248 member institutions in the United States. In all, 273 institutions responded to the survey. The survey helped inform the recommendations contained in this report. A majority (66%) of the responding colleges collect criminal justice information, although not all of them consider it in their admissions process. Private schools and four-year schools are more likely to collect and use such information than their public and two-year counterparts. A sizable minority (38%) of the responding schools does not collect or use criminal justice information and those schools do not report that their campuses are less safe as a result. Self-disclosure through the college application or in some cases the Common Application is the most typical way that colleges and universities collect the information. A small minority of schools conduct criminal background checks on some applicants, usually through contracting with a private company. Most schools that collect and use criminal justice information have adopted additional steps in their admissions decision process, the most common of which is consulting with academic deans and campus security personnel. Special requirements such as submitting a letter of explanation or a letter from a corrections official and completing probation or parole are common. Less than half of the schools that collect and use criminal justice information have written policies in place, and only 40 percent train staff on how to interpret such information. A broad array of convictions are viewed as negative factors in the context of admissions decision-making, including drug and alcohol convictions, misdemeanor convictions, and youthful offender adjudications. If it is discovered that an applicant has failed to disclose a criminal record there is an increased likelihood that the applicant will be denied admission or have their admission offer rescinded. A slight majority of schools that collect information provides support or supervision for admitted students who have criminal records, with more emphasis on supervision rather than supportive services. Details: New York: Center for Community Alternatives, 2010. 60p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed November 20, 2014 at: http://www.communityalternatives.org/pdf/Reconsidered-criminal-hist-recs-in-college-admissions.pdf Year: 2010 Country: United States URL: http://www.communityalternatives.org/pdf/Reconsidered-criminal-hist-recs-in-college-admissions.pdf Shelf Number: 134166 Keywords: Colleges and UniversitiesCriminal Records (U.S.)EducationEx-offenders |
Author: Smiley, CalvinJohn Nagel Title: Existing But Not Living: Neo-Civil Death And The Carceral State Summary: In 2010, the United States prison releases exceeded prison admission for the first time since the Bureau of Justice Statistics began collecting jurisdictional data in 1977. Prisoner reentry--the transition from prison to community--has grown exponentially in the 21st century. While individuals are coming home in larger quantities, many formerly incarcerated men and women lose social, political, and economic rights, otherwise known as civil death. The fundamental purpose of this dissertation is to investigate the impact of civil death on prisoner reentry. More specifically, how does the loss of civil rights construct notions of citizenship for recently released men and women? In addition, how do men and women navigate and negotiate the reentry process with both legal-related barriers imposed by the State as well as social obstacles created by incarceration? A community-based reentry program in Newark, New Jersey, is the field site of this research. Employing qualitative methods: interviews, focus groups, and ethnographic observations, this research explores the development of the prison industrial complex, which has led to mass incarceration and the growing prisoner reentry industry. The findings of this research give insight to the furthered underdevelopment of low-income communities via the carceral continuum. Details: New York: City University of New York, 2014. 190p. Source: Internet Resource: Dissertation: Accessed February 9, 2015 at: http://works.gc.cuny.edu/etd/283/ Year: 2014 Country: United States URL: http://works.gc.cuny.edu/etd/283/ Shelf Number: 134570 Keywords: Ex-OffendersMass Incarceration Prisoner Reentry Prisons (U.S.) |
Author: James, Nathan Title: Offender Reentry: Correctional Statistics, Reintegration into the Community, and Recidivism Summary: The number of people incarcerated in the United States grew steadily for nearly 30 years. That number has been slowly decreasing since 2008, but as of 2012 there were still over 2 million people incarcerated in prisons and jails across the country. The Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) reports that since 1990 an average of 590,400 inmates have been released annually from state and federal prisons and almost 5 million ex-offenders are under some form of community-based supervision. Nearly all prisoners will return to their communities as some point. Offender reentry can include all the activities and programming conducted to prepare prisoners to return safely to the community and to live as law-abiding citizens. Some ex-offenders, however, eventually end up back in prison. The BJS's most recent study on recidivism showed that within five years of release nearly three-quarters of ex-offenders released in 2005 came back into contact with the criminal justice system, and more than half returned to prison after either being convicted for a new crime or for violating the conditions of their release. Compared with the average American, ex-offenders are less educated, less likely to be gainfully employed, and more likely to have a history of mental illness or substance abuse - all of which have been shown to be risk factors for recidivism. Three phases are associated with offender reentry programs: programs that take place during incarceration, which aim to prepare offenders for their eventual release; programs that take place during offenders' release period, which seek to connect ex-offenders with the various services they may require; and long-term programs that take place as ex-offenders permanently reintegrate into their communities, which attempt to provide offenders with support and supervision. There is a wide array of offender reentry program designs, and these programs can differ significantly in range, scope, and methodology. Researchers in the offender reentry field have suggested that the best programs begin during incarceration and extend throughout the release and reintegration process. Despite the relative lack of highly rigorous research on the effectiveness of some reentry programs, an emerging "what works" literature suggests that programs focusing on work training and placement, drug and mental health treatment, and housing assistance have proven to be effective. The federal government's involvement in offender reentry programs typically occurs through grant funding, which is available through a wide array of federal programs at the Departments of Justice, Labor, Education, and Health and Human Services. However, only a handful of grant programs in the federal government are designed explicitly for offender reentry purposes. The Department of Justice has started an interagency Reentry Council to coordinate federal reentry efforts and advance effective reentry policies. Details: Washington, DC: Congressional Research Services, 2015. 37p. Source: Internet Resource: CRS Report RL34287: Accessed February 16, 2015 at: https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/RL34287.pdf Year: 2015 Country: United States URL: https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/RL34287.pdf Shelf Number: 134627 Keywords: Ex-OffendersPrisoner Reentry (U.S.)RecidivismRehabilitation |
Author: Dean, Sanzanna C. Title: Community-based Reentry in Arlington County: An Evaluation of the OAR Reentry Program Summary: The effectiveness of community-based reentry programs is dependent on several factors, including financial and human capital resources, a clear organizational mission, the establishment and implementation of evidence-based practices and an effective referral network. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of the Offender Aid and Restoration (OAR) reentry program in Arlington, Virginia from the client's perspective as well as to identify challenges faced by the organization in meeting the needs of ex-offenders. The study used a mixed methods case study approach using three primary sources of data including a client satisfaction survey, semi-structured staff interviews and the review of client records. Client satisfaction surveys were used to evaluate services received by clients in the reentry program. Staff interviews were conducted to document OAR's service delivery model as well as highlight challenges faced in meeting the needs of ex-offenders. Client case records where reviewed to determine the alignment of needs identified during intake with services provided. The findings of this study show that overall, clients are highly satisfied with services received. Staff interviews indicated a need for additional staff to support program operations, training for program staff, increased funding and community-based resources as a key challenge in meeting the needs of ex-offenders in the program. A review of client case files identified a need for systematic collection and documentation of client goals and outcomes. Implications for theory and practice suggest areas for future research and strategies for implementing effective community-based reentry programs. Details: Phoenix, AZ: Arizona State University, 2014. 182p. Source: Internet Resource: Dissertation: Accessed March 11, 2015 at: https://repository.asu.edu/attachments/140889/content/Dean_asu_0010E_14429.pdf Year: 2014 Country: United States URL: https://repository.asu.edu/attachments/140889/content/Dean_asu_0010E_14429.pdf Shelf Number: 134894 Keywords: Community-Based ProgramsEx-OffendersOffender Aid and RestorationPrisoner Reentry (Arizona) |
