Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Convicted look to the state for forgiveness

Lovett, a convicted robber and drug dealer from Atlanta, said he needs a job; Adcock, a convicted drunken driver from Cartersville, wants to carry a gun.

Theirs are among the 2,067 pardon and restoration-of-rights applications pending before the state Board of Pardons and Paroles. Both men say they’ve been good for a good long time.

They have a decent chance of getting what they want.  Read More...

Correctional Populations in the United States, 2009

Presents summary data on the number of adults under some form of correctional supervision in the United States at yearend 2009. Correctional supervision includes adults supervised in the community on probation or parole and those incarcerated in prison or local jails. The report provides a comparison between the change in the correctional population observed since 2000 and the changes observed during the 1980s and 1990s, which illustrates the slowing of growth in the population during each decade. It also includes the number of men and women under each correctional status and trend analysis of men and women under correctional supervision since 1990.  Read More...

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Short -Term Technical Assistance Available for Parole Boards

The U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) is pleased to announce additional support for the activities of the National Parole Resource Center (NPRC), a project that serves as a source of information, training, and technical assistance for paroling authorities and the supervision agencies that they oversee and with whom they collaborate. The NPRC is now able, as resources allow, to provide a limited amount of short-term technical assistance to paroling authorities who are interested in enhancing their work and bringing their policies into alignment with evidence based practices. Specifically, requests will be considered to the extent that they focus on promoting at least one of the following “practice targets” for paroling authorities:
1. Use good, empirically-based, actuarial tools to assess risks and criminogenic needs of offenders;
2. Develop and use clear, evidence-based, policy-driven decisionmaking tools and practices that reflect the full range of a paroling authority’s concerns (e.g., punishment, victim issues, community safety, etc.);
3. Develop meaningful partnerships with institutional corrections and community supervision (and others) to encourage:
a. a seamless transition process;
b. the availability of sound, evidence-based programs;
4. Use their influence and leverage to target institutional and community resources to mid and high risk offenders to address their criminogenic needs;
5. Consider for release at the earliest stage possible—in light of statutes and other sentencing interests—offenders assessed as low risk;
6. Use the parole interview/hearing/review process as an opportunity to—among other goals--enhance offender motivation to change;
7. Fashion condition setting policy to minimize requirements on low-risk offenders, and target conditions to criminogenic needs of medium and high risk offenders;
8. Develop policy-driven, graduated responses to parole violations that incorporate considerations of risk, criminogenic need and severity, assure even-handed treatment of violators, and utilize resources wisely ;
9. Develop and strengthen case-level decisiomaking skills/capacities in these areas, and
10. Develop and strengthen agency level policy making, strategic management and performance measurement skills/capacities.

The Technical Assistance Application Process

Interested applicants should complete and submit the assistance application that can be found by clicking HERE. Applications may be submitted electronically via email to Peggy Burke, NPRC Project Director, at pburke@cepp.com. The NPRC welcomes inquiries about this technical assistance program, and encourages individuals who are interested in submitting applications to be in touch with NPRC to discuss their technical assistance needs and how these needs might be translated into a formal application. Please contact Peggy Burke with questions via email or by phone at 301-589-9383.

Friday, November 12, 2010

National Parole Resource Center Receives New Funding

The National Parole Resource Center (NPRC), a partnership of the Association of Paroling Authorities International and the Center for Effective Public Policy, funded by the Bureau of Justice Administration (BJA), is pleased to announce that they have received additional funding from BJA to support the work of NPRC. To read more about this additional funding click HERE

NIC Core Competencies Document Now on Web

The National Institute of Correction’s publication entitled Core Competencies: A Resource for Parole Board Chairs, Members and Executive Staff is now available on the NIC website. To view this excellent piece of work on an extremely important issue click HERE .

Monday, November 8, 2010

APAI Website Updated

The APAI website has been updated to include an updated membership form, the October 2010 Newsletter, and updated 2011 Annual Training Conference information such as registration fees.  Visit the website HERE!

