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Date: April 25, 2024 Thu
Time: 9:39 am
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Results for corrections
40 results foundAuthor: Scott, Wayne Title: Effective Clinical Practices in Treating Clients in the Criminal Justice System Summary: This paper was developed as a part of a set of papers focused on the role of system stakeholders in reducing offender recidivism through the use of evidence-based practices in corrections. Details: Washington, DC: U.S. National Institute of Justice, 2008 Source: Crime and Justice Institute; National Institute of Corrections Year: 2008 Country: United States URL: Shelf Number: 117298 Keywords: CorrectionsRecidivism |
Author: Commission on English Prisons Today Title: Do Better, Do Less: The Report of the Commission on English Prisons Today Summary: This report advocates a new approach of penal moderation and a number of fundamental reforms, including: a significant reduction in the prison population and the closure of establishments; the replacement of short prison sentences with community-based responses; the dismantling of the National Offender Management Service (NOMS), including the break up of the centrally managed prison service; with local authorities as lead partners, the authors suggest local strategic partnerships should be formed that bring together representatives from the criminal justice, health and education sectors, with local prison and probation budgets fully devolved and made available for justice reinvestment initiatives. Details: London: Howard League for Penal Reform, 2009 Source: Year: 2009 Country: United Kingdom URL: Shelf Number: 115677 Keywords: Correctional InstitutionsCorrections |
Author: Monahan, Lisa Title: Until They Die a Natural Death: Youth Sentenced to Life Without Parole in Massachusetts Summary: The Children's Law Center of Massachusetts identified and reviewed the cases of 46 people serving life sentences without parole in Massachusetts. Across the cases, youth were sentenced to life without parole for varying levels of participation in the crime and even if they were not the principal actor. The author, using new research data and interviews, attempts to answer whether or not youths are completely unredeemable at 14, 15, 0r 16 years old. Details: Lynn, MA: Children's Law Center of Massachusetts Source: Year: 0 Country: United States URL: Shelf Number: 114894 Keywords: CorrectionsJuvenilesLife Sentence |
Author: Florida. Department of Corrections. Bureau of Research and Data Analysis Title: Florida's Criminal Punishment Code: A Comparative Assessment Summary: The intent of this report is to address the requirement set forth in Florida Statute 921.002(4)(a) to analyze sentencing events under the Florida Criminal Punishment Code. Each year, the Department of Corrections is required to report on trends in sentencing practices and sentencing score thresholds, and provide an analysis of the sentencing factors considered by the courts. In this report, a comparison is made between the Criminal Punishment Code sentences recieved in the Fiscal Year 2007-2008 and the Fiscal Year 2008-2009. Details: Tallahassee: 2009 Source: A Report to the Florida Legislature Detailing Florida's Criminal Punishment Code Year: 2009 Country: United States URL: Shelf Number: 116546 Keywords: CorrectionsFloridaSentencing |
Author: New Jersey. Commission of Investigation Title: Gangland Behind Bars: How and Why Organized Criminal Street Gangs Thrive in New Jersey's Prisons...And What Can Be Done About It Summary: From the executive summary: "This document presents the results of an unprecedented investigation pursued by the State Commission of Investigation (SCI) from the streets of New Jersey's cities and suburbs and into the cellblocks of the State's largest correctional institutions. It incorporates a comprehensive summary of findings and a detailed set of recommendation for systemic reform and is based upon a thorough investigative record developed over the course of more than two years, including interviews and sworn testimony from scores of witnesses, field surveillances, data and accounting analyses, and examination of thousands of pages of documentary materials obtained from DOC and other official and unoffical sources." Details: Trenton, NJ: Commission of Investigation, 2009 Source: Year: 2009 Country: United States URL: Shelf Number: 115200 Keywords: CorrectionsGangs |
Author: Eisenberg, Mike Title: Validation of the Wisconsin Department of Corrections Risk Assessment Instrument Summary: Probation and parole agencies across the country use risk assessment instruments to predict the likelihood that individuals under supervision will reoffend. Like other departments across the nation, the Division of Community Corrections of the Wisconsin Department of Corrections requires that the "Admission to Adult Field Caseload" risk classification instrument be completed for all felony and assaultive misdemeanor cases at the time an offender is admitted to field supervision. This instrument, commonly referred to as the DOC 502, is used not only to estimate risk probabilities for supervision purposes, but also to help determine staff workload and deployment. The DOC 502 risk assessment instrument was last validated in 1984 and department officials have sought to examine the validity of their risk instrument on a more contemporaneous population. To address the need for revalidation, the Wisconsin Department of Corrections contracted with the Council of State Governments Justice Center to conduct a validation study of the DOC 502 risk assessment instrument. This report reviews general issues associated with the use of risk assessment instruments in classifying offenders and presents the results of a validation study of the DOC 502 risk assessment instrument. Validity of risk assessment instruments is the most important supportive principle behind the proper utilization of these instruments. Namely, the instruments' predictions must be supported by research showing it can identify different groups of offenders with different probabilities of reoffending. Details: New York: Council of State Governments Justice Center, 2009. 56p. Source: https://csgjusticecenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/WIRiskValidationFinalJuly2009.pdf Year: 2009 Country: United States URL: https://csgjusticecenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/WIRiskValidationFinalJuly2009.pdf Shelf Number: 116250 Keywords: CorrectionsPrisoner ClassificationRecidivismRisk Assessment |
Author: New Zealand. Department of Corrections, Strategy, Policy and Planning Title: What Works Not? A Review and Update of Research Evidence Relevant to Offender Rehabilitation Practices Within the Department of Corrections Summary: The principles of effective correctional rehabilitation can be divided into three major domains, namely risk, targets and responsivity. This review examines new research published over the last decade that relates to these three domains. In doing so, the approach taken was not limited to publications directly aligned with the "what works" paradigm; the goal was to consider all new evidence which relates to effective correctional rehabilitation. Details: Wellington, NZ: New Zealand Department 0f Corrections, 2009. 70p. Source: Internet Resource Year: 2009 Country: New Zealand URL: Shelf Number: 119149 Keywords: Correctional ProgramsCorrectionsRehabilitation |
Author: Warren, Jenifer Title: One in 31: The Long Reach of American Corrections Summary: Explosive growth in the number of people on probation or parole has propelled the population of the American corrections system to more than 7.3 million, or 1 in every 31 U.S. adults. The vast majority of these offenders live in the community, yet new data in this report finds that nearly 90 percent of state corrections dollars are spent on prisons. The report examines the scale and cost of prison, jail, probation and parole in each of the 50 states, and provides a blueprint for states to cut both crime and spending by reallocating prison expenses to fund stronger supervision of the large number of offenders in the community. Details: Washington, DC: Pew Center on the States, 2009. 45p. Source: Internet Resource Year: 2009 Country: United States URL: Shelf Number: 114731 Keywords: CorrectionsCosts of CorrectionsImprisonmentInmates |
Author: Bharadwaj, Priti Title: Liberty at the Cost of Innocence: A Report on Jail Adalats in India Summary: The most striking characteristic of the Indian prisons is its high under-trial population. India stands at number 14 in the list of 195 countries across the world with the highest number of pre-trial detainees. More than 65 per cent of the prison inmates in India are awaiting trial. The accused can be released on bail if they or a person known to them executes a bond that guarantees their presence at trial. In some cases, bail may be denied if there are cogent reasons to believe that the accused may tamper with evidence or commit other offences while on bail. However, all persons in detention must be tried within a reasonable time period to avoid unnecessary hardship on those who are innocent and yet imprisoned. Policy makers in India have recognised the magnitude of the problem of high percentage of under-trial population in prisons. The legislature and the judiciary have both stepped in to ensure that the bail regime is liberalised, but the practice remains far removed from the intent. Disposal of cases still takes a long time. In fact so much systemic dysfunction has piled up that there is a growing justification for adopting “short-cut” mechanisms – that also dilute the ‘due process rights’ – so that the system can be seen to be functioning. Fast track courts, plea-bargaining, jail adalats are some of the institutionalised examples of this. Others include proposed ideas to allow police to record confessions, reduce the burden of proof from ‘beyond reasonable doubt’ to the ‘subjective satisfaction’ of the judge. Translated literally as prison court, jail adalats see judges holding courts in prisons to dispose off cases of “petty” offenders who are willing to admit guilt. Devised as a strategy to deal with overcrowding and high under-trial population, jail adalats have not been able to address the problem. In fact, many argue that they have themselves become a part of the problem. Jail adalats have received repeated and consistent endorsement from Chief Justices8 of the Supreme Court and the High Courts as well as high powered committees set up by the judiciary. This alone makes a study of the mechanism useful. But combined with both, the complete lack of documentation on the subject and inconsistent procedure and practices, the study is particularly relevant. This study was undertaken to examine how the process is carried out in different states. One of the primary aims of the study was to identify good practices of holding jail adalats and examine whether these could be adopted in other states. This was based on the assumption that even though jail adalats are not the best way to reduce the number of under-trial prisoners, they can be used in the interim period while broader systemic criminal justice reforms are underway. It was assumed that though short on technical procedure, these adalats are perhaps a just way to deal with “petty ” offenders who, if willing to admit guilt, can be released from the prisons after recording a conviction. However, having conducted the study, these assumptions have been reconsidered (as shown by the findings in the report). This report seeks to encourage a debate on the use of short-cut mechanisms in the criminal justice system like the jail adalats. It brings to the fore, the problems that these hastily thought out “solutions” give rise to. The target audience for this report includes the prison and judicial officers who arrange and hold these adalats; the political leaders who may be induced into thinking that these adalats should be given statutory recognition without any further debate; other state agencies like the human rights commissions which recommend their use; and the civil society. Details: New Delhi: Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative, 2009. 83p. Source: Internet Resource Year: 2009 Country: India URL: Shelf Number: 119444 Keywords: BailCorrectionsJailsPretrial Detention (India) |
