Corrections Community

National Jail Leadership Command Academy

Sandy Schilling — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 19:55:00 GMT

The American Jail Association (AJA) is accepting applications for the second class of the National Jail Leadership Command Academy (NJLCA). The class is scheduled for October 25-30, 2009 at Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, Texas. Mid-level managers are the target audience for this class. The curriculum topics include:

Best Practices

Hiring and Keeping the Best

Accountability

The Critical Key to Effective Leadership

Big-Picture Thinking

Organizational Communication

Applied Ethical Leadership

Collaborative Partnerships

Finance and Budget

Essential Leadership Skills/Tools

Dealing with Organizational and Environmental Change

Read more about the NJLCA and watch the informational video.

NIC Releases RFP to Develop Trainers' "Tool Kit"

llinke — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 17:30:00 GMT

The National Institute of Corrections is soliciting proposals to develop a "tool kit" for those in charge of lesson plan development. The resources to be developed through a cooperative agreement will address performance objectives, content delivery strategies, training activities, and supplemental materials. The tool kit will be framed around the Instructional Theory Into Practice model (ITIP). A nine-month project period is planned, with proposals due on July 24, 2009. The solicitation is attached to this blog, and will soon be posted on Grants.gov. General information regarding cooperative agreements is available on the NIC Cooperative Agreements webpage. Learn more about ITIP from documents in the NIC Library listed below.

"Designing Learner Centered Instruction";

"Training Design & Development"

"Designing Training for the NIC Academy"

Reminder: ACA Summer Conference August 7-12, 2009 Nashville, TN

Tom Reid — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 12:50:00 GMT

Just a reminder: The 139th American Correctional Association Summer Conference/Congress of Correction is being held in Nashville, TN on August 7 - 12, 2009. The Theme is "Effective Re-Entry is Good for Public Safety". For full conference information and on-line registration: http://www.aca.org/Conferences/Summer09/home.asp

Conference registration form: http://www.aca.org/Conferences/Summer09/PDFs/COC09_Advance_Registration_Form.pdf

Curricula Developers Needed for Direct Supervision Jail Training

llinke — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 20:20:00 GMT

The National Institute of Corrections has released a solicitation for a cooperative agreement to develop curricula for two training programs. The first curriculum focuses on the roles of the housing-unit officer and shift supervisor in a direct supervision jail. The second curriculum deals with the administration of a direct supervision facility. The project will be coordinated with NIC's Jails Division over an 18-month period. See the full solicitation attached to this blog. The solicitation, project synopsis, and application process for this cooperative agreement will be posted on Grants.gov. The deadline for submitting applications is July 24, 2009.

Link here for more information regarding NIC Cooperative Agreements.

Practices that Empower Employees

TracyGoldenberg — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 20:23:00 GMT

What is any high performing organization’s most valuable asset? Its workforce! Full-time employees, volunteers, part-time staff, executives, frontline workers, consultants, managers, and contractors comprise the “human capital” of an organization, and are an essential component to an organization’s success. In the federal government, however, strategic human capital management is a pervasive challenge. Indeed, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) has included human capital on its high-risk...(read more)

Standardizing Parole Violation Sanctions

CC Pro — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 17:04:00 GMT

The economic realities of many state budgets has prompted a renewed examination of how corrections systems do business. One of the areas of concern has been the number of costly and time-consuming parole violation hearings that often result in the re-incarceration of parolees (Table 6). Is there a methodology parole agencies can utilize to address parole violations and the accompanying sanctions in a fairer and more proportionate manner? In an attempt to answer this question, two states (California and Ohio) have employed standardized tools that provide a grid of graduated sanctions to assist in parole violation decision making. Standardizing Parole Violation Sanctions, a National Institute of Justice Journal report highlights both states and the possible implications the use of standardized tools may have on a national basis.

A full report on the impact of Ohio's Progressive Sanction Grid is available here. Information on California's Parole Violation Decision Making Instrument (PVDMI) may be found here.

Washington State Department of Corrections' Sustainable Prisons Project

Scott — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 15:49:00 GMT

Go here to read about the Washington State Department of Corrections' Sustainable Prison Project.

