Thinking About Corrections

Management of HIV/AIDS in the Correctional & Community Settings

CC Pro — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 17:52:00 GMT

"Neurological Manifestations of HIV Infection," the 34th program in the ongoing series designed to provide corrections professionals with strategies to manage HIV/AIDS in the corrections environment, will be broadcast on October 14, 2009, 12:30 - 2:30 ET. The presentation will be a live satellite videoconference and webcast. Registration is free and Continuing Education Credits (CEC) are available. For further information on the subject matter, how to register, and archived videoconferences, please click here.

2008 National Criminal Victimization Survey

CC Pro — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 15:54:00 GMT

The National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) reports violent and property crime rates in 2008 were at or near their lowest levels in over three decades. Violent crimes are categorized as rape, sexual assault, robbery, aggravated assault, and simple assault. "Property crimes include household burglary, motor vehicle theft, and theft." Personal theft, including pocket picking and purse snatching are also included. The data is in concurrence with the Federal Bureau of Investigation's (FBI) Uniform Crime Reports (UCR) which also notes the continual downward trend in criminal activities over the same time period.

Effects of Postsecondary Education

Eileen Conway — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 17:57:00 GMT

As practitioners and policymakers seek ways to improve correctional practice and to keep released offenders from recidivating, many are looking at ways to improve reentry success. Education and employment certainly form components of interest, and a newly posted report from the Urban Institute looks at impacts of a less-documented educational program, prison-based postsecondary education (PSE). The Effects of Postsecondary Correctional Education explores "the motivations for enrolling in PSE, the impact of PSE on offenders while incarcerated, and the expected benefits after release," as well as analyzing postrelease recidivism data. While the authors offer several significant caveats regarding the nature of their study, they view their findings as "promising, but not conclusive, evidence of the potential of correctional PSE to improve postrelease outcomes for prisoners."

More Thinking Regarding Fiscal Woes

Eileen Conway — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 17:48:00 GMT

Looking at a specific option to help reduce the cost of corrections in an era of historic budget cuts, the National Conference of State Legislatures has published Cutting Corrections Costs: Earned Time Policies for State Prisoners. The report reviews the concept of earned time, how it relates to public safety ond costs, and recent earned time policy expansions. Its use in Washington, Kansas, and Pennsylvania is highlighted, and a survey of state policies is included as an appendix.

Examining the Fiscal Crisis in Corrections

Eileen Conway — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 20:29:00 GMT

As states struggle with rapidly shrinking budgets, correctional policies are coming into the spotlight and correctional budgets are no longer immune to cuts. In a timely report, the Vera Institute has just released The Fiscal Crisis in Corrections: Rethinking Policies and Practices, which "examines the form of these cuts, including reductions in operational costs, reforms in release policy, and strategies for reducing recidivism, and it highlights some of the innovations that states are pursuing for long-term savings while also maintaining public safety."

One in 11 Prisoners Serving Life Sentences

jgustfsn — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 19:41:00 GMT

A new report released by The Sentencing Project finds a record 140,610 individuals are now serving life sentences in state and federal prisons, 6,807 of whom were juveniles at the time of the crime. In addition, 29% of persons serving a life sentence (41,095) have no possibility of parole, and 1,755 were juveniles at the time of the crime. No Exit: The Expanding Use of Life Sentences in America represents the first nationwide collection of life sentence data documenting race, ethnicity and gender.

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.