A no-pardon Justice Department

President Obama should rely more on his own moral judgment than the Justice Department's in making clemency and pardon decisions.

The Times' well-intentioned Oct. 30 editorial bemoaning that fact that President Obama hasn't yet granted any pardons or commutations, in which the editorial board correctly notes that the president is "aided in such decisions by the Office of the Pardon Attorney in the Justice Department," betrays a profound misunderstanding of the role the pardon office plays in the clemency advisory process. In particular, The Times writes, "Ideally, presidents would give great deference to the pardon attorney's recommendations and take a liberal view of the clemency power, exercising it often and on the basis of clear standards."

This assertion is hopelessly confused. In fact, the problem in the vast majority of garden-variety clemency cases — those involving ordinary applicants for whom a grant of clemency would not cause any public controversy — is precisely that recent presidents have given far too much deference to the pardon attorney's office. Having spent more than 10 years as a staff attorney in that office, I can say with some authority that the prevailing view within the Justice Department is that the pardon attorney's sole institutional function is to defend the department's prosecutorial prerogatives. There is little, if any, pretense of neutrality, much less liberality. On this parochial view, the institution of a genuinely humane clemency policy would be considered an insult to the good work of line prosecutors.  Read More...

Ankle monitors: a high-demand accessory for minor criminals: In Allegheny County, 925 wait for ankle bracelets

Electronic monitoring devices, black anklets made of rubber and plastic, are not exactly coveted, but in Allegheny County they are certainly in high demand.

Last week, about 1,200 people were wearing the monitoring units, mostly used to enforce house arrest for those convicted in Common Pleas Court of minor criminal offenses. Another 925 people were waiting for them.

The electronic monitoring waiting list started ballooning about a year ago, about the same time the court introduced a program to expedite minor cases.  Read More...

Schwarzenegger veto of killer's parole overturned

The state parole board has approved Michael McDonald's release three times and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has vetoed it each time, saying the convicted murderer showed a "lack of insight" into his crime because he still insisted he was innocent.

But a state appeals court says that neither the governor nor the board can insist on a confession before paroling a prisoner who, based on the evidence, is not dangerous.  Read More...

Reforming Sex Offender Laws: California's Chelsea's Law rethinks the way state manages sex offenders who will return to society

After the rape and murder of Chelsea King, a San Diego County teenager, California legislators decided they had to do something. Amid the emotions of the tragedy, they passed a rational, thoughtful law.

That was an unexpected outcome, because many of the approaches that states take to prevent sex crimes are based more on fears than hard evidence. That’s as true in California as any other place. There, with the support of most of the state’s key politicians, voters approved a 2006 ballot initiative, known as Jessica’s Law, that barred sex offenders from living within 2,000 feet of schools, day-care centers, parks or churches.  Read More...

Friday, November 5, 2010

14th National Workshop on Adult and Juvenile Female Offenders

The State of Utah, Division of Juvenile Justice Services is hosting the 14th National Workshop on Adult and Juvenile Female Offenders in Salt Lake City, Utah.  This biennial conference is sponsored by the Association on Programs for Female Offenders and attended by individuals across the country. 

You can find more information HERE!

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Who's going back to prison (again and again)

San Francisco has one of the highest recidivism rates in the state—some 78.3 percent go back to prison within three years of release—according to a report released today by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR).

The study tracked about 108,000 inmates released from state prisons between 2005 and 2006 over the course of three years. Overall, the state recidivism rate, which has long been among the highest in the country, clocks in at 67.5 percent, which is not a significant change from previous statewide tallies.

“The recidivism rates in general, while not surprising, are disheartening, and attest to the complete failure of our prison system in achieving deterrence, rehabilitation, or both,” UC Hastings law professor Hadar Aviram writes in an email. “It is telling that the statistics haven’t changed significantly over time, despite increased punitive measures. Clearly, what we are doing under the title ‘corrections and rehabilitation’ does not correct or rehabilitate.”  Read More...