Author: Booz Allen Hamilton Title: Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA): Cost Impact Analysis: Final Report Summary: This document is the final report of the Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) Cost Impact Analysis, an effort to assist the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) in the review of the standards published by the National Prison Rape Elimination Commission (NPREC) on June 23, 2009. This document assesses the costs specific to each standard, assesses variations within the cost estimates, and addresses a comprehensive view of implementation and compliance on a national level. It covers five sectors of correctional operations: state prison systems, state and local juvenile facilities, community corrections, and local/county jails, police lockups. Details: McLean, VA: Booz Allen Hamilton, 2010. 414p. Source: Internet Resource Year: 2010 Country: United States URL: Shelf Number: 119513 Keywords: CorrectionsInmate Sexual AssaultPriaon RapePrison Violence |
Author: Nafekh, Mark Title: Evaluation Report: Correctional Service Canada's Safer Tattooing Practices Pilot Initiative Summary: "The practice of illicit tattooing in prison has been associated with high incidence and prevalence rates of blood borne infectious diseases within federal correctional institutions, a risk which is also extended to correctional staff members and to the general public. In response to the Federal National AIDS Strategy (1997) and the 31st Annual Report of the Correctional Investigator (2004), Correctional Service Canada (CSC) agreed to explore expanding its infectious disease control program to include Safer Tattooing Practices as a harm reduction initiative. In August 2005, CSC began its pilot of the Safer Tattooing Practices Initiative (STPI)2, which was implemented through an education component and an operational component. The operational component saw the implementation of tattoo rooms in six federal institutions – one men’s institution in each of the five regions (Atlantic, Cowansville, Bath, Rockwood and Matsqui Institutions) plus one women’s institution (Fraser Valley Institution for Women). The education component, delivered at CSC’s five regional reception centres, informed all inmates with a new federal offence about the risks of unsafe tattooing practices at the five regional reception centres. The education component also provided information through a guidelines document and pamphlets distributed at each of the six pilot sites. This report provides findings of the targeted evaluation of the STPI. The report measures achievements and outcomes as outlined in the Evaluation Framework (2005). The report is summative in nature even though it incorporates aspects of both the formative and summative approaches towards evaluation. Thus, most but not all of the immediate, intermediate and long term impacts were assessed. As such, the report includes findings and recommendations regarding the implementation of the STPI, however not all aspects of this area were examined in detail as they would in a purely formative evaluation. The findings and recommendations contained in this report are designed to guide decisions regarding the suitability of continuing the Safer Tattooing harm reduction initiative." Details: Ottawa: Correctional Service Canada, Evalution Branch, Performance Assurance Sector, 2009. 70p. Source: Internet Resource; Accessed August 14, 2010 at: http://www.csc-scc.gc.ca/text/pa/ev-tattooing-394-2-39/ev-tattooing-394-2-39_e.pdf Year: 2009 Country: Canada URL: http://www.csc-scc.gc.ca/text/pa/ev-tattooing-394-2-39/ev-tattooing-394-2-39_e.pdf Shelf Number: 114339 Keywords: CorrectionsHealth CareInmatesPrisonersTattoos |
Author: Aos, Steve Title: WSIPP's Benefit-Cost Tool for States: Examining Policy Options in Sentencing and Corrections Summary: Can knowledge about “what works” to reduce crime be used to help states achieve a win-win outcome of lower crime and lower taxpayer spending? The Washington State Institute for Public Policy has constructed an analytical tool for the Washington legislature to help identify evidence-based sentencing and programming policy options to reduce crime and taxpayer criminal justice costs. This report describes the tool (as of August 2010) in detail and illustrates its use by applying it to two hypothetical sentencing policy options in Washington State. The tool assesses benefits, costs, and risks. Results from the two hypothetical examples point to possible win-win policy combinations. Details: Olympia, WA: Washington State Institute for Public Policy, 2010. 56p. Source: Internet Resource: Document No. 10-08-1201: Accessed October 8, 2010 at: http://www.wsipp.wa.gov/rptfiles/10-08-1201.pdf Year: 2010 Country: United States URL: http://www.wsipp.wa.gov/rptfiles/10-08-1201.pdf Shelf Number: 119882 Keywords: CorrectionsCost-Benefit AnalysisCosts of Criminal JusticeCriminal Justice PolicyEvidence-Based PoliciesSentencing |
Author: Vera Institute of Justice Title: The Continuing Fiscal Crisis in Corrections: Setting a New Course Summary: In the 1980s, the number of people sent to prison or supervised on probation and parole in the United States began growing substantially. Not surprisingly, the overall cost of corrections increased as well. But an unexpected about-face during the past three years suggests that the age of expanding costs may be coming to a close. The fiscal crisis that began in December 2007 has spurred lawmakers to reconsider who is punished and how. High recidivism rates among formerly incarcerated people have also given officials cause to reevaluate existing policies. To help legislators and other policy makers understand states’ responses both to the fiscal crisis and to unsatisfactory outcomes of earlier policies and investments, the Vera Institute of Justice surveyed state corrections officials about their planned appropriations for fiscal year 2011. Staff from Vera’s Center on Sentencing and Corrections assessed current spending plans and reviewed state legislative action in 2009 and 2010 to look for new trends in corrections policies. The first half of this report describes the immediate actions states have taken to reduce costs. The second half looks at legislative reforms aimed at reducing corrections spending over the long term. A core lesson underlying all of this activity is that officials are recognizing—in large part due to 30 years of trial and error, backed up by data—that it is possible to reduce corrections spending while also enhancing public safety. Details: New York: Vera Institute of Justice, 2010. 21p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed November 2, 2010 at: http://www.vera.org/download?file=3069/The-continuing-fiscal-crisis-in-corrections-10-2010.pdf Year: 2010 Country: United States URL: http://www.vera.org/download?file=3069/The-continuing-fiscal-crisis-in-corrections-10-2010.pdf Shelf Number: 120161 Keywords: CorrectionsCosts of Criminal Justice |
Author: Northern Ireland. Criminal Justice Inspection Title: Northern Ireland Prison Service Corporate Governance Arrangement: An Inspection of Corporate Governance Arrangements within the Northern Ireland Prison Service Summary: The vast majority of prisoners in Northern Ireland will be released. What happens inside a prison has a real impact on what happens outside a prison. The extent to which behaviours are challenged, prisoners are given purposeful activity, assisted with resettlement into the community and the nature of officer/prisoner engagement, all make a major contribution to reducing reoffending and helping to increase public protection against criminal activity in the future. The estimated cost of re-offending in the United Kingdom is around £11 billion, in Northern Ireland it is in the region of £80 million. The Prison Service is not a bit player in the criminal justice system, it is an essential component of the success of the system overall. The Northern Ireland Prison Service (NIPS) is shaped by the legacy of the past. Its culture, ethos, working practices and management processes reflect in many ways a different era, and a different agenda for what we want our prisons to do. It has remained largely untouched by the reforms of the criminal justice system. The NIPS is a relatively well resourced public service in Northern Ireland. Certainly its operating budgets are higher than comparable institutions elsewhere in the United Kingdom. Management within the Prison Service recognise the need for change and have made efforts in the past number of years to deliver a more cost-efficient and effective organisation. The Prison Service has embarked on a series of changes to try and develop a new approach to prison management – with a clear emphasis on promoting a secure and humane environment that challenges offending behaviours. The Prison Service can rightly point to a series of initiatives (for example, development of the prison estate) that provide evidence of a new approach. The recent inspection of Magilligan Prison shows that local management can make a difference and change the ways in which the regime operates. Throughout the inspection work undertaken by CJI we have continually made reference to the many committed staff we have seen as part of the different inspection reports and have noted the important contribution they make to the positive work of the NIPS. At the same time the level of scrutiny of the Prison Service has been intense. CJI and Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Prisons (HMIP) inspection reports – the 2010 Magilligan inspection report excepted – have shown a series of deep problems around delivering better outcomes for prisoners in terms of time out of cell, access to work, education and other purposeful activity, and a need for a more constructive form of engagement between prisoners and prison officers. Other reports have shown a major disconnect between the strategic intent of the Prison Service and its capacity to deliver real change on the ground. There is real dissonance therefore between the stated intent of the Prison Service – the initiatives that it highlights – and operational activity as it exists on the ground. This picture is confirmed by other work that has been completed on the Prison Service including that undertaken by the Prisoner Ombudsman for Northern Ireland (PONI) and the Pearson Review Team. The purpose of this inspection was to examine why this should be the case and to highlight those aspects of Prison Service operations that have an impact on delivering the Prison Service of the future. As the Prison Service itself recognises, the devolution of policing and justice has altered the landscape and the future financial environment will create its own dynamic that will fundamentally require change in all aspects of Prison Service operations. Details: Belfast: Criminal Justice Inspection Northern Ireland, 2010. 