Most facilities require offenders to keep a job, and pay room and board, state and federal taxes, and any restitution and child support owed. Offenders participate in programs such as substance abuse treatment; counseling designed to address cognitive reasoning and criminal behavior; employment and vocational courses; and life skills, financial, and anger management training. A Department of Corrections analysis in FY found that employed offenders were three times more likely to finish the program than those who were unemployed, underscoring the importance of job readiness for community-based offenders.
Problem-Solving Courts Problem-solving courts were identified by state chief justices and court administrators in a National Center for State Courts survey as one of the two most effective supervision programs available in their states; mental health and substance abuse programs are the other. These courts, which vary in size, target population and structure, are designed to address the special needs of the target population.
At least six state legislatures—Colorado, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Nevada and Texas—took action in and to authorize courts that address needs of veterans who become involved in the criminal justice system. California, Iowa, New Hampshire and Oregon have similar policies that authorize diversion of veterans convicted of nonviolent crimes into treatment programs in lieu of prison.
Drug courts are the oldest and most common type of problem-solving courts—in there were more than 2, such courts operating across all 50 states, according to the National Association of Drug Court Professionals. Studies comparing drug court participants to similar offenders who are not enrolled have found criminal justice system savings as a result of reduced prison and jail time, lower re-arrest and re-conviction rates, and decreased victim and law enforcement costs.
Other benefits—such as increased employment rates and wage earnings, reduced health care costs, and increased parental participation and payment of child support—also have been noted.
Studies of statewide drug court programs reveal that, while some drug courts cost more than typical court dockets or probation caseloads, the specialty courts still are more cost-effective than jail or prison. As policymakers explore the value of drug courts, they also can be aware of opportunities for improvement. A two-year examination of problem-solving courts by the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers resulted in a report that questioned the effectiveness of drug courts in addressing the societal problems of substance abuse.
The report also cautioned about procedural matters and questioned whether drug court case- loads are adequately diverse and if clients are predominately those with the greatest need for intensive judicial supervision and treatment services see also Determining Criminal Sentences and Treating Drug Offenders. As suggested in the Principles, policymakers can improve the effectiveness of intermediate and alternative sanctions both by ensuring that approaches are evidence-based and by requiring that community resources safely target offenders who can most benefit from community interventions in lieu of prison.
Probation and Parole Violations Offenders sent to prison for probation and parole violations contribute substantially to state prison populations and related costs. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, 35 percent of all state prison admissions in were offenders who returned to incarceration as a result of parole violations.
Although some violators must be returned to prison to protect society, a growing number of states are developing non-prison sanctions for offenders who break the rules of their supervision, known as technical violations. Alternative sanctions for probation and parole violators are designed to hold offenders accountable for breaking the rules, address issues related to the violations, and minimize the cost of incarceration to the state.
Intermediate options allow a violator to remain in the community, continue to work, and pay restitution and child support. Sanctions include residential and community-based treatment programs, specialty court supervision, house arrest, electronic monitoring, work release, community service, secure and residential facilities, increased monitoring and reporting, and possible short periods in jail.
Several states have statutorily authorized community supervision agencies to impose intermediate sanctions for technical violations of probation or parole in lieu of formal court revocation proceedings see Figure 3. Administrative sanctions allow violations to be swiftly dealt with at the agency level.
This not only reduces time and costs of court and parole board hearings, but also provides for offender accountability and reduces reliance on prison as a sanction. Officers also can order violators to participate in programs such as substance abuse and mental health treatment, employment assistance, and anger management classes.
A evaluation by the Department of Corrections found that offenders who were ordered to community sanctions had lower rates of future re-conviction than those ordered to jail; those ordered to community service had the lowest rate of re-conviction among all community-based options. The overall evaluation conclusions noted that the most effective sanctions include a rehabilitative component.
