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Date: November 25, 2024 Mon
Time: 9:08 pm
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Results for work release
3 results foundAuthor: Steadman, Steven R. Title: Mesa County Work Release and Jail Detention Programming Study Summary: This report presents the findings of a study undertaken by Policy Studies Inc. (PSI) of the Mesa County criminal justice system. The study had three main purposes: (1) identify methods in the criminal justice system to reduce present and future jail usage; (2) enhance the use of alternatives to incarceration; and (3) develop an implementation plan for changes in the processes and policies of the courts and various criminal justice agencies to achieve the first two goals. Mesa County will be approaching these issues from a position of strength. PSI staff have seldom been in a county where the levels of innovation, cooperation, and collaboration have been so strong. The strength and vitality of the branches of government and the individuals that serve within them is far and away the greatest asset that the county can have as it faces difficult decisions about the direction of the justice system in Mesa County. During two site visits and numerous interviews PSI staff learned that: There is a very high degree of justice system collaboration among the courts and probation, law enforcement, the district attorney, public defender, and other agencies; There is a very high degree of cooperation between county government and the justice system; There are numerous long established well run jail alternative programs already in operation; and The jail is well-designed and expertly operated by capable managers and motivated and dedicated staff. We recognize, however, that these goals can only be met as long as the community believes that it is being adequately protected from crime. In particular, all aspects of the methamphetamine drug abuse problem were cited as a major cause of jail overcrowding and a challenge to the combined resources of the county and justice system. Any solutions to jail overcrowding must enable the county to deal with the methamphetamine problem and its ramifications. The most difficult issue that Mesa County decision makers need to make is what combination of increased jail capacity and jail alternative programming will keep the citizens of the county safe and most rationally expend resources. The decisions that will eventually be reached will involve finding an acceptable level of shared risk (it is probably inevitable that some individuals will fail in the programs to which they are assigned) and cost effectiveness (Mesa County cannot build itself out of its present circumstances). In order to understand the costs and benefits of incarceration as opposed to alternatives, it is important to understand the following: • Most individuals who are in jail will eventually return to society, so the primary issue is not who will get out but what kind of people they will be when they get out; • For many offenders, public safety is better served by placing them in treatment programs rather than jail; • There are people who may actually consider a small amount of jail time as less punitive than home detention or having to work; and • Part of the cost of incarceration is the potential cost to the county if the offender is rendered unable to support his or her family during incarceration. This study and the recommendations generated by it are based on the following principles of jail usage for pre-trial detention and convicted offenders, as reflected in nationally accepted criminal justice best practices. Details: Denver, CO: Policy Studies Inc., 2005. 28p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed August 10, 2011 at: http://www.centerforpublicpolicy.org/index.php?s=16415 Year: 2005 Country: United States URL: http://www.centerforpublicpolicy.org/index.php?s=16415 Shelf Number: 122348 Keywords: Alternatives to IncarcerationDrug OffendersJail OvercrowdingJailsWork Release |
Author: Bales, William D. Title: As Assessment of the Effectiveness of Prison Work Release Programs on Post-Release Recidivism and Employment Summary: This study evaluates the effectiveness of prison-based work release centers in terms of reducing post-prison recidivism and employment and determines whether privately operated work release centers produce different outcomes compared to state operated programs under the Florida Department of Corrections (FDC). Work release is a community transition program in which prison inmates are housed in community-based facilities and work in the community during normal business hours. While the FDC originally implemented work release programs four decades ago, there has been little empirical research on its effectiveness in promoting post-release employment and reducing recidivism. While there are a few exceptions, the existing literature reporting research conducted to determine the effectiveness of work release can be summarized as largely outdated, lacking methodological rigor, and has failing to examine differences in outcomes across publicly versus privately operated work release facilities. Through support from the National Institute of Justice (NIJ), this study uses data from the Florida Department of Corrections (FDC) through a researcher-practitioner partnership funded project to assess the impact of work release programs on the post-release outcomes of employment and various indicators of recidivism, and to determine if there are differential outcomes across privately operated versus state run programs. First, we examine the differences in post-prison recidivism outcomes using several different measures as well as employment of 27,463 inmates released from Florida's prison between 2004 and 2011 who completed a work release program with 15,911 non-participants who met the criterion for placement in a work release program but were not exposed during their incarceration. Second, we examine comparisons of these same outcomes between inmates who completed work release in FDC-operated work release facilities versus privately contracted facilities. Third, we examine whether the impact of work release programs on post-prison outcomes varies across inmates with different characteristics, including gender, race, age at prison release, offense types, and post-prison release supervision. Findings indicate that inmates released from work release facilities compared to the control group of non-participants have significantly lower levels of recidivism as measured by arrest for any new crime, arrest for a new felony offense, and conviction for a new felony offense, however, they have higher rates of returning to prison. Additionally, work release is a highly significant influence on the likelihood of obtaining employment within the first quarter after release. When considering the type of work release facility inmates are exposed to, i.e., public versus private, we find no meaningful differences in terms of recidivism; however, inmates who completed a work release program in a privately operated facility are significantly more likely to find employment when returning to their communities. Finally, we examined whether differences existed in the relative effect of work release on the reentry outcomes of recidivism and employment across several characteristics of inmates. The results indicate there are meaningful variations in the outcomes across various demographic groups, offense types, and post-prison supervision status. The policy implications of this research are that the expansion of the use of prison-based work release programs can have a positive impact on reducing the overall recidivism rates of released prisoners and can significantly improve their post-prison employment potential. Details: Tallahassee: Florida Department of Corrections and Florida State University College of Criminology and Criminal Justice, 2015. 61p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed June 1, 2016 at: https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/249845.pdf Year: 2015 Country: United States URL: https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/249845.pdf Shelf Number: 139268 Keywords: Correctional ProgramsEx-Offender EmploymentRecidivismRehabilitationWork Release |
Author: Matrix Consulting Group Title: Phase 2 Study of the Community Corrections Division: Orange County, Florida Summary: The objective of this study was to evaluate the management, staffing and operations of various alternatives to incarceration programs operating in Orange County's Department of Corrections' Community Corrections Division. The Phase 1 project examined to Home Confinement Program. In this phase of the study the project team examined the other programs in the Division, namely: - Pre-Trial Release - Pre-Trial Division - Alternative Community Service Program - County Probation - Work Release Program - Central Intake Specific objectives of the Phase 2 study of the Community Corrections Division, then, included the following: 1. Evaluate statutes and administrative orders pertinent to the programs. 2. Review of the organizational structures, program policies and procedures, staff authority and supervisory oversight to determine program effectiveness. 3. Conduct a survey of other corrections alternatives' programs in operation in Florida and elsewhere around the country to compare operational and programmatic features which could be utilized in Orange County. 4. Analyze and assess staffing levels and caseloads of the programs. 5. Assess and analyze the programs' use of technology and its effectiveness as well as opportunities to enhance the technology in use. 6. Evaluate the feasibility of privatizing the programs. 7. Analysis of the potential of discontinuing the programs and the impacts of such closure on the criminal justice system within Orange County. The review also included examining electronic monitoring with other Community Corrections Division programs. Details: Mountain View, CA: Matrix, 2013. 130p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed April 11, 2018 at: https://www.matrixcg.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/Orange-County-Phase-2-FR.pdf Year: 2013 Country: United States URL: https://www.matrixcg.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/Orange-County-Phase-2-FR.pdf Shelf Number: 149788 Keywords: Community CorrectionsCommunity ServiceElectronic MonitoringOffender SupervisionPretrial ReleaseProbationWork Release |