82p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed December 16, 2010 at: http://www.cjini.org/CJNI/files/3d/3ddfc1cc-64b9-43da-ad86-88950db136ee.PDF Year: 2010 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.cjini.org/CJNI/files/3d/3ddfc1cc-64b9-43da-ad86-88950db136ee.PDF Shelf Number: 120528 Keywords: CorrectionsPrison AdministrationPrison ManagementPrisons (Northern Ireland) |
Author: Porter, Nicole D. Title: The State of Sentencing 2010: Developments in Policy and Practice Summary: Today, 7.2 million men and women are under correctional supervision. Of this total, five million are monitored in the community on probation or parole and 2.3 million are incarcerated in prisons or jails. As a result the nation maintains the highest rate of incarceration in the world at 743 per 100,000 population. The scale of the correctional population results from a mix of crime rates and legislative and administrative policies that vary by state. In recent years, lawmakers have struggled to find the resources to maintain state correctional systems; 46 states are facing budget deficits in the current fiscal year, a situation that is likely to continue, according to the National Governors Association. Many states are looking closely at ways to reduce correctional costs as they seek to address limited resources. States like Kansas, Michigan, New Jersey, and New York have successfully reduced their prison populations in recent years in an effort to control costs and effectively manage prison capacity. Overall, prison populations declined in 24 states during 2009, by 48,000 persons, or 0.7 percent. During 2010, state legislatures in at least 23 states and the District of Columbia adopted 35 criminal justice policies that may contribute to reductions in the prison population and eliminate barriers to reentry while promoting effective approaches to public safety. This report provides an overview of recent policy reforms in the areas of sentencing, probation and parole, drug policy, the prison census count, collateral consequences, and juvenile justice. Highlights include: South Carolina equalized penalties for crack and powder cocaine offenses as part of a sentencing reform package that garnered bipartisan support. New Jersey modified its mandatory sentencing law that applies to convictions in “drug free school zones,” and now authorizes judges to impose sentences below the mandatory minimum in appropriate cases. Prior to the reform, more than 3,600 defendants a year were convicted under the statute, 96% of whom were African American or Latino. During 2010, state legislatures in at least 23 states and the District of Columbia adopted 35 criminal justice policies that may contribute to reductions in the prison population and eliminate barriers to reentry while promoting effective approaches to public safety. This report provides an overview of recent policy reforms in the areas of sentencing, probation and parole, drug policy, the prison census count, collateral consequences, and juvenile justice. Details: Washington, DC: The Sentencing Project, 2011. 22p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed February 28, 2011 at: http://sentencingproject.org/doc/publications/publications/Final%20State%20of%20the%20Sentencing%202010.pdf Year: 2011 Country: United States URL: http://sentencingproject.org/doc/publications/publications/Final%20State%20of%20the%20Sentencing%202010.pdf Shelf Number: 120882 Keywords: Alternatives to IncarcerationCorrectionsCriminal Justice PolicyInmatesParolePrisonersProbationSentencing |
Author: Atabay, Tomris Title: Afghanistan: Implementing Alternatives to Imprisonment, in Line with International Standards and National Legislation Summary: The current assessment forms part of UNODC’s programme to extend penitentiary reform to the provinces of Afghanistan (AFG/R87), building on the UNODC penitentiary reform project ongoing in Afghanistan since 2003 (AFG/R41). The project includes the introduction of initiatives to increase the use of alternatives to prison, in line with the recommendations of international standards, to complement a range of other activities focusing on the infrastructural, normative and operational priorities in the penitentiary system. The assessment provides a review of existing legislation, in terms of their provisions for non-custodial measures and sanctions, with particular focus on the provisions for offenders with mental healthcare needs, drug users, women, juveniles and first time non-violent offenders. It analyses information gathered in Kabul, as regards offences committed by some of these groups and sentences received, with a view to assessing the application of existing provisions for alternatives and potential for expanding the use of non-custodial sanctions and measures. It reviews the capacity of criminal justice institutions and services in the community, provided by the State and NGOs, to implement and support non-custodial measures and sanctions. It comments on the current discussion on forming links with the informal justice structures for diversion from the criminal justice system. Finally, it puts forward a series of recommendations to increase the implementation in practice of existing alternatives to prison, to expand non-custodial measures and sanctions in legislation, and to initiate practical steps to ensure that legislation is applied, and applied to enhance the social reintegration prospects of offenders. The assessment and recommendations are guided by international instruments, including: the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights; United Nations Standards Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners; United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for Non-custodial Measures (Tokyo Rules); United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Administration of Juvenile Justice (Beijing Rules); United Nations Principles for the protection of persons with mental illness and the improvement of mental healthcare (Mental Illness Principles) and United Nations Convention against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances. The assessment has been prepared in the context of priorities and goals set by the Afghanistan Compact, within the overall framework of the Afghanistan National Development Strategy (ANDS), and decisions taken at the Justice and Rule of Law Conference held in Rome in July 2007. Details: New York, United Nations, 2008. 120p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed April 20, 2011 at: http://ar.unrol.org/files/Afghanistan_Implementing_Alternatives_Imprisonment[1].pdf Year: 2008 Country: Afghanistan URL: http://ar.unrol.org/files/Afghanistan_Implementing_Alternatives_Imprisonment[1].pdf Shelf Number: 121453 Keywords: Alternatives to Incarceration (Afghanistan)CorrectionsCriminal Justice SystemsPrisons |
Author: Wan, Wai-Yin Title: The Relationship Between Police Arrests and Correctional Workload Summary: The aim of this study was to estimate the impact of a 10 per cent increase in arrests on (a) the number of male and female offenders sentenced to full-time prison terms (FTP) and (b) the number of offenders given community-based supervised orders (SO). Three pairs of time series (arrests and SO, male arrests and male FTP, female arrests and female FTP) were constructed from counts of male and female arrests, male and female FTP and SO over the 153 months from January 1998 to September 2010. Autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) models were used to examine the impact of changes in the number of arrests on the outcome (SO, male FTP and female FTP). The study found that a 10 per cent increase in police arrests results in a 2.3 per cent increase in the number of SOs one month later. If the 10 per cent change persists, the increase in SO is estimated to be 4.1 per cent in the long term. A 10 per cent increase in the number of male arrests produces an immediate (same month) 3.3 per cent increase in the number of male FTP. If the 10 per cent change persists, the increase in male FTP over the long term is estimated to be 4.0 per cent. A 10 per cent increase in female arrests produces a 4.6 per cent increase in female FTP one month later. If the increase in female arrests persists, the increase in female FTP over the long term is estimated to reduce to 3.7 per cent. The short-run costs of a 10 per cent increase in police arrests are $2.6 million (supervised orders), $18.7 million (male FTP) and $2.2 million (female FTP), spread over 11 months for supervised orders and male full-time imprisonment and over 8 months for female full-time imprisonment. Changes in arrest rates have significant and rapid impacts on demand for correctional services. Central agencies need to pay close attention to the downstream impact of policies that are likely to result in an increased arrest rate. Correctional agencies need to closely monitor arrest rate trends. Details: Sydney: New South Wales Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research, 2011. 8p. Source: Internet Resource: Contemporary Issues in Crime and Justice Number 150; Accessed July 5, 2011 at: http://www.lawlink.nsw.gov.au/lawlink/bocsar/ll_bocsar.nsf/vwFiles/cjb150.pdf/$file/cjb150.pdf Year: 2011 Country: Australia URL: http://www.lawlink.nsw.gov.au/lawlink/bocsar/ll_bocsar.nsf/vwFiles/cjb150.pdf/$file/cjb150.pdf Shelf Number: 121965 Keywords: Arrest and Apprehension (Australia)CorrectionsImprisonmentWorkload |