Several states have secure facilities that are designed to house and treat probation or parole violators instead of sending them to prison, as shown in Figure 3. Parolees who violate a condition of parole but have not committed a new felony may be sent to a secure facility for a six-month term to participate in a community service work crew or attend GED classes during the day and complete treatment programs in the evening. Tennessee offers probation violators the opportunity to complete programming in a Special Technical Violator Unit STVU in lieu of revocation to a state prison.
In the STVU, the probationer will participate for at least four months in an intensive work and treatment program. As of , New Hampshire requires that all programs and services provided at a parole violator facility be evidence-based and designed to re-engage parolees in their parole plan.
Prison populations are beginning to decline as a result of changes in front-end sentencing policies, availability of strategies to provide community-based sanctions for probation and parole violators, and specialized court and other treatment programs for drug offenders and those with mental health and other needs. Some states have created funding mechanisms to reinvest prison savings into programs that safely and successfully supervise offenders in the community. At least nine states—Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Ohio and Texas—have such arrangements, under which local correctional agencies usually receive state funding and other assistance to implement evidence-based supervision and programming.
The goal is to reduce the rate at which probationers and parolees commit new crimes or violate their supervision conditions and are then sent or returned to prison. In Kansas, a Risk Reduction Initiative adopted by the Legislature in was designed to increase offender success by reducing the number of revocations to state prison by at least 20 percent. To accomplish this, a grant program was established for local probation agencies that developed risk- reduction supervision and programming.
Targeting medium- to high-risk offenders, the initiative uses specialized caseloads, employment training and placement, educational assistance, transportation and housing, and other services to help offenders remain crime- and drug-free. Careful assessment is used to assign offenders to the appropriate level and type of substance abuse, mental health, cognitive and other treatment.
The first round of funding in FY went to all 31 probation agencies in the state. By FY , the Department of Corrections reported a 25 percent decrease in revocations to prison compared to the FY baseline; this exceeded the initial goal of 20 percent reduction. In , the California Legislature created a performance-based state-local funding partnership. Using one-time federal stimulus money, the Legislature allocated funding to local probation departments to implement evidence-based supervision practices designed to increase successful probation completion.
Success is measured in terms of decreases in the number of probationers sent to prison for technical violations or new crimes. Continued funding under the act depends upon the rate at which the revocations decline.
Each year, counties will be eligible to receive a portion of state savings achieved by reducing the number of prison admissions. These funding strategies are examples of ones that, related to Principle 4, help states partner with local jurisdictions to create incentives for and hold accountable community programs and services.
Other state community supervision strategies are risk- and resource-sensitive in terms of identifying offenders who are not serious criminals, pose little threat and can be safely sanctioned at lower levels of supervision.
State policies provide for administrative supervision, which consists of minimal reporting and monitoring requirements so long as restitution is being paid and the offender remains crime- and drug-free. Other policies move offenders who comply with their supervision conditions to less active supervision or provide an opportunity for early termination of the community supervision term.
Table 1 identifies additional information on policies for supervising low-risk offenders. Limiting and decreasing supervision and services for lower-risk offenders focuses resources more effectively on higher-risk offenders, and are among the strategies states can consider that, as suggested in the Principles, update and adapt criminal codes to reflect current standards and needs. Table 1. Options for Supervising Low-Risk Offenders.
Minimal reporting requirements; monitoring to ensure court-ordered payments are being made and no new criminal activity occurs. Kentucky created an administrative caseload supervision program in for low-risk offenders who are identified via risk assessment. Offender is assigned to a supervision level based on offense, compliance with supervision conditions and risk assessment scores.
In New Hampshire, risk assessments guide both the level of supervision and time spent at each level of supervision. For example, a low- or medium-risk offender will be placed on active supervision for the first 12 months and, if compliant, moved to administrative supervision for the remainder of the term. Gives courts discretion to review and grant early termination of a probation or parole sentence.
Often requires the offender to have paid restitution in full and completed all pro- gram and treatment requirements. Includes use of structured, swift and incremental sanctions for violations of super- vision, and incentives such as early termination for compliance. Provides probationers or parolees with a monthly credit for compliance with supervision requirements.