Author: Western, Bruce Title: Stress and Hardship After Prison Summary: The historic increase in U.S. incarceration rates made the transition from prison to community common for poor, prime-age men and women. Leaving prison presents the challenge of social integration - of connecting with family, finding housing, and a means of subsistence. We study variation in social integration in the first months after prison release with data from the Boston Reentry Study, a unique panel survey of 122 newly-released prisoners. The data indicate severe material hardship immediately after incarceration. Over half of sample respondents were unemployed, two-thirds received public assistance, and many relied on female relatives for financial support and housing. Older respondents and those with histories of addiction and mental illness were the least socially integrated with weak family ties, unstable housing, and low levels of employment. Qualitative interviews show that anxiety and feelings of isolation accompanied extreme material insecurity. Material insecurity combined with the adjustment to social life outside prison creates a stress of transition that burdens social relationships in high-incarceration communities. Details: Cambridge, MA: Harvard University, 2014. 55p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed April 9, 2015 at: http://scholar.harvard.edu/files/brucewestern/files/trans08.pdf Year: 2014 Country: United States URL: http://scholar.harvard.edu/files/brucewestern/files/trans08.pdf Shelf Number: 135200 Keywords: EX-OffendersPrisoner Reentry (U.S.)Socio-economic ConditionsUrban Areas |
Author: Dunham, Jessica R. Title: Coming Home to Stay: Final Evaluation Report Summary: With the increase in the number of individuals returning home after incarceration, the need for successful transitioning is even greater. A myriad of agencies exists in San Diego County to assist ex-offenders as they reintegrate back into the community. Coming Home to Stay (CHTS) is a program aimed at linking ex-offenders to available services in their community and supporting them and their families with this transition. CHTS, in collaboration with local foundations, is focused on improving the health of both ex-offenders and the community through an integrated service delivery system involving the offender, family members, community, and other local providers and support entities. Through funding from the Jacobs Foundation, CHTS will offer ex-offenders returning to the Central Region of the county a variety of services by coordinating multiple support agencies. The Applied Research Division of SANDAG will conduct both a process and impact evaluation of the project. Information, including feedback about the program from family members, participants, and staff, will be gathered and analyzed to determine if participants are receiving needed services and if stated outcomes, including a reduction in recidivism, are achieved. Details: San Diego: SANDAG, 2013. 59p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed June 3, 2015 at: http://www.sandag.org/uploads/publicationid/publicationid_1759_16107.pdf Year: 2013 Country: United States URL: http://www.sandag.org/uploads/publicationid/publicationid_1759_16107.pdf Shelf Number: 135860 Keywords: Ex-OffendersPrisoner Reentry Recidivism Reintegration |
Author: Wiegand, Andrew Title: Evaluation of the Re-Integration of Ex-Offenders (RExO) Program: Two-Year Impact Report Summary: The Reintegration of Ex-Offenders (RExO) project began in 2005 as a joint initiative of the Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (ETA), the Department of Justice (DOJ), and several other federal agencies. RExO aimed to capitalize on the strengths of faith-based and community organizations (FBCOs) and their ability to serve prisoners seeking to reenter their communities following the completion of their sentences. In June 2009, ETA contracted with Social Policy Research Associates (SPR) and its subcontractors MDRC and NORC at the University of Chicago to conduct an impact evaluation of 24 RExO grantees. The programs funded under RExO primarily provided three main types of services: mentoring, which most often took the form of group mentoring, but also included one-on-one mentoring and other activities; employment services, including work readiness training, job training, job placement, job clubs, transitional employment, and post-placement follow-up; and case management and supportive services. This report summarizes the impacts of the RExO program on offender outcomes in four areas: service receipt, labor market success, recidivism, and other outcomes. Using a random assignment (RA) design, the evaluation created two essentially equivalent groups: a program group that was eligible to enroll in RExO and a control group that was prevented from enrolling in RExO but could enroll in other services. Key findings can be summarized as follows: - RExO significantly increased the number and types of services received. Program group members reported having received, on average, a wider array of services than control group members. Program group members were more likely to participate in job clubs or job readiness classes and to receive vocational training, job search assistance, referrals to job openings, and help with resume development and filling out job applications. Program group members were also more likely to report participating in mentoring sessions and to declare that there was someone from a program who went out of their way to help them and to whom they could turn for advice on personal or family issues. Despite these differences, it is important to note that the program primarily provided work readiness training and support services; fewer than one in five RExO participants (and one in seven control group members) received any form of vocational or other forms of training designed to enhance their skills in in-demand industries. - The economic downturn placed additional pressures on ex-offenders. Unemployment rates in grantee communities were high. Data gathered as part of the evaluation's implementation study indicated that employers that previously hired ex-offenders subsequently had an abundant and overqualified pool of candidates vying for fewer jobs and were less willing to hire individuals with criminal backgrounds, potentially affecting study participants' ability to find and retain employment. In addition, cuts to state and local budgets as a result of the economic downturn reduced other services that could help ex-offenders smoothly re-enter society. - RExO significantly increased self-reported employment, within both the first and second years after RA. These increases were small (between 2.6 and 3.5 percentage points), but statistically significant. In addition, RExO significantly reduced the length of time between RA and self-reported first employment. At any given point following random assignment, program group members who had not yet found work were about 11 percent more likely to do so in the next time period than were control group members who had also not yet found work. However, there were no differences between the study groups in the total number of days employed in the two-year period following RA. - RExO had no effect on reported hourly wages, but did increase total reported income from all sources. There were no differences between the study groups in their reported hourly wages at either the first job obtained after RA or at their current or most recent job, but program group members reported higher average total income from all sources. It is not clear whether this higher average income is due to program group members working more total hours than control group members, obtaining more non-wage income, or some other reason, but program group members reported receiving approximately eight percent more income than control group members. - RExO had no effect on recidivism. Using both administrative data and survey data, program group members were no less likely to have been convicted of a crime or incarcerated than control group members. While results from the survey indicate that RExO reduced the arrest rate (in the first and second years after RA) among program group members, the administrative data found no such effect. Analyses of this discrepancy suggest this difference is driven by either recall bias or otherwise inaccurate reporting on the part of program group members. There was little evidence that RExO affected an array of other outcomes. RExO had no effect on self-reported mental health, substance abuse, housing, and child support. There was some evidence that RExO may have affected health outcomes, as program group members were less likely to report having made any visits to the emergency room (a difference of 4.2 percentage points) or that their physical health limited their work or activities in the most recent month (a difference of 4.7 percentages points). Given that RExO grantees only rarely provided services directly to address these issues, it is perhaps not surprising that there are no clear effects in these areas. Taken together, these findings present a mixed picture of the impact of RExO. On the one hand, it is clear that RExO increased the number and types of services received by program group members, and that it improved the self-reported labor market outcomes of participants as well. But there is little evidence this translated into any impacts on recidivism. Further, the impacts on employment, while statistically significant, are quite small in practical terms. Details: Oakland, CA: Social Policy Research Associates, 2015. 163p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed August 31, 2015 at: http://www.mdrc.org/sites/default/files/ETAOP_2015-04.pdf Year: 2015 Country: United States URL: http://www.mdrc.org/sites/default/files/ETAOP_2015-04.pdf Shelf Number: 136625 Keywords: Case ManagementEx-Offender EmploymentEx-Offenders Job TrainingMentoringPrisoner ReentryRecidivismRehabilitation |