Author: Minnesota. Department of Corrections Title: Short-Term Offenders: 2007 Report to the Legislature Summary: The 2007 Legislature raised the shortterm offender program appropriation from $1,207,000 to $3,707,000 each year. In conjunction with that appropriation the commissioner of corrections was directed to study the use and effectiveness of the shortterm offender program and identify gaps in the shortterm offender system relating to programming and reentry services. The commissioner of corrections invited practitioners who deal with shortterm offenders on a daily basis to join a work group whose focus was to review the shortterm offender program in light of the 2007 legislation. The ShortTerm Offender Work Group, in reviewing the program, determined that many factors play into the ability to provide effective programming and reentry services. In all, the work group identified six major areas of concern and discussed possible options for addressing these issues. The six areas discussed by the group include funding, housing, the number of shortterm offenders, programming differences, medical issues, and release planning. Details: St. Paul: Minnesota Department of Corrections, 2007. 40p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed August 22, 2011 at: http://www.doc.state.mn.us/publications/legislativereports/documents/STOReport-12-07ReportFinal.pdf Year: 2007 Country: United States URL: http://www.doc.state.mn.us/publications/legislativereports/documents/STOReport-12-07ReportFinal.pdf Shelf Number: 122444 Keywords: CorrectionsPrisoners, Short Term (Minnesota)Probation Violators |
Author: New Hampshire State Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights Title: Unequal Treatment: Women Incarcerated in New Hampshire's State Prison System Summary: The New Hampshire Advisory Committee (Advisory Committee) submits this report, "Unequal Treatment: Women Incarcerated in New Hampshire's State Prison System" as part of its responsibility to advise the Commission on civil rights issues in the state. The Advisory Committee concludes that New Hampshire's Department of Corrections faces a nearly insurmountable challenge in meeting many of the important needs of its female inmate population. The failure of the state to provide comparable services in these respects seriously affects the ability of women offenders to maintain appropriate family relationships, impairs their mental and physical health, and inhibits their ability to prepare for productive and self-supporting work upon their eventual release from incarceration. The exceptionally high recidivism rate for female offenders in New Hampshire among the only states in the country with a recidivism rate for women that exceeds the comparable rate for men is a powerful testament to the high cost that the state pays for its failure to address unequal conditions of confinement faced by female offenders. Details: Washington DC: U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, 2011. Source: Internet Resource: Briefing Report: Accessed on December 8, 2011 at: http://www.usccr.gov/pubs/Unequal_Treatment_WomenIncarceratedinNHStatePrisonSystem.pdf Year: 2011 Country: United States URL: http://www.usccr.gov/pubs/Unequal_Treatment_WomenIncarceratedinNHStatePrisonSystem.pdf Shelf Number: 123506 Keywords: Correctional ProgramsCorrectionsPrisoner HealthWomen Prisoners (New Hampshire) |
Author: La Vigne, Nancy Title: Release Planning for Successful Reentry: A Guide for Corrections, Service Providers, and Community Groups Summary: This report is designed to help the corrections community, service providers and community groups prepare prisoners for the moment of release from prison and the time immediately following release. It describes the eight most basic and immediate needs returning prisoners have when they exit prison, recommends minimum policies practitioners can institute to meet these needs, and highlights the opportunities and challenges practitioners face when trying to improve their release planning policies. The report also uses the results of a UI survey of 43 departments of corrections to illustrate what release planning procedures are currently being implemented across the country. Details: Washington, DC: Justice Policy Center, Urban Institute, 2008. 104p. Source: Research Report: Internet Resource: Accessed on January 27, 2012 at http://www.urban.org/UploadedPDF/411767_successful_reentry.pdf Year: 2008 Country: United States URL: http://www.urban.org/UploadedPDF/411767_successful_reentry.pdf Shelf Number: 123797 Keywords: Community ParticipationCorrectionsPrisoner ReintegrationReentry |
Author: Office of Criminal Justice Research, Georgia State Board of Pardons and Paroles Title: Special Report: Lifetime Likelihood of Going to a Georgia State Prison Summary: The current study relies on life tables techniques to estimate the lifetime likelihood of going to prison in the State of Georgia. The “lifetime likelihood of incarceration” measurement reflects the percentage of Georgia residents who should be expected to be incarcerated in a State prison at some point during their lifetime. These lifetime estimates are based on established life table techniques frequently used by demographers and actuaries to summarize today’s first-time admission prison rate and age-specific mortality rates (referred to as double decrement life table), as well as the techniques used by the Department of Justice in estimating U.S. rates in the 1997 report, Lifetime Likelihood of Going to State or Federal Prison. Georgia men (17.8%) are over seven times more likely than women to be incarcerated in prison at least once during their lifetime. Among Georgia women, black females (4.6%) are three times more likely to enter prison at least once during their life compared to white females (1.5%). Among Georgia men, four out of every ten black males (38.5%) will likely go to a Georgia state prison sometime over the course of their lives. The likelihood of a Georgia man going to prison (17.8%) is nearly double that of the national average (9.0%). The likelihood of incarceration for Georgia females (2.5%) was over two times that of the national average (1.1%). The likelihood of black Georgia men being incarcerated (38.5%) is ten points higher than that of the rest of the nation (28.5%). White males in Georgia are more than twice as likely (9.3%) to be incarcerated than white males elsewhere in the U.S. (4.4%). Details: Atlanta, Georgia: Office of Criminal Justice Research, Georgia State Board of Pardons and Paroles, 1999. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed February 14, 2012 at http://ars-corp.com/_view/PDF_Files/LifetimeLikelihoodofGoingtoaGeorgiaStatePrison1999.pdf Year: 1999 Country: United States URL: http://ars-corp.com/_view/PDF_Files/LifetimeLikelihoodofGoingtoaGeorgiaStatePrison1999.pdf Shelf Number: 124140 Keywords: Adult Corrections (Georgia)CorrectionsImprisonmentRace/EthnicitySentencing |
Author: Klofas, John M. Title: Sustainable Communities and Corrections: The Impact on Local Populations Summary: The concept of sustainable communities has provided a context for policy analysis in a wide variety of areas. It has not, however, found wide application in criminal justice. This paper will examine corrections, including imprisonment, from the perspective of community sustainability. An analysis of incarceration levels and the concentration of parolees and probationers in a northeastern city is used to examine this idea. Data reveal high concentrations of corrections populations in high crime neighborhoods. Census data also show declines in populations of young men and over all declines in parenting aged adults in the same neighborhoods. The data suggest that corrections policy and incarceration in particular has been harmful to sustainability in urban poor neighborhoods. The patterns found are inconsistent with contemporary views on desirable social structure and neighborhood efficacy. With growing interest in areas such as reentry and mass incarceration, sustainability may provide a useful context for analyses in criminal justice. Details: Rochester, NY: Center for Public Safety Initiatives, Rochester Institute of Technology, 2011. 25p. Source: Center for Public Safety Initiatives (CPSI) Working Paper #2011-01: Internet Resource: Accessed February 19, 2012 at http://www.rit.edu/cla/cpsi/WorkingPapers/2011/2011-01.pdf Year: 2011 Country: United States URL: http://www.rit.edu/cla/cpsi/WorkingPapers/2011/2011-01.pdf Shelf Number: 124201 Keywords: Community SafetyCorrectionsCriminal Justice PolicyUrban Areas |
Author: Boque, Bradford Title: Motivational Interview in Corrections: A Comprehensive Guide to Implementing MI in Corrections Summary: This guide explains how to implement motivational interviewing (MI) in correctional settings. Motivational Interviewing is a counseling technique that enables people to get beyond their reluctance to change problem behaviors. MI is directive (focused on goals), client-centered, and non-confrontational. The first four chapters of this guide “address background and fundamental issues related to agency or systemwide implementation of MI … [while the last two chapters] address agency issues, such as organizational norms, mental models, and leadership styles that can significantly affect the success of MI implementation”. These chapters are: what MI is; how MI is learned; supervising and coaching to support implementation; assessing motivational interviewing skills; and planning to help individuals develop MI skills in a correctional setting. A glossary is also included. Details: Washington, DC: U.S. National Institute of Corrections, 2012. 82p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed February 27, 2012 at: http://static.nicic.gov/Library/025556.pdf Year: 2012 Country: United States URL: http://static.nicic.gov/Library/025556.pdf Shelf Number: 124278 Keywords: Correctional ProgramsCorrectionsMotivational InterviewingOffender CounselingOffender Rehabilitation |