Prison sentences, parks measures pass, casino and marijuana bids fail

Ballot measures supporting parks and tougher prison sentences got big support from Oregon voters, but implementing these citizen initiatives comes with a price tag.

Kevin Mannix, author of Measure 73, didn't mount a wide campaign for the measure but said voter support shows they place a high value on public safety even during an economic crisis.

And Amanda Rich, executive director of Oregon Recreation and Park Association, said the strong voting for Measure 76 shows Oregonians view protecting parks and natural resources as a core value.

Measure 76, which drew 68 percent of votes, permanently dedicates 15 percent of Oregon Lottery proceeds for the maintenance of Oregon's parks and wildlife habitats. State officials estimate that those programs will receive about $170 million over the next two years.   Read More...

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Sentencing Project Releases Article on Mandatory Minimun Senetencing in the Federal System

In "The Impact of Mandatory Minimum Penalties in Federal Sentencing," appearing in the journal Judicature, Marc Mauer, Executive Director of the Sentencing project argues that mandatory sentencing policies have not improved public safety but have exacerbated existing racial disparities in the criminal justice system. The piece is taken from his testimony earlier this year to the U.S. Sentencing Commission.

To read the entire article click HERE

Sentencing Project Releases Report on Life Without Parole Sentences

In "Throwing Away the Key: The Expansion of Life Without Parole Sentences in the United States," appearing in the current issue of the Federal Sentencing Reporter, Ashley Nellis describes the growing use of life imprisonment in recent decades. She argues that the growing use of life without parole represents a lack of confidence that persons who commit serious crimes can mature out of their criminal behavior and that too often this results in unnecessarily lengthy incarceration.
To read the full article click HERE

APAI mourns passing of Dr. Don Andrews

APAI is saddened to learn of the passing of Dr. Don Andrews of Carleton University.

Dr. Andrews was Professor Emeritus and Distinguished Research Professor at Carleton. He was a founding member of the Criminology program at Carleton. The flags on campus were lowered to half-staff on Saturday, Oct. 30 as a celebration of his life was held in Ottawa that day.

The Institute of Criminology and Criminal Justice will be celebrating his life and his achievements at a memorial service on Friday, November 26th from 11:30 am to 12:30 pm in Room 2017 of the Dunton Tower at the University.

Dr. Andrews was a pioneer in our understanding of criminal behavior and risk assessment. He wrote many important books, articles and delivered many key presentations and training sessions.

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

N.J. Parole Board teams up with U.S. marshals to bring down violators

It was a sunny morning in Jersey City when the unmarked police cars pulled into the Walgreens parking lot. As shoppers shuttled back and forth, officers clad in bulletproof vests with pistols on their hips clustered together.

Bill Cannon, the ranking U.S. marshal on the scene, passed around copies of a mug shot. The target was Jamal Roach, a fugitive who walked away from a Newark halfway house in July. On this day, he was hanging out at a bodega in his hometown.

Every month in New Jersey about 145 people skip out on parole supervision, failing to show up to meetings or leaving low-security community programs. Some stay clean. Others commit new crimes, from dealing drugs to murder.  Read More...

Mentally ill prisoners get a second chance

Mental health courts are operating in 29 California counties, helping offenders and reducing crime in their communities.

Milton Conley's mental illness has cost him — and society — more than he cares to tally.

An abusive father recruited Conley at age 9 into a life of what he calls "doing wrong things." A psychotic break in his 30s was followed by homelessness and four imprisonments, products of schizophrenia; addiction to crack cocaine and marijuana; and what Conley dolefully labels "being lonely."  Read More...

State's picking ex-cons' poison, hopes new drug Suboxone will keep inmates off heroinState's picking ex-cons' poison, hopes new drug Suboxone will keep inmates off heroin

State officials plan to give some junkies an addictive drug while they're in prison and supply them with it when they're paroled, the Daily News has learned.