Author: Vallas, Rebecca Title: Removing Barriers to Opportunity for Parents With Criminal Records and Their Children Summary: Nearly four decades of mass incarceration and overcriminalization have made the United States the world leader in incarceration and arrests. The number of Americans in federal and state prisons and jails has quintupled over the past four decades - nearly 2.3 million Americans are behind bars today - leaving the U.S. incarceration rate at more than six times the average across developed nations. Communities of color - and particularly, men of color - are hit hardest, with black men six times more likely and Latino men two-and-a-half times more likely to be incarcerated than white men. An even greater share - between 70 million and 100 million Americans, or as many as one in three American adults - have some type of criminal record. Many have been convicted of only minor offenses, such as misdemeanors - and many only have arrests that never led to a conviction. But whether or not an individual has been incarcerated, having a criminal record often carries a lifetime of consequences, lasting long after someone has paid his or her debt to society. As discussed in a previous Center for American Progress report, "One Strike and You're Out," having even a minor criminal record can be a life sentence to poverty, presenting obstacles to employment, housing, education and training, public assistance, financial empowerment, and more. While the effects of parental incarceration on children and families are well-documented, less appreciated are the family consequences that stem from the barriers associated with having a criminal record, whether or not the parent has ever been convicted or spent time behind bars. A child's life chances are strongly tied to his or her circumstances during childhood. Thus, these barriers may not only affect family stability and economic security in the short term but also may damage a child's long-term well-being and outcomes. Our new analysis estimates that between 33 million and 36.5 million children in the United States - nearly half of U.S. children - now have at least one parent with a criminal record. In this report, we argue that parental criminal records significantly exacerbate existing challenges among low-income parents and their families. We explore the intergenerational effects of criminal records through five pillars of family well-being: - Income. Parents with criminal records have lower earning potential, as they often face major obstacles to securing employment and receiving public assistance. - Savings and assets. Mounting criminal justice debts and unaffordable child support arrears severely limit families' ability to save for the future and can trap them in a cycle of debt. - Education. Parents with criminal records face barriers to education and training opportunities that would increase their chances of finding well-paying jobs and better equip them to support their families. - Housing. Barriers to public as well as private housing for parents with criminal records can lead to housing instability and make family reunification difficult if not impossible. - Family strength and stability. Financial and emotional stressors associated with parental criminal records often pose challenges in maintaining healthy relationships and family stability. Because these challenges affect such a large share of our nation's children, we ignore these intergenerational consequences at our peril. In this report, we make the case for a "two-generation approach" to address barriers to opportunity associated with having a criminal record. We then offer policy recommendations to give both parents with criminal records and their children a fair shot. Details: Washington, DC: Center for American Progress, 2015. 39p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed January 11, 2016 at: https://cdn.americanprogress.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/09060720/CriminalRecords-report2.pdf Year: 2015 Country: United States URL: https://cdn.americanprogress.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/09060720/CriminalRecords-report2.pdf Shelf Number: 137461 Keywords: Ex-OffendersFemale OffendersPrisoner Reentry |
Author: Dougherty, Jamie Title: Survey Reveals Barriers to Successful Ex-Offender Re-Entry Summary: A total of 6,025 men and women were released from incarceration to Monroe County in 2011, according to correctional facility and probation/parole administrations. 113 were released from federal prisons, 1,038 from state prisons, and 4,874 from Monroe County Jails. Thousands more in our community have been incarcerated in the past or carry a conviction history. Many community organizations assist people in establishing productive, law-abiding lives when they return home from incarceration. It is becoming increasingly obvious to all those involved in re-entry that ex-offenders need much more than rules and punishment to prevent them from unnecessary frustration and from committing more crimes. Like all people, ex-offenders need safe and affordable housing; the opportunity for education, training, and employment; food and health care; and a supportive community that encourages personal growth, goal attainment, positive relationships, and civic engagement. The challenge is that those trying to re-establish their lives after incarceration often start building from bare ground with very limited resources. Also, having a criminal record carries with it unforeseen societal consequences long after a person has completed his or her sentence. Many people are not aware of these consequences, but such repercussions often prevent successful reintegration and may hinder goal achievement for the rest of an ex-offender's life. The Voices of Re-Entry Project aims to shed light on these issues by gathering information and opinions from ex-offenders in the Rochester community. Our survey was developed to assess the needs and goals of those who have returned to the Rochester after incarceration and to assess their satisfaction with local supportive services they have received. We evaluated the systemic barriers our respondents faced when trying to reach their goals. We want to convey the goals and struggles of those with criminal histories to help human service agencies provide more effective services and help our community make better policies with regards to ex-offenders. We encourage all readers to challenge their opinions about what it means to carry the burden of a past mistake. This survey was conducted by the Judicial Process Commission (JPC), a small grassroots nonprofit agency in Rochester, NY that has supported ex-offenders for over forty years. JPC provides a wide range of personalized, voluntary services to assist individuals in re-establishing their lives, reaching their goals, and becoming positive contributors to our community. Services include criminal record review and correction, advice for navigating the job market while having a criminal record, assistance applying for certificates that increase employability and reinstate civic rights, client advocacy, and assisting with obtaining identification. Clients are often referred to educational programs, job training, food and clothing pantries, mental health and addiction treatment providers, legal assistance, housing programs, and more. JPC runs a mentoring program for individuals coming out of incarceration, as well as a weekly workshop where representatives from other agencies give presentation on their services or health and wellness information. JPC also provides support services to twenty mothers who have a high risk of re-incarceration and their children, as well as a small Shelter Plus program to help transition ex-offenders out of homelessness. The Judicial Process Commission works closely with many agencies, such as the Monroe County Legal Assistance Center, Monroe County Sheriff's Department, and RIT's Center for Public Safety Initiatives. Since JPC works with people at all stages of their lives after incarceration, we have a unique opportunity to explore the needs of those with a criminal history - no matter how old. A criminal record is a burden you must carry for life in New York. Therefore, JPC clients consist of some people who have been recently released, some who have been arrested but have never been to jail, and some who haven't been involved in the criminal justice system for many years. Yet many opportunities such as employment, housing, and sometimes even obtaining student loans and voting are limited by law or policy for those with past criminal records, and it can be very difficult for ex-offenders to meet their basic needs long after they serve their sentences. In our conversations with community partners, it is apparent that there is very little data about the needs of those with older criminal records. The formal criminal justice system follows people only while they are incarcerated, on probation, or on parole. Post-release supervision sentences are generally not more than 5 years, though we demonstrate below the very long-term effects of having a criminal history, since over a third of our respondents have been out of jail for more than 5 years. Individuals often seek supportive services from a wide range of human service agencies, and there is usually very little communication between service providers. We offer this and future data to the community in its efforts to conduct more effective, meaningful programs and services for those returning from incarceration, or ideally before they ever get involved with the criminal justice system. Details: Rochester, NY: Judicial Process Commission, 2013. 14p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed April 23, 2016 at: https://www.rit.edu/cla/criminaljustice/sites/rit.edu.cla.criminaljustice/files/docs/WorkingPapers/2013/Survey%20Reveals%20Barriers%20to%20Successful%20Ex-Offender%20Re-Entry.pdf Year: 2013 Country: United States URL: https://www.rit.edu/cla/criminaljustice/sites/rit.edu.cla.criminaljustice/files/docs/WorkingPapers/2013/Survey%20Reveals%20Barriers%20to%20Successful%20Ex-Offender%20Re-Entry.pdf Shelf Number: 138785 Keywords: Ex-OffendersPrisoner Reentry |