Author: Boyd, Carol J. Title: Program Evaluation of Michigan Department of Corrections' Residential Substance Abuse Treatment (RSAT): A Descriptive Assessment of Prison and Community-Based Treatment Programs Summary: The relationship between criminal behavior and substance abuse has been well documented and social systems that support a drug or criminal lifestyle share several common features. In order to address these commonalities, the Michigan Department of Corrections (MDOC) offers several types of treatment in prison and in the community. In 1998, MDOC used federal and State monies to pilot three RSAT programs in order to test the benefits of a residential program situated in a prison setting. An independent evaluation of the RSAT programs was mandated and in 1999 the University of Michigan’s Substance Abuse Research Center, under the direction of Dr. Carol J. Boyd, began annual and independent evaluation of the three RSAT programs in MDOC. Program evaluations for the previous two fiscal years were filed with the Michigan Department of Corrections. Those reports included assessments of the developmental and implementation aspects of the programs. Since this third report covers the fiscal year of October 1, 2000 through September 30, 2001 and RSAT graduates are now out of prison and living in their communities, this report focuses on program outcomes. The original RSAT pilot envisioned 150 RSAT beds, funded through a combination of federal grant and State funds. Additional RSAT beds were funded through the availability of legislative pilot funding. As of 9/30/01, the MDOC operates two pilot RSAT programs totaling 230 beds, providing service to both male and female offenders. The goal of the RSAT programs is to reduce relapse and recidivism among substance abusing offenders through therapeutic interventions that prepare them for return to the community. The programs aim to accomplish these goals by providing six months (nine months at Macomb) of residential treatment. The therapeutic focus is on reducing both substance abuse and criminal behaviors by using a cognitive behavioral treatment model. This treatment model has an orientation phase, two intensive treatment phases and a brief segment for preparation to return to the community. The RSAT treatment units, based on the ‘therapeutic community’ living model, have been substantially modified to fit the needs of the prisons. As such, the living units are dedicated to treatment, but not entirely self-contained. RSAT participants interact with fellow prisoners in the yard, at mealtimes and on their jobs. Upon graduation residents of the RSAT programs have the option of entering a follow up treatment program in a step-down unit for up to six months. After release from prison, RSAT graduates are followed for 12 months in the community during which time they are referred for outpatient substance abuse treatment. Details: Substance Abuse Research Center, University of Michigan, 2002. 34p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 2, 2012 at http://www.michigan.gov/documents/040102sec306%282%29RSAT_18215_7.pdf Year: 2002 Country: United States URL: http://www.michigan.gov/documents/040102sec306%282%29RSAT_18215_7.pdf Shelf Number: 124356 Keywords: Community-based CorrectionsCorrectionsDrug Treatment ProgramsResidential Treatment Centers (Michigan)Substance Abuse |
Author: Pew Center on the States Title: Public Opinion on Sentencing and Corrections Policy in America Summary: As part of the Public Safety Performance Project's work with states to improve public safety and control corrections costs, we collaborated with two of the nation's leading polling firms, The Mellman Group and Public Opinion Strategies, to explore public opinion on sentencing and corrections issues across the country. The firms conducted a national survey of 1,200 likely voters to measure underlying attitudes and support for specific policy changes. Download the summary of findings. (Adobe PDF) Key Takeaways • American voters believe too many people are in prison and the nation spends too much on imprisonment. • Voters overwhelmingly support a variety of policy changes that shift non-violent offenders from prison to more effective, less expensive alternatives. • Support for sentencing and corrections reforms (including reduced prison terms) is strong across political parties, regions, age, gender, and racial/ethnic groups. Details: Washington, DC: Pew Center on the States, 2012. 8p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed April 3, 2012 at: http://www.pewcenteronthestates.org/uploadedFiles/wwwpewcenteronthestatesorg/Initiatives/PSPP/PEW_NationalSurveyResearchPaper_FINAL.pdf Year: 2012 Country: United States URL: http://www.pewcenteronthestates.org/uploadedFiles/wwwpewcenteronthestatesorg/Initiatives/PSPP/PEW_NationalSurveyResearchPaper_FINAL.pdf Shelf Number: 124804 Keywords: CorrectionsCriminal Justice PolicyPublic Opinion Survey (U.S.)Sentencing |
Author: Cebula, Nancy Title: Understanding Corrections through the APEX Lens Summary: The APEX: Achieving Performance Excellence Initiative introduces a systems approach to change, specifically for correctional organizations, and incorporates multiple tools and strategies to assist agencies in building sustainable capacity for higher performance. The APEX Initiative includes the APEX Public Safety Model and its components, the APEX Assessment Tools Protocol, the APEX Guidebook series, and the APEX Change Agent Training. This initiative informs data-driven decisionmaking, enhances organizational change efforts, and provides support and resources to correctional agencies. At the heart of APEX is the fundamental mission of correctional organizations to maintain public safety, ensure safe and secure correctional supervision of offenders, and maintain safe and secure settings for those who work in the field. This comprehensive systems approach to continuous performance improvement encourages innovative ideas to enhance organizational operations, services, and processes and to achieve desired results. Corrections is a people business. Stakeholders, especially individuals under supervision and in custody, their families, criminal justice and human service professionals, the public, and the agency’s workforce, are part of a vast and complex network that determines every correctional agency’s success. Corrections is also a systems business, in which high performance is made more complicated by interdependent operations that must always consider subsystem impacts on safety and security. In short, a multitude of factors determine higher performance in corrections. Understanding Corrections through the APEX Lens, part of the APEX (Achieving Performance Excellence) Guidebook series, presents chapters on several of the APEX Public Safety Model domains: Operations, including Safe and Secure Supervision and Settings and Process Management; Stakeholder Focus; Workforce Focus; Strategic Planning; Measurement, Analysis, and Knowledge Management; and Results. Understanding and mastery of these domains can put a correctional organization on a fast track toward enhanced results. Details: Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice, National Institute of Corrections, 2012. 96p. Source: Achieving Performance Excellence (APEX) Guidebook Series: Internet Resource: Accessed May 13, 2012 at http://static.nicic.gov/Library/025299.pdf Year: 2012 Country: United States URL: http://static.nicic.gov/Library/025299.pdf Shelf Number: 125247 Keywords: CorrectionsCorrections AdministrationCorrections Reform |
Author: Jacobs, James B. Title: A Proposed National Corrections College Summary: More than four decades ago, Chief Justice Warren E. Burger proposed the establishment of a National Corrections Academy. He envisioned a training center for prison and jail personnel as prestigious, well-funded, and high-powered as the FBI Academy in Quantico, Virginia. Although the National Institute of Corrections established a National Corrections Academy in 1982, this academy has remained extremely small (ten full-time program specialists) and modestly funded ($2.5 annual budget) given the size of this nation’s correctional infrastructure. Today, at a cost of approximately $70 billion per year, more than half a million correctional employees in more than 5,000 correctional facilities across the U.S. house, feed, clothe, supervise, recreate, educate, and provide medical care to nearly 2.3 million inmates, and probation and parole officers supervise an additional 5 million people. Despite the cost and complexity of administering this massive correctional complex, there is no national institution to identify and prioritize correctional-leadership-development needs, evaluate best training practices, develop and disseminate quality curricula, conduct cutting-edge research, and deliver training to a significant number of high-level corrections leaders. This article reprises Chief Justice Burger’s proposal, calling for the establishment of a National Corrections College that would be the nation’s “brain center” for correctional research, curriculum development, and leadership training. As Justice Burger observed three decades ago, an investment in a full-fledged national-level correctional training and research center would “cost less in the long run” than the failure to make such investment Details: New York: New York University School of Law, 2012. 44p. Source: Public Law & Legal Theory Research Paper Series, Working Paper No. 12-07: Internet Resource: Accessed June 7, 2012 at http://ssrn.com/abstract=2060497 Year: 2012 Country: United States URL: http://ssrn.com/abstract=2060497 Shelf Number: 125332 Keywords: Correctional Administration, TrainingCorrectional Personnel, TrainingCorrections |
Author: Kazemian, Lila Title: The French Prison System: Comparative Insights for Policy and Practice in New York and the United States Summary: In 2006, drawing on previous work by the European Convention on Human Rights and the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, the Council of Europe offered recommendations on basic standards that should be met in European correctional facilities, otherwise known as the European Prison Rules. These rules offer guidelines for the humane and just treatment of prisoners in the 47 member states of the Council of Europe. In 2009, France enacted a correctional law that guaranteed certain rights to incarcerated individuals, including the right to obtain identity papers, to vote, to gain access to social aid, to maintain family ties, to have reasonable access to telephone services, to be offered employment opportunities, to participate in training programs, and to benefit from reduced prison time for sentences of less than five years or for convictions involving individuals who are over 75 years of age. Despite these and other reform initiatives, European correctional administrations often turn to the United States and Canada for guidance on the effective management of prison populations. French correctional administrators express particular interest in correctional practices in the State of New York, as officials there are believed to value inmate rights and prisoner reentry initiatives. New York’s reputation for supporting research and for hosting diverse communitybased organizations focused on prisoner issues stimulates interest in correctional policies and programs in New York City and throughout the state. Officials in New York, however, have just as much to learn from correctional practices in France and other European countries. This report provides an overview of the French correctional system and highlights some of the innovations that characterize French prisons. Correctional trends and practices in France are compared with those of New York and the U.S. more generally. Details: New York: John Jay College of Criminal Justice, Research and Evaluation Center, 2012. 33p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed July 12, 2012 at: http://johnjayresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/rec20121.pdf Year: 2012 Country: France URL: http://johnjayresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/rec20121.pdf Shelf Number: 125594 Keywords: Correctional InstitutionsCorrectionsPrisonersPrisons (France) |