The experiment, designed to keep inmates off heroin when they hit the streets, is drawing fire from those who fear it will fuel a black market for the pill.

It's called Suboxone and it's the only opiate addiction treatment prescribed by doctors and available from the local pharmacy.  Read More...

Dallas police 'erred badly' in turning away sex offenders who sought to register

Sex offenders who must update their registration with the Dallas police have been routinely turned away after waiting outside the department door for hours.

"I've got to abide by the law or they put me back in prison," said one offender who asked not to be identified.

Department spokesman C.L. Williams said the department "erred badly" by limiting the number of registrants to about three dozen a day in recent weeks, a short-term response to a manpower shortage during the State Fair of Texas. On one recent day, a small waiting room was packed and lines snaked down to the sidewalk outside the Jack Evans Police Headquarters. Similar scenes had been reported in recent weeks.



Read More...

TYC reduces use of anti-psychotic drugs

Texas:  Anti-psychotic drugs meant to treat mental illness were being used instead as chemical restraints on youths incarcerated in Texas Youth Commission facilities, Commissioner Scott Fisher said.

The medications, which have a sedating effect, are intended to treat schizophrenia and bipolar disorder but were used on youths who did not have those diagnoses.

Fisher, a Bedford pastor, said the commission has worked over the past year to implement a system that focuses on matching drugs to need. Statistics show that since last year the commission has throttled back spending on the drugs.  Read More...

Monday, October 18, 2010

Interstate Commission for Adult Offender Supervision Annual Business Meeting

Along with numerous other criminal justice associations, APAI is an Ex -Officio Member of the Interstate Commission for Adult Offender Supervision (ICAOS). The Commission held its Annual Business Meeting October 12 -12 in San Antonio, Texas. I was invited to attend to represent APAI.

The Commission contains a representative, with voting authority, from each US state and a couple of US territories. This group, along with many other duties, establishes the rules to effectively and efficiently achieve the purposes of the Interstate Compact for the Supervision of Adult Offenders. The role of the Ex-Officio is to serve in an advisory capacity to the Commission.

The meeting started off with a 1/2 day Commissioner's Training where all the participants, my self included, were given information about the legal foundations for the Commission, the role of the National Office, the role of the Commissioners and the role of the Executive Committee. Those in attendance were given a review of the rule proposals that were going to be on the agenda the following day and were given the opportunity to give feedback prior to the official voting session scheduled for the next day.

In the afternoon of the first day the Commissioners gathered for their respective regional meetings where they discuss issues on the horizon and mapped strategy for the upcoming year. They also recruited nominees for the Executive Committee. Later that afternoon a period of time was set aside for public comment on the proposed rule changes that would be voted on the next day.
On Wednesday the meeting convened with reports from the various committees. I was impressed with the hard work of all the committees, but particularly the work done in the area of training, compliance and information technology It was impressive to see the data that is now available on the interstate transfer and supervision functions and the hard work that goes into obtaining voluntary compliance with the rules of the compact through training, much of which is done by the Commissioners themselves.
The majority of the day was dedicated to a comprehensive and thoughtful discussion of the various rule change proposals that had made their way through the respective committees. You may view the proposed changes at www.interstatecompact.org under the "Proposed Amendments" tab. Ultimately, after the debate, several rule amendments were passed and one was defeated. The Commission passed proposals to slightly modify the requirements for the contents of a transfer request and to spell out the scope of investigation that must be done before an offender is declared an absconder. The Commission also passed rules that require that the mandatory re-taking of violent offenders and offenders who commit new felony offenses be accomplished through the issuance of a warrant, not merely ordering them to return to the sending state. The Commission however defeated a proposal (2010-EXEC-5.103) to impose the same requirement on the mandatory retaking of an offender who is being returned because they committed "three or more significant violations" All changes are set to be effective March 1, 2011. For a complete report of the proceeding including the language of the proposals passed and rejected, visit the Commission website.
On a side note, the meeting was held on the beautiful San Antonio Riverwalk. Incidentally this is the site for the 2011 APAI Annual Training Conference. I was in awe of the natural beauty of this area and the many attractions available, including shopping, restaurants and historical sites. I would urge each of your to mark your calenders for May 15 -18, 2011 and plans to attend the training and perhaps spend a few extra days visiting San Antonio.