Nevada law permits certain probationers to earn 10 days per month for complying with supervision requirements and staying on schedule with all court-ordered fee and restitution payments.
An additional 10 days per month can be earned for maintaining employment and participating in education or rehabilitation programs.
In , Delaware limited probation sentences to two years for any violent felony, 18 months for drug offenses and one year for all other offenses. Previous law did not set an upper limit on probation terms, and lengthy probation sentences were common. Source: Tex. Laws, Chap. Acts, Chap. The variety of strategies described help states safely and cost-effectively manage many offenders in the com- munity.
Community corrections resources can be maximized with other risk- and resource-sensitive policies that focus the most supervision and services on offenders who need to be watched most closely and who have significant needs that can be addressed in the community. Inmates incarcerated for drug offenses make up about 20 percent of state prison populations, but more than half of all inmates meet the criteria for drug abuse or dependence, according to a report of the federal Bureau of Justice Statistics.
Despite high rates of addiction among offenders, few receive treatment in prison. Many state legislatures are addressing the drug-crime connection with policies that divert appropriate drug offenders to treatment. Kansas addressed high rates of drug abuse among criminal offenders in by requiring a community-based drug treatment sentence for certain non- violent drug offenders.
The enabling legislation reduced penalties for pos- session of illegal drugs and authorized community supervision in lieu of incarceration for some offenders. Community-based treatment programs are administered under a coordinated effort among local com- munity corrections agencies and private treatment providers. Offenders may be placed in residential and outpatient treatment settings, receive substance abuse aftercare services, and face sanctions for violating community supervision requirements.
The state established a special fund to support supervision and treatment costs, and offenders make court- ordered payments if it is determined they can do so.
The Texas Legislature has increased funding to community-based treatment options in recent years. An evidence-based continuum of care model has been established to provide a variety of secure and community-based treatment options to address both substance abuse and mental health needs of probationers.
Supervision officers use assessment tools to appropriately place offenders in the least restrictive setting available without compromising public safety. Other states also have created pre- and post-charge diversion programs and have expanded secure residential treatment.
In Minnesota, certain first-time, low-level drug possession and sale offenders are placed on probation in a pre-conviction program that focuses on alcohol and drug abuse education. Courts there also can offer a post-conviction program for higher-level drug possession and sale offenders who are supervised on a probation sentence. This success prompted the Legislature in to authorize expansion to other superior courts; those eligible are first-time, nonviolent felony drug offenders.
The Bureau of Justice Assistance has reported the Back on Track program to be an evidence-based strategy that combines offender accountability and opportunity for self-improvement. In addition to treatment services, the program includes training in a variety of vocational and life skills. The law required that more information be made available to judges about the substance abuse needs of defendants and expanded community-based treatment options in the state.
Eligible offenders are those convicted of a felony or felons being released on parole for the first time whose assessments identify them to be in need of substance abuse services. Human services and criminal justice agencies collaborate to create and implement individual plans that include treatment and intensive supervision. The state continues to find high rates of treatment completion among participants.
A trio of options is available in Idaho to treat drug-addicted offenders in a secure setting. The treatment options vary in length and intensity, and offenders are placed in one of the programs based on assessment. These offenders include probationers and parolees who violate the conditions of supervision.
The second option, a day program, addresses a broader range of issues related to criminal behavior, including substance abuse, mental health, education, and employment issues. The most intense program is based on a therapeutic community treatment model. It targets offenders who have more chronic or serious criminal histories and chronic substance abuse is- sues. Offenders can remain in that treatment setting for up to a year. Completion of any of the secure treatment programs is followed by appropriate levels of aftercare and supervision in the community.