Author: Abrams, David S. Title: The Imprisoner's Dilemma: A Cost Benefit Approach to Incarceration Summary: Depriving an individual of life or liberty is one of the most intrusive powers that governments wield. Decisions about imprisonment capture the public imagination. The stories are told daily in newspapers and on TV, dramatized in literature and on film, and debated by scholars. The United States has created an ever-increasing amount of material for discussion as the state incarceration rate quadrupled between 1980 and 2000. While the decision to incarcerate an individual is given focused attention by a judge, prosecutor, and (occasionally) a jury, the overall incarceration rate is not. In this article, I apply a cost-benefit approach to incarceration with the goal of informing public policy. An excessive rate of incarceration not only deprives individuals of freedom, but also costs the taxpayers large amounts of money. Too little imprisonment harms society in a different way – through costs to victims and even non-victims who must increase precautions to avoid crime. Striking the right balance of costs and benefits is what good law and public policy strive for. Changes to the inmate population may be made in several different ways. One insight that I stress in this article is that the precise form of a proposed incarceration policy change is crucial to properly evaluating the impact of the change. Therefore, I analyze several potential policy changes and their implications for sentencing and imprisonment. The calculations are informed by recent empirical work on the various ways in which imprisonment impacts overall welfare. I find that the benefits of limited one-time prisoner releases, as well as the reclassification of some crimes exceed the costs. Details: Philadelphia, PA: University of Pennsylvania Law School, 2012. 58p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed December 16, 2012 at http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2109703 Year: 2012 Country: United States URL: http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2109703 Shelf Number: 127227 Keywords: Correctional AdministrationCorrectionsCost Benefit AnalysisCosts of Criminal JusticeImprisonment |
Author: Kyckelhahn, Tracey Title: State Corrections Expenditures, FY 1982-2010 Summary: Presents data on state corrections expenditures from fiscal years 1982 to 2010. This bulletin examines trends in state corrections spending for building and operating institutions and for other corrections functions. The report also details institutional operating expenditures per inmate over the study period. It compares trends in state corrections expenditures with state spending for public welfare, education, health and hospitals, and highways. Data are drawn from the Census Bureau's State Government Finance Survey, which collects information on state expenditures and revenues, and the Bureau of Justice Statistics' National Prisoner Statistics, which collects information on state prison populations. Details: Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2012. 14p. Source: BJS Bulletin: Internet Resource: Accessed January 13, 2013 at http://bjs.ojp.usdoj.gov/content/pub/pdf/scefy8210.pdf Year: 2012 Country: United States URL: http://bjs.ojp.usdoj.gov/content/pub/pdf/scefy8210.pdf Shelf Number: 127264 Keywords: Correctional AdministrationCorrectionsCosts of Criminal JusticeExpenditures in Criminal Justice |
Author: Denman, Kristine Title: New Mexico's Transition from Prison to Community Initiative: A Gaps Analysis Summary: In March 2008, Governor Richardson convened a Task Force to review current practices and make recommendations for prison reform in New Mexico, with the goal of improving reentry success among those released from correctional supervision and thereby ensuring community safety. In June 2008, Governor Richardson‟s Task Force on Prison Reform produced the first of two reports identifying the needs of the State‟s prisons and offering recommendations to improve reentry success among the State‟s prisoners. As a result of the recommendations, The New Mexico Corrections Department (NMCD) created a Reentry and Prison Reform Division, tasked with carrying out reform efforts within the NMCD. The Task Force and the Reentry and Prison Reform Division modeled its prison reform efforts after the national Transition from Prisons to Community Initiative (TPCI). The primary purpose of the current report is to highlight the strengths and gaps in NMCD‟s progress towards the implementation of TPCI in the institutional setting. The gaps analysis is not meant to be an indictment of the system, but rather a useful guide for where the system is currently and where it can improve as it moves towards full implementation of an evidence-based reentry model. While we touch on issues related to community supervision, the primary focus in this report is on the prison system. We introduce the project in the first chapter and describe the methods we used to assess progress and gaps in the TPCI implementation. The second and third chapters describe the key process goals (Chapter 2) and infrastructure goals (Chapter 3) defined in the TPCI model and identify the gaps in the implementation of these goals. At the end of each section within Chapters 2 and 3, we provide a summary table, which highlights the goals of the TPCI model and New Mexico Task Force recommendations (the ideal), describes current progress towards implementation of these goals, and summarizes the significant gaps in implementation. These summary tables are meant to provide the reader with a snapshot of the key points for each section. However, we encourage the reader to also read the accompanying text since this provides much richer detail and information beyond the table summaries. We present a basic logic model for TPCI implementation and evaluation within NM Correctional facilities in Chapter 4. This logic model is not meant as a complete guide for implementation and evaluation of the model, but rather as a baseline from which NMCD can build a full-scale logic model for the implementation and evaluation of the TPCI program for New Mexico. In the final chapter, we summarize the results of the gaps analysis, and offer some suggestions for moving the reentry initiative forward. Details: Albuquerque, NM: University of New Mexico, Statistical Analysis Center, 2011. 122p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed January 17, 2013 at: http://www.jrsa.org/awards/judging/research_policy_analysis/NM_Final_Report.pdf Year: 2011 Country: United States URL: http://www.jrsa.org/awards/judging/research_policy_analysis/NM_Final_Report.pdf Shelf Number: 127345 Keywords: CorrectionsEvidence-Based PracticesPrison ReformPrisoner Reentry (New Mexico) |
Author: Austin, James Title: How New York City Reduced Mass Incarceration: A Model for Change? Summary: Over the last two decades, crime and violence plummeted dramatically in New York City. Beginning in the 1990s, the New York Police Department shifted its policing practices, implementing a “broken windows” policing strategy which has morphed into the now infamous “stop-and-frisk” practices. During this same time period, the entire incarcerated and correctional population of the City – the number of people in jails and prisons, and on probation and parole – dropped markedly. New York City sending fewer people into the justice system reduced mass incarceration in the entire state. In this report, leading criminologists James Austin and Michael Jacobson take an empirical look at these powerful social changes and any interconnections. Examining data from 1985 to 2009, they conclude that New York City’s “broken windows” policy did something unexpected: it reduced the entire correctional population of the state. As the NYPD focused on low-level arrests, it devoted fewer resources to felony arrests. At the same time, a lowered crime rate – as an additional factor – meant that fewer people were committing felonies. Details: New York: Vera Institute of Justice, 2013. 28p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed February 4, 2013 at: http://www.brennancenter.org/sites/default/files/publications/How_NYC_Reduced_Mass_Incarceration.pdf Year: 2013 Country: United States URL: http://www.brennancenter.org/sites/default/files/publications/How_NYC_Reduced_Mass_Incarceration.pdf Shelf Number: 127473 Keywords: Broken Windows Policing (New York City)CorrectionsCrime RatesCrime Statistics |
Author: Weisberg, Robert Title: Assessing Judicial Sentencing Preferences After Public Safety Realignment: A Survey of California Judges Summary: Public Safety Realignment ("AB 109") made drastic changes to California's criminal justice system by transferring authority for the supervision of most non-violent, nonserious, and non-sexual offenders from the state to the 58 counties. This study aims to better examine the perceived effect of AB 109 on Superior Court (trial) judges in California who sentence offenders. Through the use of a modified factorial survey, we queried judges on their sentencing choices between felony probation and new California Penal Code 1170(h) county jail sentences. We received responses from 112 judges throughout California, representing 35 counties or 96% of the state population, including the 10 most populous counties in California. The responses revealed judicial preferences that emphasize a desire to deploy sentencing to manage offenders. The preferences generally aim at a combination of a "taste of jail" and rigorous community supervision, whether that is a traditional felony probation sentence or an 1170(h) split sentence. Our study found that more than half of judges surveyed preferred to give an 1170(h) sentence over a felony probation sentence, except when the judge was aware of an offender's substance abuse problem or mental illness, or when the judge was trying to lengthen the period of incarceration or mandatory supervision. In addition, when judges chose an 1170(h) sentence, they selected a split sentence over a straight jail sentence almost half the time. However, among judges who chose split sentences, there was a tremendous variation in the chosen fraction as between jail time and supervision. Drawing from our findings, we strongly recommend that the California Legislature and/or the California judiciary clarify the relationship between traditional felony probation and an 1170(h) split sentence, and develop guidance and consensus on when and how to use split sentences. In addition, counties should enhance and increase the availability of effective community-based treatment resources, because improved treatment programs will likely increase judges' confidence in embracing these sentencing options. Details: Stanford, CA: Stanford Law School, Stanford Criminal Justice Center, 2014. 142p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed July 25, 2014 at: https://www.law.stanford.edu/sites/default/files/publication/443996/doc/slspublic/Judges%20Report%20Feb%2028%202014%20Final.pdf Year: 2014 Country: United States URL: https://www.law.stanford.edu/sites/default/files/publication/443996/doc/slspublic/Judges%20Report%20Feb%2028%202014%20Final.pdf Shelf Number: 132779 Keywords: CorrectionsCriminal Justice PolicyCriminal Justice ReformJudgesPrison OvercrowdingProbationPublic Safety Realignment (California)Sentencing |