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Controversial parole law goes into effect in NH

CONCORD, N.H.—Robert Audette's son was convicted of setting fire to a vacant building in 2007 and is being released from prison nine months before his sentence is up as part of New Hampshire's new mandatory parole law.

Audette, of Hooksett, says he's glad his son, 20-year-old Robert Shawn Audette, is coming home this week, but he believes criminals should serve their full sentences.
 
"I'm kind of like being put in the middle of two places," Audette said. "Some of the sex offenders are coming out and that worries me. My son wasn't in for a sex crime. But what he did was wrong. They're put in for an amount of time and they should do that amount of time."  Read More...

Prison populations shouldn't trump justice

Violent offenders should not be considered for parole every year.

WEST Virginia's regional jails and prisons are overcrowded, and many state officials don't want to spend scarce money building more cells.

So the administration offered, and the Legislature passed, a bill backers said was intended to accelerate parole hearings for nonviolent offenders.  Read More...

Governor OKs medical parole for incapacitated inmates

Schwarzenegger signs 21 bills, including one allowing the state to parole comatose and physically incapacitated inmates and another restricting motorcycle modifications. He vetoes 14 bills.

Reporting from Sacramento — State prisons can release comatose and physically incapacitated inmates on medical parole under a measure approved Tuesday by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger that is expected to save California at least $46 million annually.
 
The legislation was one of 21 bills the governor signed, including a ban on modifying motorcycles to make them more noisy, a scale-back of an early release program at county jails and a 5-year extension allowing shoemakers to import kangaroo parts to California.  Read More...

Friday, October 1, 2010

APAI Chairs Meeting

On September 22nd and 23rd Parole Board Chairs and Releasing Authority Directors from around the United States and Canada gathered in Louisville, Kentucky for the Association of Paroling Authority's Annual Chairs Meeting/Training. The participants were treated to a combination of facilitated discussion and educational sessions made possible by the generous support of our colleagues and partners at the National Institute of Corrections and the National Parole Resource Center.

The sessions were facilitated by Tom von Hemert, a criminal justice planner from Charlottesville Virginia. The meeting began with a rousing keynote address from APAI President Charles Traughber who used his 40 plus years of correctional experience to put today's budget crisis in context. He reminded the participants of the need to be constantly striving to tailor our practices to those that have been found to work by the evidence and research that currently exists.

The participants then spent some time in small groups discussing the specific issues that they are facing in their agencies. This discussion was meant to create an environment throughout the rest of the meeting, both in session and out, in which the participants could make use of the over 500 years of criminal justice experience that was present amongst the 22 participants.

Cathy Banks, Correctional Program Specialist, from the National Institute of Corrections discussed the current state of affairs at NIC concerning parole, including the current development and pilot testing of a curriculum for training new board chairs. The participants were treated to examples of some of the innovative and thought provoking segments NIC now uses to train new board members.

The participants then heard about a joint initiative of APAI and the Association of State Corrections Administrators (ASCA) to develop a set of principles to guide productive collaboration between state correctional agencies and paroling/releasing authorities. ASCA executive committee members AT Wall , Director of Corrections in Rhode Island and Brian Fischer, Commissioner of Corrections in New York State, discussed ASCA's interest in developing these principles. APAI Executive Committee members described the history and process of this initiative. There was a period of open discussion for the participants to air their views on the draft set of principles. The group was then guided through a series of exercises designed to "test drive" the principles; to see if they could be translated into achievable and measurable action steps.

