Thinking About Corrections

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

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.

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

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

Study Finds Majority of Arrestees in Major Metropoolitan Areas Test Positive for Illegal Drugs

CC Pro — Fri, 29 May 2009 15:52:00 GMT

Providing further verification of the linkage between drugs and crime, the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy released data from the 2008 Arrestee Drug Abuse Monitoring Program (ADAM II) revealing up to 87 percent of arrestees tested positive for illegal drugs within 48 hours of being booked into jail. The study data were compiled from a federal survey of 10 major metropolitan areas that combined drug testing and arrestee interviews. A significant number of arrestees tested positive for more than one illegal substance. Marijuana was the most commonly detected substance with broad regional variances in the use of cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine. The report emphasizes the need to provide drug treatment as an alternative to incarceration for non-violent offenders.

Reducing Recidivism: A Review of Effective State Initiatives

Eileen Conway — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 17:04:00 GMT

A new report, issued by Justice Strategies and commissioned by the Colorado Criminal Justice Reform Coalition, will be presented today at a hearing before the Colorado legislative Judiciary Committees. While addressed to the Colorado audience, Reducing Recidivism: A Review of Effective State Initiatives discusses efforts and evaluative research in several states, with particular emphasis on Maryland's Proactive Community Supervision program.

Open Solicitations - Criminal Justice Funding Resources

CC Pro — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 22:00:00 GMT

The Office of Justice Programs has published a listing of open solicitations in the following program areas:

Corrections
Law Enforcement
Courts
Juvenile Justice
Victims of Crime
Substance Abuse & Crime
Technology to Fight Crime
Research, Statistics, and Evaluation

CSG Justice Center Releases Guide to Manage Mentally Ill in Community Corrections

llinke — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 17:20:00 GMT

The Council of State Governments (CSG) Justice Center announced today the release of a policy and practice guide for managing mentally ill offenders in the community (see attached press release). The publication, Improving Outcomes for People with Mental Illnesses under Community Supervision, was developed with support of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and the National Institute of Corrections. The guide reviews the body of recent research on community corrections supervision for people with mental illness and translates findings to help officials develop effective interventions. Link on the PDF of the guide above, or limited printed copies of the document are available from the NIC Information Center. More information regarding the mentally ill in corrections is available on the NIC Projects pages and Justice Center's Consensus Project website.

Hepatitis B & C with HIV Co-infections - Live Satelilite Video-Conference & Webcast

CC Pro — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 17:07:00 GMT

Are you looking for effective strategies to manage Hepatitis B & C and HIV Co-infections? The Albany Medical College, Division of HIV Medicine will be offering a free, live satellite video-conference and webcast on the diagnosis and treatment of these infectious diseases for medical and corrections professionals. CMEs and Nursing Credits are available for participants. For further details, registration information, and archived video-conferences, please click here.

Sex Offender Registration Update

CC Pro — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 16:04:00 GMT

The Office of Justice Programs' Office of Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering, and Tracking (SMART) has posted the most recent addition to the Sex Offender Registration Law Update series.

New GAO Capital Program Cost Estimating and Assessment Guide Available

Tom Reid — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 17:35:00 GMT

The "GAO Cost Estimating and Assessment Guide: Best Practices for Developing and Managing Capital Program Costs" is now available as a resource for jurisdictions as they plan capital improvement projects. While not specific to criminal justice projects, it is designed to help federal, state, or local agencies develop more reliable cost estimates for capital projects of all sizes. Available from the US GAO at: http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d093sp.pdf

Taken from the GAO Press Release:

"GAO’s new guide is intended to help agencies produce well-documented, comprehensive, accurate, and credible estimates.

Developed with input from industry experts as well as federal officials, the 436-page Cost Estimating and Assessment Guide lays out a multi-step process for developing high-quality, trustworthy cost estimates; explains how to manage program costs once a contract has been awarded; and presents 48 case studies, drawn from GAO published audits, that illustrate typical pitfalls and successes in cost estimating. The guide stresses both sound cost estimating and earned value management (EVM), a project management tool that compares completed work to expected outcomes, in setting realistic program baselines and managing risk. In future audits, GAO plans to use the Cost Estimating and Assessment Guide to assess the accuracy of agencies’ cost estimates and determine whether programs are on schedule."

Victim Impact Curriculum

Sandy Schilling — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 16:06:00 GMT

The Office for Victims of Crime has released a new curriculum, Victim Impact: Listen and Learn, that puts "victims first" and is designed for use with both adult and juvenile populations. Additionally, it can be used with in custody and community based populations. It includes curricula on:

Property Crime
Assault
Robbery
Hate and Bias Crime
Gang Crime
Sexual Assault
Child Abuse and Neglect
Domestic Violence
Drunk and Impaired Driving
Homicide

They have included many useful features for trainers including a "presenter's toolbox" complete with video clips, a "customizable agenda" for your target population, right down to the downloadable certificate of completion.

Pew Releases "One in 31: The Long Reach of American Corrections"

llinke — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 18:20:00 GMT

The Pew Center on the States released a report that examines the growth of the corrections population in the United States and analyzes the costs of current sentencing and corrections practices. The report, One in 31: The Long Reach of American Corrections, provides state comparisons of corrections spending and correctional populations. (One of every 31 adults in the U.S. is under correctional supervision.) Profiles of several states are included that highlight factors driving costs, as well as steps taken to contain expenditures without increasing public risk. Research-based recommendations are also provided to expand community corrections to reduce crime and save money.

Looking Forward to Monday

Eileen Conway — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 15:55:00 GMT

At 11 EST, Monday, March 2, 2009, the Pew Center on the States will release a report that promises to "provide first 50-state comparison of corrections populations and costs." Here is part of what Pew says to anticipate about this report:

"A report from the Pew Center on the States, to be released Monday, March 2, looks across the 50 states to detail the size and growth of both the prison population and offenders under probation or parole supervision in the community. The report, a follow-up to last year’s One in 100: Behind Bars in America 2008, also provides the first state-by-state trend data on what states spend on prisons versus community corrections.

As states struggle to find ways to further stretch their budgets, the Pew report analyzes innovative solutions that can reduce recidivism and cut corrections costs, and highlights states that are devising effective strategies."

The full press release is available here. Watch this space for details following release.

Continued Rise in the Rate of Offenders Sentenced to Federal Prisons

CC Pro — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 21:06:00 GMT

In a new report that captures how federal sentencing caseloads have changed over the last 17 years, the U.S. Sentencing Commission found the rate of offenders sentenced to federal prison time has increased while alternative sentencing (probation, probation with confinement) has declined. A partial reason for the drop in alternative sentences is that a significant number of offenders (37.4 percent) are non-citizens and mostly illegal foreign nationals. These individuals must be confined until they can be deported.

Other Findings:

In fiscal year 2007, 81.1 percent of sentences imposed on citizens involved prison time, probation (8.4 percent), probation with confinement (5.8 percent), prison split with community confinement (4.7 percent);
For citizens, the average prison sentence was 76 months, offenders sentenced to a prison/community split received an average of 9 months, the average probation only sentence was 33 months, and offenders sentenced to probation with confinement was 39 months;
Offenders with higher levels of education are more likely than less educated offenders to receive an alternative sentence.