A Pepperdine University study found HOPE participants were 55 percent less likely to be arrested for a new crime, 72 percent less likely to use drugs, and 53 percent less likely to have probation revoked. The program continues to expand, and in the Legislature asked the Paroling Authority to develop a similar pilot program for high-risk parolees. The Colorado General Assembly adopted several of the workgroup recommendations and substantially increased funding for offender treatment.
Two measures directed savings from decreased prison costs to specific offender treatment and services, shown in Table 2. Table 2. Targeted Funding for Drug Treatment in Colorado. In , Kentucky adopted legislation that distinguishes between drug dealers and drug users.
The measure reduced penalties for drug users and authorized probation and treatment participation for some first- and second- time drug offenders. Starting with the biennium, savings attributed to having fewer inmates in state prison will be reallocated to expanding evidence-based treatment programs. Treatment Yields Savings. Policies that divert drug offenders into treatment programs are a fiscally sound investment if they reduce future drug use and crime. Research in a growing number of states shows drug diversion meets these objectives.
The following chart highlights selected, representative findings. Requires first or second possession and use offenses to be placed on probation with drug treatment. California Proposition 36 passed by voters in Requires certain adult offenders who use or possess illegal drugs to be sentenced to drug treatment and supervision in the community rather than sent to prison or jail.
Both reduce crime; prison treatment by 5. Research in these states and elsewhere shows the benefits of addressing offender substance abuse problems. Sophisticated policies generally involve graduated treatment levels to meet a variety of substance abuse needs. Over time they contribute to a culture change in how criminal justice systems deal with drug dependent or abusing offenders.
Throughout state government, lawmakers are interested in results-based policies. Many aspects of effective state sentencing and corrections rely on data to help make decisions and on incorporating evidence-based practices. Reliable risk and need assessments are part of state objectives to incapacitate dangerous offenders, invest in pro- grams that work, and make the best use of corrections resources.
Risk and Needs Assessments. Legislatures increasingly require that courts, supervision agencies and re- lease authorities use offender assessments. A valid assessment tool can be used in conjunction with professional judgment to prepare pre-sentence reports, develop offender program plans, determine supervision levels, and provide information for release and revocation decisions. Typically, a risk assessment is used in sentencing and release contexts to determine appropriateness or level of community supervision and conditions.
A needs assessment can help to determine the amount and types of programs and services necessary to address issues that contribute to criminal behaviors. Public safety and corrections resources can be better distributed when risk and needs assessments place offenders in appropriate programs, treatment and services.
Assessment tools predict the likelihood that an individual will reoffend based on factors that are related to criminal behavior. Some factors, such as date of birth, age of first offense, and prior criminal history do not change. In addition to determining risk, fourth generation assessments are used to identify treatment and program needs related to criminal behavior. Experts suggest that effective assessments focus on the offender rather than on the offense.
They define risk as the likelihood of committing future crimes. Obviously, judgments about potentially dangerous offenders are important in order to incapacitate or closely watch them in the community. Public interests also are served by identifying offenders who are likely to continue to commit property or drug crimes or who are not amenable to supervision or treatment. This helps target the highest levels of supervision and specific interventions for offenders who most need them.
These elements, together with evidence-based dispositions and performance-based expectations of both the offender and supervision and services agencies, not only lead to better results for offenders but also help prioritize and manage corrections resources. States increasingly are requiring state-funded corrections programs to have evidence that they work to protect the public and re- duce recidivism.
Today more than ever, policymakers expect these programs to be both effective and cost-effective. This requires in- formation and analysis that is recommended throughout the Principles for policy development, review and oversight. Illinois, Oregon and Washington are among the first states to legislatively take broad, systemic approaches to evidence-based corrections.
In , the Oregon Legislative Assembly instructed the Department of Corrections to begin graduated implementation of evidence-based requirements for all offender recidivism reduction programs that receive state general funds.
This included prison and community-based alcohol and drug treatment, various behavioral and training programs, community-based mental health care, sex offender treatment, and intervention services in cases of domestic violence.