The next morning the participants heard from noted Canadian researcher Dr. Ralph Serin of Carleton University. He shared the latest news about his criminal justice decision making lab and the promise that holds for parole practitioners. He discussed the latest research relevant to parole decision making and unveiled the research he is going to conduct in two US sites, Ohio and Connecticut.

In the afternoon Peggy Burke updated everyone on the latest activities of the National Parole Resource Center, including the selection of four learning sites; South Dakota, Pennsylvania, Georgia and Connecticut. She shared with us the 10 practice targets that these site will be focusing on and which the Center as a whole will promote and encourage.

Finally the participants received an inside view of the operations of APAI and all that we have to offer member agencies and practitioners. The chairs were challenged to support APAI and assist us in ensuring the sustainability of this organization.

In addition to the wealth of knowledge that was shared, the participants experienced the warm southern hospitality of the Kentucky Parole Board made possible by Chairman Verman Winburn, Southern Regional Vice President Caroline Mudd and the staff of their Board.

Be sure and stay tuned for upcoming announcements about the 2011 Chairs meeting.

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Presentations for APAI Chairs Meeting Available Now

If you would like to view Dr. Ralph Serin's presentation or Peggy Burke's presentation from the 2010 APAI Chairs Meeting in Louisville, KY, you may do so HERE!

Thanks

After Court Ruling, FL Mulls New Penalties for Ex-Juvenile Lifers

A U.S. Supreme Court ruling banning life sentences for a class of violent juveniles has put Florida in a legal quandary when deciding the offenders' new prison terms.

Kyan Bucknor was 15 in 1999 when he shot two patrons and unleashed a volley of bullets into Broward Sheriff's Office deputy Al Hibbert outside a Lauderdale Lakes nightclub.

The teen's sentence: life in prison.

But Bucknor, now 26, will get a reprieve thanks to a May U.S. Supreme Court decision banning life-without-parole sentences for juveniles who did not kill anyone. The ruling left Florida in a quandary: For undeniably violent crimes, what is an appropriate alternative sentence in a state that has no parole system?   Read More...

California has paid scores of criminals to care for residents

The rules of the state's home healthcare program, as interpreted by a judge this year, permit such felons to work as aides. Among their crimes are rape, assault and theft.

Reporting from Sacramento — Scores of people convicted of crimes such as rape, elder abuse and assault with a deadly weapon are permitted to care for some of California's most vulnerable residents as part of the government's home health aide program.

Data provided by state officials show that at least 210 workers and applicants flagged by investigators as unsuitable to work in the program are nonetheless scheduled to resume or begin employment.  Read More...

BJS Promises Better, More Timely Data On Repeat Criminality

The U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics is improving its research capabilities on offenders' recidivism nationwide so that the problem can be measured more accurately and more quickly, BJS official Howard Snyder told the National Committee on Community Corrections yesterday in Washington, D.C. A frequently quoted BJS report concluded that about two-thirds of released state prisoners were rearrested for serious new crimes within three years. That report is based in 1994 prison releases in 15 states and was not issued until 2002 because of difficulties in collecting and analyzing the data. Snyder said that in the future, BJS will be able to measure recidivism based on data from 32 states. It is not clear yet exactly when the new data will be publicly available.

The committee also heard from Marc Mauer of the Washingon, D.C.-based Sentencing Project on a survey of more than 99 studies from various states on recidivism. Mauer described the results as "all over the map," in part because studies used differing definitions of recidivism. Some, for example, measure it in terms of re-arrests, while others focus on convictions or re-imprisonment. Some studies report reductions of 5 percent or 10 percent in recidivism after improved rehabilitation, results Mauer termed "not trivial." Recidivism reduction gains should not be exaggerated, "or we risk setting ourselves up to fail,' he said. The Sentencing Project survey can be found HERE.