Author: Isaacs, Caroline Title: Death Yards: Continuing Problems with Arizona's Correctional Health Care Summary: On March 6, 2012, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) filed suit against the Arizona Department of Corrections (ADC) charging that prisoners in the custody of the Arizona Department of Corrections receive such grossly inadequate medical, mental health and dental care that they are in grave danger of suffering serious and preventable injury, amputation, disfigurement and premature death. This class action lawsuit has the potential to force the state of Arizona to improve its prison medical care. But legal battles are long and costly. The state is fighting tooth and nail, including an upcoming challenge to the suit's class action status. The final resolution will likely take years. But what has changed in the day-to-day provision of medical care to prisoners in Arizona? Have conditions improved in light of the charges brought by the suit? Has the transition in management of the medical care from one for-profit corporate contractor (Wexford) to another (Corizon) addressed any of the previous health care lapses? Sadly, the answer appears to be no. Correspondence from prisoners; analysis of medical records, autopsy reports, and investigations; and interviews with anonymous prison staff and outside experts indicate that, if anything, things have gotten worse. Details: Tucson: American Friends Service Committee -- Tucson, 2013. 34p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed November 20, 2014 at: http://afscarizona.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/death-yards-continuing-problems-with-arizonas-correctional-health-care-2013.pdf Year: 2013 Country: United States URL: http://afscarizona.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/death-yards-continuing-problems-with-arizonas-correctional-health-care-2013.pdf Shelf Number: 134161 Keywords: Correctional AdministrationCorrectionsHealth CareMedical CarePrisonersPrisons (Arizona)Privatization |
Author: Council of State Governments. Justice Center Title: Justice Reinvestment in North Carolina: Three Years Later Summary: Three years after North Carolina enacted justice reinvestment legislation, this report reviews the policies the state enacted and their impact on North Carolina's correctional and criminal justice system. Through transforming the state's probation system, reinventing how treatment is delivered, and expanding supervision, the state has seen declines in its prison population, the number of probation revocations, and releases from prison without supervision. Details: New York: Council of State Governments Justice Center, 2014. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 20, 2015 at: http://csgjusticecenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/JRinNCThreeYearsLater.pdf Year: 2014 Country: United States URL: http://csgjusticecenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/JRinNCThreeYearsLater.pdf Shelf Number: 134994 Keywords: CorrectionsCosts of Criminal JusticeJustice Reinvestment (North Carolina)Probation |
Author: Ball, W. David Title: The New Normal? Prosecutorial Charging in California After Public Safety Realignment Summary: On April 4, 2011, Governor Jerry Brown signed Assembly Bill 109, the 2011 Public Safety Realignment Act ("Realignment" or "AB 109"), into law. AB 109 was one response to the 2009 Three-Judge Court Order for California to significantly reduce its prison population to 110,000 people, or 137.5% of design capacity, by year-end 2013. Affirmed by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2011 in Brown v. Plata, the Three-Judge Court Order determined prison overcrowding to be "the primary cause of the state's unconstitutional failure to provide adequate medical and mental health care to California prisoners," concluding that population reduction was the most narrowly drawn, least intrusive remedy. Realignment shifts the responsibility of supervising, tracking and imprisoning specified non-serious, non-violent, non-sexual ("triple-nons" or "N3 felonies" or "non-non-nons") offenders previously bound for state prison to county jails and probation (see Overview of Public Safety Realignment. The law states that "the purpose of justice reinvestment is to manage and allocate criminal justice populations more cost-effectively, generating savings that can be reinvested in evidence-based strategies that increase public safety while holding offenders accountable." The implementation of Realignment in California is the largest correctional experiment of its kind. Through AB 109, the Legislature has allocated over $2 billion in the first two years of implementation to assist California's 58 counties in carrying out the legislation's provisions. In addition, more than 100,000 offenders have had their sentences altered through mid-2013. The advent of Realignment, of course, affected the decision-making of all the official actors in the criminal justice system. But the prosecutor's role is unique in one clear sense: Prosecutors have, in formal legal terms, virtually un-reviewable autonomy in the choice to charge or not charge an offender (so long as any charge matches provable facts with statutory elements). Traditionally, in deciding whether to charge as high as the provable facts allow, they consider contextual aspects of the commission of the offense itself but also any relevant background aspects and criminal record of the offender. How does this power operate in the wake of AB 109? On the one hand, AB 109 simply classified a large number of pre-existing felonies under California Penal Code S1170(h) because they were deemed "triple-nons." In that sense, prosecutors in theory might be indifferent to the change; they would continue to charge these felonies according to the same factors as they always had, and the changes in site of incarceration and possible change in de facto length of sentences would happen of their own accord. In a sense, the only mandated change in prosecutorial choice here had to do with sentence recommendation: Because judges now have the power to impose a split sentence for an AB 109 conviction - fractioning the sentence between jail time and community supervision - when prosecutors exercise their usual function of recommending sentences, they now have to build the matter of split versus straight sentences into that responsibility. Prosecutors have also always been free to consider such resource factors as their own and other agencies' budgets and crowding in jails and prisons. But many aspects of AB 109 were likely from the start to weigh significantly on the decisions made by prosecutors as they exercise their traditional charging and recommendation choices after October 2011. The most salient aspects were the change in site and de facto length of incarceration, as well as the secondary effects of new county responsibilities for post-release supervision of many prisoners returning home. In particular, in exercising discretion, prosecutors might be influenced by their views on the differences in the severity of experience of incarceration in jail as opposed to prison, or by their concerns about jail crowding or the extra costs that county jails and other county agencies might have to absorb under AB 109. Details: Stanford, CA: Stanford Criminal Justice Center, Stanford Law School, 2014. 187p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed October 28, 2015 at: http://law.stanford.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/default/files/publication/513777/doc/slspublic/DA%20report%20Feb%202014.pdf Year: 2014 Country: United States URL: http://law.stanford.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/default/files/publication/513777/doc/slspublic/DA%20report%20Feb%202014.pdf Shelf Number: 137169 Keywords: CorrectionsCriminal Justice ReformJustice ReinvestmentPrison OvercrowdingPrison ReformPrisonsProsecutionProsecutorial DiscretionProsecutorsPublic Safety Realignment |
Author: Texas. Legislature. House Committee on Corrections Title: Interim Report to the 85th Texas Legislature Summary: INTERIM STUDY CHARGES 1. Examine fees and revocations for those on probation and parole; examine effectiveness of fees imposed as a condition of probation and parole; study technical revocations in adult probation to identify drivers of revocations, disparities across the state, and strategies for reducing technical revocations while ensuring program effectiveness and public safety. (Joint charge with the House Committee on Criminal Jurisprudence) 2. Study recidivism, its major causes, and existing programs designed to reduce recidivism, including a review of current programs utilized by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) and the Windham School District for incarcerated persons. Examine re-entry programs and opportunities for offenders upon release. Identify successful programs in other jurisdictions and consider how they might be implemented in Texas. 3. Study incarceration rates for non-violent drug offenses and the cost to the state associated with those offenses. Identify alternatives to incarceration, including community supervision, that could be used to reduce incarceration rates of non-violent drug offenders. 4. Study inmate release policies of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, including the release of inmates directly from administrative segregation. Identify best practices and policies for the transitioning of these various inmate populations from the prison to appropriate supervision in the community. Identify any needed legislative changes necessary to accomplish these goals. 5. Conduct legislative oversight and monitoring of the agencies and programs under the committee’s jurisdiction and the implementation of relevant legislation passed by the 84th Legislature. In conducting this oversight, the committee should: a. consider any reforms to state agencies to make them more responsive to Texas taxpayers and citizens; b. identify issues regarding the agency or its governance that may be appropriate to investigate, improve, remedy, or eliminate; c. determine whether an agency is operating in a transparent and efficient manner; and d. identify opportunities to streamline programs and services while maintaining the mission of the agency and its programs. Details: Austin: Texas Legislature, 2016. 73p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed January 27, 2016 at: http://www.house.state.tx.us/_media/pdf/committees/reports/84interim/Corrections-Committee-Interim-Report-2016.pdf Year: 2016 Country: United States URL: http://www.house.state.tx.us/_media/pdf/committees/reports/84interim/Corrections-Committee-Interim-Report-2016.pdf Shelf Number: 144922 Keywords: Correctional AdministrationCorrectional ProgramsCorrectionsPrisons |