The law required that 25 percent of all programs be evidence-based by the biennium, 50 percent by the biennium, and 75 percent by the biennium. The law requires the Legislative Assembly to consider compliance with evidence-based programming when making agency appropriations. As of September , 97 percent of all designated prison programs and 61 percent of designated community-based programs met the evidence-based requirements.
Community-based programs were below the 75 percent mark because several new programs had not yet been thoroughly researched as required to determine if they qualify as being evidence-based. Of the programs assessed, 92 percent were evidence-based. A system of administrative sanctions for noncompliance and incentives for compliance with supervision requirements also is necessary. A Washington prison population forecast in indicated the state would need two new prisons by and a third by The Legislature subsequently directed the Washington State Institute for Public Policy to study the effectiveness of prevention and adult and juvenile corrections programs in lowering crime, reducing the need for future prison construction and producing savings for the state.
The study concluded that some adult corrections programs—such as drug treatment, cognitive-behavioral treatment, educational and vocational courses and drug courts—can cost-effectively reduce crime. Based on these findings, the Legislature expanded a set of evidence-based programs, and the prison forecast was adjusted downward. Justice reinvestment is a data-driven approach to managing corrections resources and improving offender success.
It involves reducing spending on corrections and reinvesting savings in evidence-based strategies designed to increase public safety and hold offenders accountable.
Using the justice reinvestment concept, states are collecting and analyzing data about factors that contribute to corrections population growth and costs; crafting policy approaches and implementing programs that address these factors; and measuring the fiscal and criminal justice effects of these reforms.
In , , hours of mandatory community work was completed. Find out how to become a community partner and run a community program. Community work Community work The majority of offenders are required to undertake unpaid community work as a condition of their order. Prisons Remand Remand Alleged offenders on remand are held in custody before and during their trial on criminal charges by order of a court.
Going to Prison Going to Prison All prisoners undergo reception and assessment before being placed in a prison unit appropriate to the prison and the prisoner's needs. Contacting a prisoner Contacting a prisoner How to arrange contact or visits with prisoners in the Victorian prison system. Health care Health care The quality and standard of health care provided to prisoners is the same as that provided in the community through the public health system. Programs Programs Corrections Victoria provides a wide range of program opportunities for prisoners to assist in their rehabilitation and successful return to the community after release from custody.
Conversely, the hiring requirements tend to be more stringent for these positions. A college education, military training, or other law enforcement experience is almost always required. The third factor is the level of security of the institution.
Typically, prisons and jails are categorized as maximum, medium, or minimum security. In addition, there are other programs such as the federal camp program and halfway type houses that employ correctional officers.
Jobs in maximum security prisons tend to involve more conflict and violence. This leads to a far greater stress level for the correctional officer. The more violent the inmate population, the more stressful the position is likely to be. Other factors should also be considered regarding the work conditions. Correctional officers are typically required to work rotating shifts. Correctional officers also carefully monitor the behavior of offenders to ensure that there are no disruptions in usual patterns of behavior that may indicate an inmate is making preparations for an escape.
Many prisoners engage in paid employment during incarceration. While this occurs on prison premises, the tools, equipment and materials are closely monitored so that offenders do not abscond with them for use as weapons or tools in aiding an escape. In lower security facilities, prisoners may work in the community under close supervision during daylight hours, while correctional officers work with local police to manage duties like trash pickup, farming or construction.
The corrections community has utilized research to develop more constructive options for prisoners. This may involve mental health treatment, employment, religious instruction, vocational training or chemical dependency counseling. Correctional officers play a key role in communicating with offenders and providing trustworthy advice to improve their lives.
Most departments of corrections are beginning to recognize that offenders who actively participate in these programs are much more likely to stay out of trouble once they are released. Correctional officers may assist offenders who are eager to improve their futures by helping them to choose the institutional programs that would most benefit them. By communicating and building relationships with offenders, correctional officers may obtain insights into the forces that compelled a prisoner to commit their crimes.
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