No Losers in this Game

Sandy Schilling — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 16:02:00 GMT

Colorado inmates can now buy "cold-case" playing cards (at about half the price of regular playing cards). Other states including Florida, Ohio, Minnesota, Oregon and Wisconsin have been using cards of this type for a few years resulting in some cases being solved based on information received from the card players. You can read the Denver Post story and perhaps join in the card game.

NIC Seeks Proposals for Curricula Development/Training Delivery for Large Jail Administration- Updated

llinke — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 16:57:00 GMT

NOTE: This blog was updated on June 23, 2009 with the attached questions submitted by potential applicants and responses from staff of the NIC Jails Division.

The National Institute of Corrections is seeking proposals to develop and refine a curricula for training the administrators of jails with 1,000 or more beds. Through a cooperative agreement lasting eighteen months, the provider would work closely with the NIC Jails Division to develop and pilot the training program. The full solicitation is available on on Grants.gov. More information regarding application and selection procedures is available on the NIC Cooperative Agreements webpage. Applications for this project are due July 6, 2009.

Proposed PREA Standards Released

CC Pro — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 16:18:00 GMT

The National Prison Rape Elimination Commission has issued its final report and proposed standards relating to the Prison Rape Elimination Act. To learn more about PREA and NIC's role to support the Act, link to NIC's PREA web page.

New Research Reports on Reentry

Eileen Conway — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 16:07:00 GMT

Followers of the literature on reentry may be interested in a new post on the Correctional Research Roundtable forum regarding three new reports from the Urban Institute's Returning Home study.

California Proposed Changes in Sentencing Guidelines Will Impact Counties

Sandy Schilling — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 15:58:00 GMT

A proposal to change sentencing guidelines in California may help the state budget but it will shift the financial burden to the county jails. While reading this Wall Street Journal article, California Inmate Plan Draws Ire, I kept picturing the "shell game" - except in this case it's under what roof will the inmate be found. Unfortunately, no one wins this game.

Baldrige National Quality Program and HPCO Applications

TracyGoldenberg — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 14:47:00 GMT

An earlier post on this blog asked readers to examine the question, What attributes are associated with high performing correctional organizations? Now we add the question, How does one define and, more importantly, measure them? While not a perfect fit, a possible model for answering these questions can be found in the Baldrige National Quality Program. This program is sponsored by The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), an agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce. The mission...(read more)

Cost Containment in Juvenile Corrections

CC Pro — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 15:46:00 GMT

With the stark realities of a nationwide economic downturn, and the average cost of $240.99 per day for post-adjudication incarceration of juveniles in residential facilities, the Justice Policy Institute has issued a policy brief detailing how sound public policy can reduce corrections costs without sacrificing public safety, and increase positive outcomes for juveniles offenders.

Mock Prison Riot 2010 dates announced

Tom Reid — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 12:57:00 GMT

The dates for the next Mock Prison Riot, theme: "Where Technology Meets Mayhem", are May 2-5, 2010. http://mockprisonriot.org/MPR/INDEX.ASPX

Registration for participants, exhibitors, observers, and media are now being accepted: http://mockprisonriot.org/MPR/REGISTRATION/ADD.ASPX

You can also participate as a role player: http://mockprisonriot.org/MPR/CUSTOMCONTENT/PUBLICVIEW.ASPX?id=14&moduleid=13

For information regarding EXHIBITORS, SPONSORSHIPS, MEDIA, and VIPs, please contact:

Cindy Barone, Project Manager
888.306.5382
cbarone@mockprisonriot.org

For information regarding LOGISTICS, TEAMS, SCENARIOS, WORKSHOPS, and the SKILLS COMPETITION, please contact:

Sharon Goudy, Project Manager
888-306-5382
sgoudy@mockprisonriot.org

The Mock Prison Riot is a program of the National Institute of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, United States Department of Justice, and an initiative of the West Virginia High Technology Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation.