Author: McHardy, Fiona Title: Out of Jail But Still Not Free: Experiences of temporary accommodation on leaving prison Summary: This report focuses on the experiences of ten ex-offenders, all part of the Wise Group's Routes out of Prison partnership (RooP), from across local authority areas in the west of Scotland. All were homeless on release from prison. Using a community research approach, research was conducted into their experiences of temporary accommodation on leaving prison. The research set out to: - Examine ex-offenders' experiences of temporary accommodation ; - Understand how experiences of temporary accommodation affected the transition to permanent housing ; - Discover best practice in the provision of temporary accommodation ; - Provide policy recommendations which could alleviate poverty amongst ex-offenders. The key findings of this research were: - Obtaining good housing is a cornerstone for individual well-being. - This housing must be appropriate for the individual's needs and circumstances. - Unsuitable or poor temporary accommodation impacts negatively on reintegration and rehabilitation. - Hostel accommodation is rarely suitable for exoffenders, especially for those with drug and alcohol problems. - Those whose housing circumstances had been unstable before incarceration were the most apprehensive about housing after release. - Housing services and support varied across local authorities; in general, however, support for ex-offenders was poorly integrated across service providers. - Advocacy services for ex-offenders are crucial, especially in the period immediately after release. - Delays in the welfare benefits system represent a serious failing and result in some ex-offenders having no money and or running up debts. For example, it can take between six to eight weeks before someone leaving prison receives full benefits. Details: Glasgow: Poverty Alliance, 2012? 42p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 5, 2016 at: http://www.povertyalliance.org/userfiles/files/EPIC/Reports/EPIC_ResearchReportROOP.pdf Year: 2012 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.povertyalliance.org/userfiles/files/EPIC/Reports/EPIC_ResearchReportROOP.pdf Shelf Number: 138945 Keywords: Ex-OffendersHousingPrisoner Reentry |
Author: Tesfai, Afomeia Title: The Long Road Home: Decreasing Barriers to Public Housing for People with Criminal Records Summary: Housing is a fundamental necessity to effectively integrate formerly incarcerated individuals with their families and communities. Lacking stable housing negatively affects mental and physical health, employment, income, access to healthcare services, family unity, and recidivism. Research and analysis reveal that historical policies have created racial inequities in housing and health outcomes, and that public housing admissions screening policies play an important role in creating the conditions for successful reentry of those people who were incarcerated. In a survey from the 2015 Ella Baker Center for Human Rights and Forward Together report, "Who Pays? The True Cost of Incarceration on Families", 79% of people who had been incarcerated were either ineligible or denied public housing as a result of criminal history. More than half of those released from jail or prison have unstable or nonexistent housing. This report assesses the health and equity impacts of public housing admissions screening policies that exclude people with a criminal history from public housing, using the Oakland Housing Authority (OHA) in Oakland, California as a case study. Having housing improves health directly and indirectly, decreases recidivism, improves the chance of becoming employed and having more income, and helps with family reunification. These factors, known in public health as the "social determinants of health", create opportunities to succeed and are known to be important for health and wellbeing. For example: - Moving often affects recidivism. The odds of recidivism increase by at least 70% for every time someone who is formerly incarcerated changes their residence. - Six randomized control trials analyzed supported employment in public housing against other approaches to help residents find jobs, and found 58% of public housing program participants obtained employment compared to 21% in the control group. - More than 70% of those leaving prison indicated that family is an important factor in keeping them out of prison, and up to 82% of people leaving prison or jail expect to live with or get help from their families. - Having stable housing upon leaving jail or prison decreases a person's chance of having their probation revoked. The outcomes stemming from having stable and affordable housing are clear: research shows that lack of stable and affordable housing forces families to frequently move and live in unhealthy and crowded environments, increases stress and depression, and can lead to homelessness. Homelessness brings higher rates of infectious diseases; substance use and mental health disorders; exposure to violence; overexposure to cold and rain; and suicide. Studies show that between 25% - 50% of people who are homeless have a history of involvement with the criminal justice system. Those who have been involved with the criminal justice system are disproportionately people of color, low income, and mentally ill and, due to the intersection of these factors, are at high risk for housing instability and negative health outcomes. The United States has a history of racial discrimination and unjust treatment towards people of color, dating back to slavery, Black Codes, and Jim Crow laws. With the War on Drugs in the 1970's, 80's and 90's, this history is currently manifested in criminal justice policies that have led to vastly disproportionate outcomes by race. The 2013 National Survey on Drug Use and Health shows that 9.5% of whites and 10.5% of Blacks used illicit drugs in the last month, but drug-related arrest rates are 332 per 100,000 residents for Whites and 879 per 100,000 for Blacks. Compared to their White counterparts, Blacks are more likely to be incarcerated for the same crime and receive longer sentences. A series of federal laws enacted in the 1990's led to decreased access to public housing for people with a criminal history. In 2002, for example, the Supreme Court unanimously upheld PHAs' authority to evict an entire household based on the criminal activity of one member or guest without specific proof that the tenant had any knowledge of the activity. Statistics and historical policies like these have resulted in the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) releasing guidance on April 4, 2016 explicitly stating their goal of increasing access to safe, secure, and affordable housing for formerly incarcerated people. The 2016 guidance states that, due to the extreme over-representation of people of color in the criminal justice system, the consideration of criminal histories in screening procedures used by housing providers, including Public Housing Authorities, may lead to violations of the Fair Housing Act. This report examines the Oakland Housing Authority as a case study. We consider OHA's screening policies and practices and specifically how they consider the presentation of "mitigating circumstances" for people with a criminal history during the application process. In Alameda County in 2014, there were almost 4,800 people returning from state prison, 3,200 people were in county jail on any give day, and 1 out 4 people have a criminal record. We estimate that at least 20,000 people are currently at risk of residential instability because of their criminal history. Because they are vastly over-represented in the criminal justice system, this places an inequitable burden on Blacks. Details: Oakland, CA: Human Impact Partners, 2016. 48p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 26, 2016 at: http://www.ellabakercenter.org/sites/default/files/media/OHA-HIA-Final-Report.pdf Year: 2016 Country: United States URL: http://www.ellabakercenter.org/sites/default/files/media/OHA-HIA-Final-Report.pdf Shelf Number: 146144 Keywords: Criminal HistoryEx-OffendersHousingPrisoner ReentryRetrictive Housing |
Author: Uggen, Christopher Title: 6 Million Lost Voters: State-Level Estimates of Felony Disenfranchisement, 2016 Summary: In this election year, the question of voting restrictions is once again receiving great public attention. This report is intended to update and expand our previous work on the scope and distribution of felony disenfranchisement in the United States (see Uggen, Shannon, and Manza 2012; Uggen and Manza 2002; Manza and Uggen 2006). The numbers presented here represent our best assessment of the state of felony disenfranchisement as of the November 2016 election. Our key findings include the following: - As of 2016, an estimated 6.1 million people are disenfranchised due to a felony conviction, a figure that has escalated dramatically in recent decades as the population under criminal justice supervision has increased. There were an estimated 1.17 million people disenfranchised in 1976, 3.34 million in 1996, and 5.85 million in 2010. - Approximately 2.5 percent of the total U.S. voting age population - 1 of every 40 adults - is disenfranchised due to a current or previous felony conviction. - Individuals who have completed their sentences in the twelve states that disenfranchise people post-sentence make up over 50 percent of the entire disenfranchised population, totaling almost 3.1 million people. - Rates of disenfranchisement vary dramatically by state due to broad variations in voting prohibitions. In six states - Alabama, Florida, Kentucky, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Virginia - more than 7 percent of the adult population is disenfranchised. - The state of Florida alone accounts for more than a quarter (27 percent) of the disenfranchised population nationally, and its nearly 1.5 million individuals disenfranchised post-sentence account for nearly half (48 percent) of the national total. - One in 13 African Americans of voting age is disenfranchised, a rate more than four times greater than that of non-African Americans. Over 7.4 percent of the adult African American population is disenfranchised compared to 1.8 percent of the non-African American population. - African American disenfranchisement rates also vary significantly by state. In four states - Florida (21 percent), Kentucky (26 percent), Tennessee (21 percent), and Virginia (22 percent) - more than one in five African Americans is disenfranchised. Details: Washington, DC: The Sentencing Project, 2016. 20p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed October 24, 2016 at: http://www.sentencingproject.org/publications/6-million-lost-voters-state-level-estimates-felony-disenfranchisement-2016/ Year: 2016 Country: United States URL: http://www.sentencingproject.org/publications/6-million-lost-voters-state-level-estimates-felony-disenfranchisement-2016/ Shelf Number: 140825 Keywords: Collateral ConsequencesEx-OffendersFelony DisenfranchisementFelony OffendersRacial DisparitiesVoting Rights |