Mental health group finds unaddressed issues among D.C.'s young offenders

Many of the young people who are arrested in the District have mental health issues that to go unaddressed by the juvenile justice system, according to a report to be presented Thursday by a group representing local mental health providers.

The study by the D.C. Behavioral Health Association found that despite increased attention to the mental health of children and adolescents in the city, access to social workers, psychologists and psychiatrists appears to lag far behind the need.  Read More...

Special courts divert veterans from jail

SPOKANE — After surviving 15 months in one of the most dangerous places on Earth, Iraq war veteran Carl Jacobson thought he could cope with just about anything civilian life had to throw at him.

Jacobson realized he was wrong the day he learned that his beloved former platoon leader had been gravely wounded by an enemy sniper.

“It broke me down,” Jacobson said. “No matter what comes your way, it’s crucial to any soldier to avoid losing control. You can’t lash out.”  Read More...

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Former Melbourne fugitive Paula Carroll's friends cheer parole board's decision

Woman, 56, gets parole in 1975 crime, but escape charge may negate victory

Since Paula Carroll was arrested in April after being a fugitive for more than 34 years, agony has beset her family and her friends.

Crowded into a hearing room early Wednesday at the Florida Parole Commission’s headquarters, however, 20 of them cried out in joy. Hands were clapped. Hearts were held.
 
The commission had just invoked a rare tactic to reduce Carroll’s five-year sentence to parole. It was a moment of levity — one of few since an unidentified person tipped off authorities about the Melbourne resident’s whereabouts. Read More...

N.J. roundup nets 823 fugitives and 339 parole violators

State, federal, county and local lawmen team up for "Operation SWEEP''

Operation "SWEEP,‘' a statewide effort by state and federal lawmen during July and August, resulted in the arrests of 1,162 high-risk parole and probation violators as well as other fugitives, state Attorney General Paula T. Dow announced Tuesday.

Scores of police officers, state troopers, parole officers, U.S. marshals, probation officers, sheriff's officers, and county prosecutor investigators participated in the roundup. They grabbed 339 parolees and 823 fugitives.  Read More...

Police shooting puts South Australian parole system into spotlight

The police shooting of a repeat offender in Adelaide has reopened the debate about South Australia's parole system.

Police shot dead 31-year-old Paul Quinn at the end of a wild car chase across the city last night. They say Mr Quinn had been on parole and had an extensive criminal history.

A commissioner's inquiry will examine police actions and the parole board's decision to release him is now in the spotlight.  Read More...

GPS tracking limited by SJC - Rules in case of sex offender; Sets conditions for probation use

Judges cannot change probation conditions for convicted sex offenders by requiring them to wear GPS monitoring devices unless the former inmates have violated the terms of their release, the state’s highest court narrowly ruled yesterday.

In a 4-to-3 decision, the Supreme Judicial Court upheld a lower court judge who refused to add GPS monitoring and a ban on visits to playgrounds, schools, and libraries to the probation restrictions of a former Lowell man who spent about 20 years locked up for the abduction and rape of a 7-year-old boy.  Read More...

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

New Survey Says Public Favorable To Cutting Prison Populations

A new public opinion survey on crime and sentencing issues gives policymakers some breathing room on moves to reduce prison populations during this time of budget crises in states. Most registered voters believe that about one fifth of inmates could be released and not pose a threat to public safety, said the survey sponsored by the Pew Center on the States’ Public Safety Performance Project.

The survey found vast majorities (nearly 90%) favoring the concept of fewer low-risk and non-violent offenders behind bars to keep more violent offenders imprisoned, and to reinvest any money saved in probation and parole improvements. About 2/3 of Democrats and about half of Republicans ”strongly” favor” such changes, meaning that they have reasonably strong bipartisan backing.  Read More...