Reminder: NIC Pandemic Resources

Tom Reid — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 12:41:00 GMT

"WHO (World Health Organization) poised to declare first flu pandemic since 1968" Reuters News Agency, June 11, 2009. http://www.reuters.com/article/asiaCrisis/idUSLB765857 Just a reminder concerning the status of the H1N1 (swine flu) virus. NIC has a special page providing you with information and resources concerning this disease and correctional populations. Go to: http://www.nicic.org/SwineFlu

The Mentally Ill in Jail: Whose Problem is it Anyway?

Sandy Schilling — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 19:47:00 GMT

The National Institute of Corrections will host a live three-hour satellite videoconference, The Mentally Ill in Jail: Whose Problem is it Anyway?, on July 15, 2009. See the flyer, read more, and complete the free registration. Mental health issues affect the entire community and anyone interested in this topic is welcome to participate.

Research and Statistics Now Available on the Prevalence of Mentally Ill in Our Jails

Sandy Schilling — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 18:56:00 GMT

The Council of State Governments Justice Center, in partnership with Policy Research Associates, has conducted a five-site study on mental illness within jails by using samples of inmates screened at booking. The results were published this week in the journal Psychiatric Services. The article, Prevalence of Serious Mental Illness Among Jail Inmates, is one that jail administrators and staff will want to review. See the FAQ's, read the press release and summary of key findings on this important research about the serious mental illness in our jail population.

National Prison Rape Elimination Commission Update

CC Pro — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 18:39:00 GMT

Greetings from the National Prison Rape Elimination Commission. The Commission is concluding the process of preparing standards and a final report on the elimination of sexual abuse in correctional and detention facilities, as statutorily required by the Prison Rape Elimination Act. The Commission’s final report and standards will be provided to Congress, the President, the Attorney General, and selected Federal and State officials on June 23, 2009; the same day, the report and standards will be available to the public at www.nprec.us. As the release date draws near, we will be providing additional information by email and on the Commission’s website about release events and how to access the standards and final report.

Thanks to the extensive feedback received from organizations and individuals during last year’s public comment periods – including from many receiving this update – we believe that the standards have been significantly strengthened. The Commission has spent a substantial amount of time reflecting on and incorporating your comments and suggestions.Significant changes have been made to the content of the draft standards; the number of the standards has been reduced, and improvements have been made to the format of the final standards. We were pleased at the breadth and thoughtfulness of the many comments we received. We recognize the value of contributions from the field and from others whom the Commission’s standards will effect. Your feedback has helped us to identify potential obstacles to the implementation of these standards and to formulate recommendations to efficiently advance our statutory mandate – the elimination of sexual abuse. The Commission itself sunsets 60 days after the submission of our report and standards, and then the real work of implementation begins. Within a year of receiving the final report and standards from the Commission, the Attorney General is required by the PREA statute to finalize and promulgate national standards for the detection, prevention, reduction, and punishment of sexual abuse in corrections and detention facilities. The finalized standards issued by the Attorney General are immediately applicable to the federal Bureau of Prisons. States will receive notification of the Attorney General’s finalized standards and will have a year from the time of that notification to adopt and comply with them or risk losing five percent of any federal grant funds provided for prison purposes. Note that the term “prison” is defined broadly to include any facility run by “a Federal, State, or local government, whether administered by such government or by a private organization on behalf of such government,” including local jails, police lockups, and any juvenile facility. Additionally, the statute directs that any organizations that accredit Federal, State, local, or private prisons, jails, or other penal facilities adopt accreditation standards for the detection, prevention, reduction, and punishment of sexual abuse that are consistent with the final national standards.

Thank you for your continued interest in the work of the National Prison Rape Elimination Commission

Organization Performance Annotated Bibliography

Nancy Cebula — Sun, 31 May 2009 19:50:49 GMT

Acorn, L. R. (1991). "Kentucky Officer Personalizes Service for Large Probation Caseload." Corrections Today : 26. Kentucky Probation Officer Virginia Helbling has a caseload of about 100 offenders, yet she says the best aspect of her job is that it allows her to give each probationer individual attention. "We have so much freedom in the Kentucky system," she explains. "The leeway we have for handling each case is very important, because for every individual there are different...(read more)