Author: Buck, Gillian Title: Peer mentoring and the role of the voluntary sector in [re]producing 'desistance' : identity, agency, values, change and power Summary: Despite much enthusiasm for the practice of peer mentoring by ex-offenders it has received very little empirical scrutiny. This thesis examines the micro dynamics and intimate interactions within these relationships. In doing so it highlights how mentors are often much more than functional additions to existing criminal justice systems. They are also presented as teachers, co-operators and critical agents. The narratives in this study highlight how dominant forms of knowledge often minimise or miss the lived experiences of crime and change. In contrast, peer mentors place lived experiences at the centre of their approach and in doing so they critically question exclusionary practices and re-humanise themselves and their peers. The work of peer mentors also highlights and at times challenges the hidden power dynamics that are subsumed when ‘regular’ interventions take place. But, mentoring cannot avoid or operate outside of these power relationships. It can and does generate other power dynamics. Whilst many of these complex relations remain hidden in current evaluations of the practice they are rendered visible here. Data were obtained from qualitative interviews with eighteen peer mentors, twenty peer mentees, four service coordinators and two Probation officers, who were drawn from a range of voluntary sector providers in the North of England. Observations of practice were also carried out, including: volunteer recruitment processes; training courses; and formal supervision sessions. Where possible mentors were also observed facilitating group work with their peers. The analysis of the data drew upon techniques of thematic analysis and critical discourse analysis focusing upon how mentoring was described, performed and justified by participants. As a result of this analysis five overarching themes emerged. These are: identity, agency, values, change and power. Details: Newcastle, UK: Keele University, 2016. 406p. Source: Internet Resource: Dissertation: Accessed January 25, 2016 at: http://eprints.keele.ac.uk/2410/1/BuckPhD2016.pdf Year: 2016 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://eprints.keele.ac.uk/2410/1/BuckPhD2016.pdf Shelf Number: 147801 Keywords: DesistanceEx-offendersMentoringPeer Mentoring |
Author: Centre for Justice Innovation Title: Point me in the right direction: Making advice work for former prisoners Summary: People released from prison face myriad obstacles on the hard road towards a new life. They will need to overcome a shortage of affordable housing, mistrust and discrimination from employers, and a complex and inflexible benefits system. Social welfare advice services such as Citizens Advice Bureaus, Law Centres and independent advice providers can help with these issues. But due to far-reaching cuts, these services often don't work for former prisoners who don't know the services, find it hard to get appointments, and face a sense of stigma about their offending past. This report looks at how we can make advice work better for people who have been in prison. Life after prison Housing and employment play a key role in helping people to build crime free lives. Prisoners who find a stable place to live shortly after release are 15% less likely to reoffend, while those who find paid work are 9% less likely. However, our research uncovered numerous examples of former prisoners encountering many obstacles with even these basics: One person was living in private rented accommodation which was so damp it was making him ill. When he complained to the landlord, he was told that his criminal background was frightening his neighbours and was pressured into leaving. A second person had been employed for several years when a change of role within her organisation triggered a new criminal record check. She was wrongly accused of lying about her convictions and dismissed. A third was required to stay in a probation hostel after leaving prison but was dependent on benefits to pay his rent. When he was sanctioned for missing an appointment he was left without income and threatened with eviction, which could mean being recalled to custody. He was left with a stark choice - reoffend to raise his rent money or risk ending up in prison. Advice for former prisoners Social welfare advice services specialise in helping people deal with these kinds of issues. They offer free advice to help people understand and defend their rights. However, our research suggests that people who have been in prison face three barriers to accessing them: Awareness: Many of the service users we spoke to were not aware of the existence of advice service or the ways that they could help. Access: Recent cuts to legal aid and other funding and increases in demand have increased waiting times and reducing the help that's on offer. Stigma: Former prisoners we spoke to felt that services would not welcome them because of their criminal past. As one put it: "as an ex-con, they'll do nothing for you." Making advice work We have identified four ways in which social welfare advice can be improved for former prisoners: Advice clinics in prison to help prisoners with issues like benefits and housing as they prepare for release. Training and resources for probation officers to help them to identify when social welfare advice can be helpful and to refer clients into these services. Better online directories of advice service can help service users find advice, and let services signal that they welcome people who have been in prison. New advice services which specialise in working with offenders and which employ people with experience of the justice system as staff and offer a more wide-ranging and long term support. However, many of these options will cost money. And even those with no direct cost may be swimming against the tide of the advice sector which, faced with an increasing gap between demand and supply, is struggling to cope with existing client groups rather than seeking out new ones. For this reason, we would urge commissioners of offender services – such as the National Offender Management Service, individual probation providers or newly empowered prison governors – to actively seek to include social welfare advice services in their commissioning processes and supply chains. Details: London: The Centre, 2016. 23p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed February 17, 2017 at: http://justiceinnovation.org/portfolio/point-right-direction/ Year: 2016 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://justiceinnovation.org/portfolio/point-right-direction/ Shelf Number: 146968 Keywords: Ex-OffendersPrisoner ReentryRecidivismReoffending |
Author: Jackson, Osborne Title: The Effect of Changing Employers' Access to Criminal Histories on Ex-Offenders’ Labor Market Outcomes: Evidence from the 2010–2012 Massachusetts CORI Reform Summary: How to best reintegrate large numbers of ex-offenders into civil society is an important challenge for U.S. public policy. In 2006, the Department of Justice estimated that over 30 percent of the U.S. adult population has some type of criminal record; the percentages are even higher for some minority groups. Having a criminal record can impose lasting costs, particularly for anyone seeking job, as gaining legal employment is usually the best chance an ex-offender has to effect a positive change in his or her life. In an effort to reduce some of barriers to employment that may arise from having a criminal record, some states and localities have adopted a policy widely known as ban the box, which prohibits employers from asking about an individual's criminal history on an initial job application. In November 2010, Massachusetts implemented a version of ban the box as the first step in reforming its laws governing Criminal Offender Record Information (CORI). The second step, effective in May 2012, changed who can access the state's CORI database, enacted limits on the information that can be obtained, and imposed a time limit regarding how long misdemeanor and felony convictions will be reported on standard employer requests. On the whole, the Massachusetts CORI Reform is widely regarded as a national model to help improve ex-offenders' labor market outcomes. This study uses a unique and confidential large dataset and rigorous econometric techniques to test how well the intended reforms have worked in practice. The results may help guide and improve upon similar reform efforts in other states. Details: Boston: Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, 2017. 67p. Source: Internet Resource: Working Paper no. 16-31: Accessed March 21, 2017 at: https://www.bostonfed.org/publications/research-department-working-paper/2016/the-effect-of-changing-employers-access-to-criminal-histories-on-ex-offenders-labor-market-outcomes.aspx Year: 2017 Country: United States URL: https://www.bostonfed.org/publications/research-department-working-paper/2016/the-effect-of-changing-employers-access-to-criminal-histories-on-ex-offenders-labor-market-outcomes.aspx Shelf Number: 144532 Keywords: Criminal RecordsEx-Offender EmploymentEx-OffendersPrisoner ReentryRecidivism |