Author: Highsmith, Brian Title: Commercialized (In)Justice: Consumer Abuses in the Bail and Corrections Industry Summary: This National Consumer Law Center report examines the growing problem of consumer abuses by private companies profiting from the U.S. criminal legal system and mass incarceration, disproportionately affecting people of color and low-income people, and makes recommendations for reform. This report discusses the growing problem of "commercialized injustice"-consumer abuses perpetuated by companies profiting from the criminal legal system and mass incarceration. Although not always visible to people who do not live in heavily-policed communities or who are protected by other forms of privilege, the scale of private industry's involvement in the contemporary criminal legal system is staggering. These companies provide a wide range of products and services, and operate in various relationships with the government. Some contract directly with governments (e.g., private probation and prison phone services). Others sell directly to consumers, but under specific authority to administer criminal legal functions (e.g., commercial bail and certain rehabilitation and diversion programs). And others simply profit from the contours of our modern criminal legal system (e.g., pre-arrest diversion programs that contract with private retailers). The expanding reach of the modern corrections industry represents the intersection of two troubling trends: (1) the outsourcing of the criminal legal system to the private sector, exemplified by the growth of the private prison industry; and (2) the imposition of fines and fees on mostly low-income defendants to fund the criminal legal system. States and local governments are outsourcing various core functions of their criminal legal systems-traditionally public services-to private corporations operating to maximize profit for their owners. At the same time, they have sought to shift the cost of operating the criminal legal system onto those who have contact with the system and their loved ones, particularly through the assessment of fines and fees on those accused of criminal activity. The corrections industry's growth exacerbates these trends, combining the conflicts of interest endemic in so-called "user-funded" financing structures with the lack of public accountability that advocates have long criticized in the private prison context. Every industry discussed in this report shares this common feature: each profits from financial extractions from individuals based on their exposure to the criminal legal system. The growth of the corrections industry accelerates the trend whereby the costs of our legal system are imposed on low-income, disadvantaged communities least able to shoulder such burdens, rather than shared as a collective public responsibility. The corrections industry operates for the primary purpose of maximizing profits for its owners-creating strong incentives to achieve new forms of monetary extraction in addition to shifting the burden of existing costs. Details: Boston: National Consumer Law Center, 2019. 62p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed April 18, 2019 at: https://www.nclc.org/images/pdf/criminal-justice/report-commercialized-injustice.pdf Year: 2019 Country: United States URL: https://www.nclc.org/images/pdf/criminal-justice/report-commercialized-injustice.pdf Shelf Number: 155462 Keywords: Bail IndustryConsumer AbusesCorrectionsPrisonsPrivate IndustryPrivate Legal SystemPrivate PrisonsPrivatization |
Author: Levin, Marc Title: Ten Tips for Policymakers for Improving Probation Summary: Key Points: -Probation can be an alternative or gateway to incarceration. -Probation should be right-sized to serve only those individuals who require supervision for only the limited time period that their assessment and conduct indicate a continued need for supervision. -Incentives should drive probation policy, both for agencies and those they supervise. Details: Austin, Texas: Texas Public Policy Foundation, Center for Effective Justice, 2019. 12p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed June 17, 2019 at: http://rightoncrime.com/2019/05/ten-tips-for-policymakers-for-parole/ Year: 2019 Country: United States URL: https://files.texaspolicy.com/uploads/2019/05/17151137/Levin-Improving-Probation.pdf Shelf Number: 156375 Keywords: CorrectionsProbationSupervision |
Author: Bird, Mia Title: Recidivism of Felony Offenders in California Summary: California has undertaken numerous corrections reforms in the past decade-including public safety realignment in 2011 and Proposition 47 in 2014-in hopes of reducing the prison population, maintaining public safety, and improving persistently high recidivism rates. These reforms lowered incarceration levels, and in their aftermath, crime rates have fluctuated. Recidivism rates provide another important window into public safety and the effectiveness of correctional interventions under these policy changes. For the first time, this report provides recidivism rates for all types of felony offenders in California-including those sentenced to prison, jail only, jail followed by probation, or probation only. Previously, statewide recidivism outcomes could only be tracked for individuals leaving prison custody. This study draws on unique data from 12 representative counties, allowing us to estimate two-year recidivism rates for felony offenders released in the four years following realignment from October 2011 to October 2015. We focus on felony offenders to provide insight into outcomes for those who have been convicted of more severe offenses. Our analysis of recidivism relies on rearrest and reconviction rates, which are often used to capture changes in reoffending in response to a policy change. However, it is important to note that these rates may also reflect changes in the practices of criminal justice agencies. For example, if a policy change led to a shift in policing strategies, such as reduced enforcement for drug possession offenses, we may observe changes in rearrest rates even if there is no change in the underlying behavior of former offenders. We find: Overall recidivism rates have declined for felony offenders. The share of felony offenders rearrested for any offense within two years declined somewhat from 68 percent to 66 percent over the four-year period. The two-year reconviction rate for any offense dropped substantially from 41 percent to 35 percent. Reductions in recidivism rates were largest for felony offenses. The share of offenders rearrested for a felony offense decreased moderately from 56 percent to 53 percent in the four years after realignment. The felony reconviction rate dropped markedly from 30 percent to 22 percent. These reductions were concentrated in later years and may be linked to Proposition 47. Rearrest rates for felony offenses increased toward the end of the period. When we examine the last several months for which we have data, we see that 50 percent of individuals released in June 2015 were rearrested for felonies within two years, compared with 53 percent for those released in October 2015. Recidivism rates fell sharply for drug offenses. The reconviction rate for property offenses also fell, while the rearrest rate for property offenses held steady, with a slight uptick for individuals released at the end of the period. For offenses against a person-a category that includes violent offenses-there was an increase in the rearrest rate (from 19% to 20%) but no change in the reconviction rate. Recidivism rates have declined for each of the four sentencing groups. Those sentenced to prison or jail experienced large declines in rearrest and reconviction rates, when compared with those sentenced to jail followed by probation or to probation only. Individuals who received probation-with or without a jail sentence-initially experienced increases in recidivism rates under realignment but then saw decreases in later years and under Proposition 47. Individuals released from prison had the highest reconviction rates. This group also served the longest and most costly incarceration terms. This finding is consistent with previous research that has found little evidence linking more severe sanctions to lower recidivism. Recidivism rates are likely to be related to multiple factors. Offender behavior is one factor. But policy changes can also play a role in that they may affect the practices of criminal justice agents, such as police officers and district attorneys. More and better data are needed to pinpoint the relevant causes of changes in recidivism. Additional efforts to improve our understanding of the relationships among policy, implementation, and recidivism outcomes are essential to move the state toward a more evidence-based criminal justice system. Facilitating better data connections across correctional institutions, intervention programs, and law enforcement would help further the state's goals of improving public safety, reducing costs, and ensuring equity in its correctional systems. Details: San Francisco: Public Policy Institute of California, 2019. 31p., app. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed June 27, 2019 at: https://www.ppic.org/wp-content/uploads/recidivism-of-felony-offenders-in-california.pdf Year: 2019 Country: United States URL: https://www.ppic.org/wp-content/uploads/recidivism-of-felony-offenders-in-california.pdf Shelf Number: 156714 Keywords: CorrectionsCriminal Justice Policy Criminal Justice Reform Felony Offenders Proposition 47 Recidivism |