Author: Shoag, Daniel Title: No Woman No Crime: Ban the Box, Employment, and Upskilling Summary: A sizable number of localities have in recent years limited the use of criminal background checks in hiring decisions, or "banned the box." Using LEHD Origin-Destination Employment and American Community Survey data, we show that these bans increased employment of residents in high-crime neighborhoods by as much as 4%. These increases are particularly large in the public sector. At the same time, we establish using job postings data that employers respond to ban-the-box measures by raising experience requirements. A perhaps unintended consequence of this is that women, who are less likely to be convicted of crimes, see their employment opportunities reduced. Details: Cambridge, MA: Harvard Kennedy School, 2016. 38p. Source: Internet Resource: HKS Working Paper No. 16-015: Accessed May 10, 2017 at: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2782599 Year: 2016 Country: United States URL: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2782599 Shelf Number: 150550 Keywords: Ban the BoxCriminal Background ChecksCriminal ConvictionsEx-Offender EmploymentEx-Offenders |
Author: Shoag, Daniel Title: Banning the Box: The Labor market Consequences of Bans on Criminal Record Screening in Employment Applications Summary: Many localities have in recent years limited the use of questions about criminal history in hiring, or "banned the box." We show that these bans increased employment of residents in high-crime neighborhoods by up to 4%. This effect can be seen both across and within census tracts, in employment levels as well as in commuting patterns. The increases are particularly large in the public sector and in lower-wage jobs. We also establish that employers respond to Ban the Box measures by raising experience requirements. On net, black men benefit from the changes. Details: Cambridge, MA: Harvard University, 2016. 54p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 24, 2017 at: https://scholar.harvard.edu/files/shoag/files/banning-the-box-september-2016.pdf Year: 2016 Country: United States URL: https://scholar.harvard.edu/files/shoag/files/banning-the-box-september-2016.pdf Shelf Number: 145760 Keywords: Ban the Box Criminal Background Checks Criminal Convictions Ex-Offender Employment Ex-Offenders |
Author: Fontaine, Jocelyn Title: Promoting the Economic Stability of Fathers with Histories of Incarceration. Activities and Lessons from Six Responsible Fatherhood Programs Summary: People return from incarceration with limited resources, accumulated debt, weak employment histories, and no means of supporting themselves financially (McLean and Thompson 2007; Visher, Debus, and Yahner 2008; Visher, Yahner, and La Vigne 2010). For many of these people, their ability to achieve economic stability in the community is exacerbated by other reentry challenges they might face that may preclude or hinder their ability to find and maintain employment (La Vigne and Kachnowski 2005; La Vigne, Shollenberger, and Debus 2009; La Vigne, Visher, and Castro 2004; Visher and Courtney 2007; Visher et al. 2004, Visher, Yahner, and La Vigne 2010). Adding to the importance of their achieving economic stability, the majority of people returning to their communities after incarceration also have minor children and/or family members who rely on them financially and emotionally (Fontaine et al. 2015; Glaze and Maruschak 2008). Furthermore, the communities where people with criminal justice histories are concentrated are often economically disadvantaged (Fontaine et al. 2015; Lynch and Sabol 2004; Rose and Clear 1998). Details: Washington, DC: Urban Institute, 2017. 21p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed June 16, 2017 at: http://www.urban.org/sites/default/files/publication/89781/economic_stability_brief_1.pdf Year: 2017 Country: United States URL: http://www.urban.org/sites/default/files/publication/89781/economic_stability_brief_1.pdf Shelf Number: 146211 Keywords: EmploymentEx-offender EmploymentEx-offendersParentingPrisoner Reentry |
Author: Sturm, Susan Title: Leading with Conviction: The Transformative Role of Formerly Incarcerated Leaders in Reducing Mass Incarceration Summary: This report documents the roles of formerly incarcerated leaders engaged in work related to reducing incarceration and rebuilding communities, drawing on in-depth interviews with 48 of these leaders conducted over a period of 14 months. These "leaders with conviction" have developed a set of capabilities that enable them to advance transformative change, both in the lives of individuals affected by mass incarceration and in the criminal legal systems that have devastated so many lives and communities. Their leadership assumes particular importance in the era of the Trump Presidency, when the durability of the ideological coalitions to undo the failed apparatus of mass incarceration will be tested. Our analysis of these interviews indicates that a particular set of qualities equips this group of formerly incarcerated leaders to serve as organizational catalysts. Organizational catalysts are individuals with knowledge, influence, and credibility who are in a position to mobilize change. They operate at the intersection of communities and systems that do not usually interact, and bring a track record of commitment and an ability to communicate across different backgrounds and cultures. They can transform organizations and networks by (1) mobilizing varied forms of knowledge to promote change, (2) developing collaborations in strategic locations, (3) cultivating new organizational catalysts, and (4) maintaining pressure and support for action. The leaders share three important characteristics contributing to their evolution into organizational catalysts: (1) first-hand experience with the criminal legal system, (2) education that legitimizes and enhances their knowledge and leadership capacity, and (3) jobs and activist positions placing them at the intersection of different communities and systems. This combination affords them multifaceted insight into the needs, barriers, and opportunities for transformation, as well as the legitimacy and influence needed to mobilize change based on that knowledge. These leaders with conviction have developed the capacity to mobilize unusually diverse forms of social capital. As such, formerly incarcerated leaders are bonders (maintaining ties and sharing resources among those with a common identity linked to experiencing and seeking to transform the criminal justice system), bridgers (connecting individuals who would not ordinarily come in contact), and linkers (linking those with direct experience and knowledge of criminal justice to people in positions to influence public policy and change the public narrative). The leaders use their social capital both as an engine of mobility for those affected by mass incarceration and as a vehicle for catalyzing change. Their varied knowledge and experience equip them to speak the language of many different communities, and thus to communicate effectively with different audiences. They build trust with people who have experienced consistent stigmatization and dispel myths among people who hold stereotypes that have prevented them from learning the realities of the criminal justice system. Three structural supports emerged from this study as crucial building blocks of leaders with conviction: (1) relationships with people who believe in them and support their development, including when they struggle, (2) education and training that cultivates their identity and capacity as leaders, and (3) institutional and policy design that makes them full participants in the decision-making process. Details: New York: Columbia Law School, Center for Institutional and Social Change, 2017. 93p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed June 27, 2017 at: Columbia Public Law Research Paper No. 14-547: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2961187 Year: 2017 Country: United States URL: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2961187 Shelf Number: 146429 Keywords: Ex-OffendersMass Incarceration |
Author: John Jay College of Criminal Justice. Prisoner Reentry Institute Title: A Place to Call Home: A Vision for Safe, Supportive and Affordable Housing for People with Justice System Involvement Summary: Everyone should have a safe, stable place to live - not just access to shelter, but to a place to call home. Housing is a fundamental human need that lays the foundation for success in every aspect of our lives. When we have a home, we have a safe space to lay our head at night, store our personal belongings, a kitchen where we can cook our meals, and a launch pad from which we can seek jobs, attend school, and connect with our friends and family. Having a place to call home defines our place in the world, our sense of belonging, and our relatedness to others. People with past involvement in the justice system need housing in order to reconstruct their lives. In many cases, they were previously experiencing homelessness or are unable to return to the place they lived before. As they look for a home, however, they find the doors to housing closed at every turn. Too often, they are denied this basic need because of their criminal justice history. They face discrimination in the private housing market, scarcity of subsidized housing, lack of affordable places to live, and bans from public housing, all of which puts a stable place to call home out of reach. The result? The system relegates people with criminal justice involvement to the streets, to shelters, and to unregulated substandard housing - options that don't provide the support necessary for them to achieve their potential. Shelters are often overcrowded and unsafe. They are temporary, causing the stress that comes from living a transient life. People living in such places often have no refrigerator where they can store fresh food. They can't hang their clothes in closets in preparation for job interviews or work. They have no secure space to keep their valuables, photographs, or family keepsakes. They have no permanent address for job or school applications. Rather than providing the basis for success, these types of shelter more often lead to a cycle of homelessness and repeated jail or prison stays. On October 27, 2016, stakeholders from the public and nonprofit sectors gathered at John Jay College of Criminal Justice for Excluded: A Dialogue on Safe, Supportive and Affordable Housing for People with Justice System Involvement, co-hosted by the Prisoner Reentry Institute of John Jay College, The Fortune Society, the Corporation for Supportive Housing (CSH), and the Supportive Housing Network of New York. It was a day of conversation about the importance of housing to successful reentry for people who have been involved in the criminal justice system. It was a day to talk about shared values and second chances, and to outline the obstacles preventing people from finding housing. It was a day to focus on model solutions that have been proven to work so that everyone, no matter what their needs, has access to a place to call home. Increasing access to safe, affordable and supportive housing for people with criminal justice histories furthers the shared values that Americans have held dear since the founding of this country. As a nation, we share a desire for a just society with opportunity for all. We believe that everyone deserves a fair chance to achieve their potential. We believe in redemption, the idea that people should be given the chance for a new start after they falter, and merit patience and compassion as they do so. We believe that individuals can change, given the opportunity to start over in society after making amends. We believe in community - that we are better off when everyone can contribute and participate. Housing builds such opportunity and, where there is more opportunity, life improves for all of us. This document makes the case for providing dignified housing that meets the needs of those with criminal justice histories, and providing it as quickly as possible upon reentry. Details: New York: The Institute, 2017. 22p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed November 6, 2017 at: https://kf4fx1bdsjx2as1vf38ctp7p-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Place_to_Call_Home_FINAL-DIGITAL.pdf Year: 2017 Country: United States URL: https://kf4fx1bdsjx2as1vf38ctp7p-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Place_to_Call_Home_FINAL-DIGITAL.pdf Shelf Number: 148047 Keywords: Ex-OffendersHousingPrisoner Reentry |
Author: London Assembly. Health Committee Title: Offender Mental Health Summary: Key findings - Offenders and ex-offenders are particularly vulnerable to mental ill health before, during and after contact with the criminal justice system - and some groups are particularly at risk. - More people are coming into contact with the police and criminal justice system due to poor mental health and the strain on mental health services. - Prison environments in London are disastrous for mental health, although leaving prison can be as traumatic as entering, particularly where resettlement needs are not identified and met. - Probation services are struggling to handle the mental health needs of their service users. - Improving mental health support for offenders and ex-offenders will require a range of interventions including better joint working and data sharing. - Crucially, London needs to find alternatives to prison sentences and support rehabilitation in the community. - Supporting ex-offenders into housing and employment improves mental health prospects and reduces the risk of reoffending. - The Mayor is strongly placed to press for reform and to support changes to transform the mental health outlook for ex-offenders. Details: London: The Assembly Health Committee, 2017. 18p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed February 8, 2018 at: https://www.london.gov.uk/sites/default/files/omhfinal.pdf Year: 2017 Country: United Kingdom URL: https://www.london.gov.uk/sites/default/files/omhfinal.pdf Shelf Number: 149041 Keywords: Ex-OffendersMental Health Services Mentally Ill Offenders Mentally Ill Persons |
Author: Western, Bruce Title: Formerly-Incarcerated Parents and their Children Summary: The negative effects of incarceration on child well-being are often linked to the economic insecurity of formerly incarcerated parents. Researchers caution, however, that the effects of parental incarceration may be small in the presence of multiple partner fertility and other family complexity. Despite these claims, few studies directly observe either economic insecurity or the full extent of family complexity. We study parent-child relationships with a unique data set that includes detailed information about economic insecurity and family complexity among parents just released from prison. We find that stable private housing, more than income, is associated with close and regular contact between parents and children. Formerly-incarcerated parents are less likely to regularly see their children in contexts of multiple partner fertility and in the absence of supportive family relationships. Significant housing and family effects are estimated even after controlling for drug use and crime which are themselves negatively related to parental contact. The findings point to the constraints of material insecurity and family complexity on the social support provided by formerly incarcerated parents to their children. Details: Cambridge, MA: Department of Sociology, Harvard University, 2017. 35p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed February 8, 2018 at: https://scholar.harvard.edu/files/brucewestern/files/formerly-incarcerated_parents_and_their_children.pdf Year: 2017 Country: United States URL: https://scholar.harvard.edu/files/brucewestern/files/formerly-incarcerated_parents_and_their_children.pdf Shelf Number: 149070 Keywords: Child WelfareChildren of PrisonersEx-OffendersFamilies of InmatesPrisoner Reentry |
Author: John Jay College of Criminal Justice. Prisoner Reentry Institute Title: Housing for the Justice-Involved: The Case for County Action Summary: Housing is an essential component of the reentry process. Stable housing can give former inmates a safe base to secure employment, education and medical, mental health treatment and substance abuse treatment and can reduce recidivism for newly released individuals - all of which increase public safety. Despite these clear benefits, attaining stable housing can be a challenge for individuals with a criminal record. Housing bans, discriminatory screening processes or application requirements from landlord and long waiting lists for public housing coupled with the lack of affordable housing options can lead to homelessness. Counties are well positioned to assist with housing for justice-involved individuals as this issue intersects with justice, health and human services systems. NACo and the Prisoner Reentry Institute (PRI) at John Jay College of Criminal Justice partnered to host a conference that brought together county leaders and reentry and housing experts, and conversations from that roundtable informed a new report on Increasing Housing Opportunities for the Justice-Involved: County Policies and Programs for Success. This publication details how counties can help address the difficulty justice-involved individuals can have with securing housing, including by providing affordable housing programs, offering newly released individuals supportive and transitional housing that provides onsite support and enacting laws and policies that can decrease the barriers individuals face when looking for a home. Counties can also act as coordinators of services to streamline reentry, leverage county resources and dedicate staff members and convene task forces or coordinating councils to mobilize community and government stakeholders to centralize reentry services centered around housing. These actions can all position justice-involved individuals and the community at large to receive the best outcomes possible and save counties money by decreasing the usage of other county services by these individuals such as emergency room visits, homeless shelters and jail. Details: New York: John Jay College of Criminal Justice, 2018. 16p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed Mary 8, 2018 at: http://www.naco.org/sites/default/files/documents/Reentry-Housing-FINAL.PDF Year: 2018 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.naco.org/sites/default/files/documents/Reentry-Housing-FINAL.PDF Shelf Number: 149321 Keywords: Ex-OffendersHousing Offender Reentry |
Author: DeVeaux, Mika'il Title: Fitting-in: How Formerly Incarcerated New York City Black Men Define Success Post-Prison Summary: The problem of community reintegration emerged following the rise of the US prison population, which began in in the 1970s, disproportionately affecting US-born African American men. In this qualitative study, the researcher examined the perceptions of 17 formerly incarcerated New York City African American men to understand how they defined post-prison success after having been in the community at least three years in the wake of the era of mass (hyper) incarceration. During the study, the researcher employed a constructivist grounded theory (Charmaz, 2006) approach using data from semi-structured interviews to identify factors that enabled these African American men to make the social and psychological adjustments needed to get on with their lives post-release. Success, as defined by the men in the study, meant fitting-in to their home communities as if they had never been in prison. The findings of this study demonstrate that success is a construct inclusive of material, social, and psychological components. A number of themes emerged from the data that respondents attached importance to that the researcher linked to each component of success and subsequently related to the fitting-in process. The eligibility requirements for this study, which limited participation to men who had been out of prison at least three years, restricted generalizability of the results and suggest that length of time since release likely influenced definitions of success. This dissertation concludes proposing research to examine potentially influencing issues related to time upon definitions of success, post-prison achievements, and the psychological effects of the incarceration experience and its relationship to African American men's post-prison experiences. These findings can enhance social work practice with justice-involved African American men, enable social workers to better understand this population, and encourage the development of additional methods to address the psychological challenges related to post-prison adjustment likely to contribute to their well-being. Details: New York: City University of New York, 2017. 243p. Source: Internet Resource: Dissertation: Accessed March 23, 2018 at: https://academicworks.cuny.edu/gc_etds/1822/ Year: 2017 Country: United States URL: https://academicworks.cuny.edu/gc_etds/1822/ Shelf Number: 149548 Keywords: African American MenEx-OffendersPrisoner ReentryPrisoner RehabilitationReintegration |
Author: Meredith, Marc Title: Discretionary Disenfranchisement: The Case of Legal Financial Obligations Summary: Appellate courts generally dismiss objections about tying legal financial obligations (LFOs) to the right to vote, at least in part because of the limited, anecdotal evidence available about the nature of LFO assessment and payback. We undertake a massive data collection effort to detail the type, burden, and disparate impact of criminal debt for a representative, statewide samples in Alabama. The median amount of LFOs assessed to discharged felons in Alabama across all of their criminal convictions is $3,956, more than half of which stems from court fees. People utilizing a public defender and blacks are about 15 and 9 percentage points (p.p) more likely to have an outstanding LFO balance, respectively, than people utilizing a private attorney and non-blacks. Consequentially, blacks are about 26 p.p. more likely than non-blacks to have their voting rights restoration applications denied because of outstanding LFOs. Details: Unpublished paper, 2017. 54p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 15, 2018 at: https://www.sas.upenn.edu/~marcmere/workingpapers/DiscretionaryLFOs.pdf Year: 2017 Country: United States URL: https://www.sas.upenn.edu/~marcmere/workingpapers/DiscretionaryLFOs.pdf Shelf Number: 150188 Keywords: Criminal Justice Debt Ex-Offenders Felon Disenfranchisement Felony OffendersVoting Rights |
Author: St. Giles Trust Title: The Evaluation of St Giles Trust's SOS Project Summary: St Giles Trust's SOS Project trains and employs reformed ex-offenders as caseworkers, who provide practical and psychological support to their clients - primarily other ex-offenders, but also those at risk of offending - to help them to avoid offending and reintegrate themselves into society. This is a pioneering model for the delivery of such services and the limited results of this paper indicate this model could have an impact if scaled and supported appropriately. This paper provides an account of a mixed-methods evaluation of the SOS Project, carried out by The Social Innovation Partnership (TSIP) and its associates, whose dual-purpose was to analyse the SOS Project's impact and optimise its implementation. The key findings of this report are: - The caseworkers themselves are the biggest strength of the SOS Project. Their commitment, willingness to challenge their clients, and ability to address their attitudes and behaviours whilst still providing support are integral to the SOS Project's work. Clients most frequently mentioned support from SOS workers and the information, advice and guidance as the most valuable parts of the SOS Project. - The SOS Project and St Giles Trust in general are clearly (based on case file reviews, interviews, and partner discussions) receiving referrals from multiple routes, and taking on clients who are difficult or not motivated to reform. This dynamic and 'hard-to-measure' variable means the reconviction analysis conducted in this study needs to be considered in this context. - The SOS Project is well-aligned with the National Offender Management Service (NOMS) understanding of best practice - it takes a holistic approach that principally targets four of NOM' reoffending risk factors this is an important foundation that St Giles Trust are targeting well. With more structure, all nine outcomes could be strongly targeted. - According to client interviews and caseworkers' self-reported outcomes, the SOS Project shows signs of positive impact. The feedback was overwhelmingly positive and case file analysis indicates good work. - A reconviction analysis showed that the reoffending rates of SOS clients were not significantly different from what would be predicted had no intervention taken place. However, due to unavoidable issues with data, these results may not accurately reflect the SOS Project's impact. Further work is recommended. - In any case, data collection needs to be improved in order to fully and accurately capture the SOS Project's impact. St Giles Trust could capture its data better with dedicated administrative support - The process of delivering this evaluation has illustrated that projects that emerge organically and subject to a wide range of funder requirements like the SOS Project (evolved over 6 years) i.e. take on a variety/difficult of clients, use multiple referral routes, and use flexible interventions need to carefully consider the evaluation methodologies and desired outcomes that they select to assess their work. Details: London: St. Giles Trust, 2013. 64p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed October 3, 2018 at: https://www.stgilestrust.org.uk/misc/Evaluation%20into%20SOS%20Gangs%20project%20full%20report.pdf Year: 2013 Country: United Kingdom URL: https://www.stgilestrust.org.uk/misc/Evaluation%20into%20SOS%20Gangs%20project%20full%20report.pdf Shelf Number: 151748 Keywords: CaseworkersEx-OffendersMentoringOffender SupervisionPeer AdvisorsRecidivismReoffending |
Author: The Social Innovation Partnership Title: The Wire (Women's Information and Resettlement for Ex-Offenders) Evaluation Report Summary: Summary of findings - Reconviction rates: The reconviction rate for the eligible 104 engaged WIRE partcipants (out of a total of 342 referred women) was 42%, against 51% for the national average for women offenders and 88% for prolific offenders. Whilst there are issues around how this is evidenced, our additional qualitative analysis broadly supports that the WIRE is a valued service. - Desistance: The average number of offences per participant halved for the 12 months at liberty after the programme as compared to the 12 months before (at 2 offences as compared to 4 previously). Again, there are similar evidencing issues, although we seek to address these through our additional analysis (e.g. interviews). - OASys:Using OGRS3 categories, roughly half of WIRE participants in "high" and "very high" risk of reoffending categories had not reoffended after 12 months (which is half the standard OGRS3 period), which appears to be an encouraging result. However, these results will need to be confirmed after two years post-conviction. - Continuing success: Resourcing issues could affect the ongoing success of the WIRE programme, limiting staff's ability to (i) give dedicated personal support and (ii) perform a sufficient amount of ongoing reporting to improve performance as measured by both Stage 1 and Stage 2 indicators, and also to evidence successes and support fundraising. - Programme Strategy: Evidence suggests that WIRE outcomes are more likely to be achieved at the early stage (Stage 1) of WIRE interventions. - People (resourcing): The project struggled to match staffing levels with demand (principally due to funding constraints), despite this the team were able to meet housing and meet at the gates targets. - Administration: There were a number of issues identified with reporting strategies. The evaluators worked with the WIRE team to identify and implement solutions. - People: The complex nature and motivation of clients to change has the potential to impact the success of the project, clients need to want to engage for success to be achieved. The staff are also a key component of the success of the project, the workers need to possess a unique blend of tenaciousness to achieve outcomes and empathy to understand the women's experiences. - Outcomes: Housing outcomes are a strength of the WIRE and it is from this solid foundation that the workers are able to support the women in desisting from crime. - Process: The individualised nature of the service requires staff have skills and that enable them to dedicate the time needed to support women through this intense period. High demand for the service and funding constraints mean staff numbers are such that they have been focusing on Stage 1 as opposed to stage 2. Recommendations and Next Steps - Evidence practices: A number of reporting and evidence practices have been improved in the course of this evaluation. These improvements should be endorsed and maintained, within the WIRE and beyond, as a way of improving services, ensuring value for money and potentially assisting with future fundraising activities. - Staff and resourcing: Sufficient staff and resources should be allocated to the WIRE, including administrative support, to allow the core team to focus on delivery. To improve Stage 2 outcomes, the programme should be seen as sufficiently distinct (WIRE Plus) to require smaller case loads - Process refinements and stakeholder engagement: Work should be done with prisons to restore an appropriate prison presence, even if just once a week, for WIRE staff. Awareness of the WIRE and its full range of work (i.e. beyond housing) should also be raised amongst other key organisations, along with the evidence of the WIRE's work with clients. Details: London, UK: The Social Innovation Partnership, 2012. 31p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed January 16, 2019 at: https://www.stgilestrust.org.uk/misc/Support%20for%20vulnerable%20women%20leaving%20prison%20full%20report.pdf Year: 2012 Country: United Kingdom URL: https://www.stgilestrust.org.uk/misc/Support%20for%20vulnerable%20women%20leaving%20prison%20full%20report.pdf Shelf Number: 154216 Keywords: DesistanceEx-OffendersFemale OffendersGenderHousingPost ConvictionPrisonerPrisoner-Release ProgramsPrisonsReoffendingResettlementWomen Offenders |