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Governor signs law named after Chelsea King: Measure sets longer prison sentences, tougher parole conditions and targeted treatment for sex offenders

When Doug Lambell remembers searching for Chelsea King six months ago, he feels anew the sad invigoration of a community coming together to stop a family from falling apart.

The 49-year-old banker and father of two from Scripps Ranch remembers showing up in Rancho Bernardo to search for a teenager he didn’t know. He remembers seeing more than 1,000 people standing in the rain and being bowled over by the shared purpose of wanting to bring Chelsea home.

He still cries about it.  Read More...

Overcrowded prisons open Madison County judge's eyes

With state prisons stuffed beyond capacity and no signs of any slowdown in the volume of drug and theft cases that fill court dockets, Alabama's judges are being asked to rethink the sentences they issue.

The message came last week as all Alabama judges with power to sentence prisoners were invited by Alabama Chief Justice Sue Bell Cobb to a three-day meeting in Montgomery. Cobb wants to find ways to reduce jail overcrowding and still enforce Alabama's laws in the face of significant state budget problems.  Read More...

Monday, September 13, 2010

NIC Announces New Pilot Training for the Parole Board Chairs Curriculum

Announcement for New Training

Parole Board Chairs
December 7-9, 2010
Hilton St. Louis at the Ballpark,
St. Louis, Missouri

Course Description:  Parole Board Chairs, whether appointed by their governor, elected by their peers, or rotated into their role from their seat on the parole board, are in an influential position to lead efforts to improve and reform the transition and reentry system, as well as enhancing their board’s capacity to use evidence-based prinicples in effective offender management. Being an effective chair requires clearly defined roles and strategies to assure informed decisions are made relative to release and return of offenders. This 40 hour course will include modules on defining the Chair’s role, establishing operational philosophy, promoting optimal performance, navigating the external and political environment, reaching out and responding to stakeholders, managing processes and resources, and measuring for offender and agency success.

Criteria for acceptance into this training:

• Must be a sitting Parole Board Chair with 2 years or less experience as a Chair
• Prior experience as a Parole Board Member
• Written endorsement of your appointing authority, or Governor,
• Must be able to complete all pre and post training assignments to include participation in Webex sessions Nov.18, Dec. 2, and Jan 13
• Must be able to attend all three days of the face to face training Dec. 7, 8, and 9, 2010.

Deadline to apply is Oct. 22. Contact cnbanks@bop.gov for an application or through posting at http://www.nicic.gov/ (Parole Board Chairs Training).  You can find more information HERE.

Murderer Freed on Probation Fails to Comply With Terms

On a humid Houston morning, Carolyn Hardin sits on a white marble bench near her youngest son’s grave. More than a decade after a Houston firefighter killed him, Carolyn’s oversized glasses slide down her nose on a stream of tears. “He was a good kid,” she sobs. “He did not deserve to die over a parking space.”

Steven Hardin, a tow truck driver, died in April 1998 when Houston firefighter Barry Crawford shot him in the chest during a towing dispute. In a high-profile trial with a shocking outcome, a jury found Crawford guilty of first-degree murder but sentenced him to only probation. Harris County District Judge Ted Poe, now a Republican U.S. congressman, imposed numerous and strict terms on Crawford’s 10-year probation sentence. He was supposed to help support Steven’s two children, to carry a photo of the 26-year-old in his wallet, to complete 1,000 hours of community service and to pay thousands of dollars to the family in restitution.  Read More...

Mistaken prison releases are rare - State and county jails across Pa. have few such incidents, but Delco has had at least 5 since May

Lancaster County prison officials use an iris scanner to identify inmates so there is no mistaking who walks out the door.

In Bucks County, a supervisor triple-checks paperwork to avoid errors; Montgomery County requires at least two corrections officers to discharge a prisoner.

In Chester County, inmates wear photo identification cards.

Even with those measures, wardens say mistaken releases happen, though rarely - no more than one a year from each county jail.  Read More...

Number of older adults treated for substance abuse doubles

The number of older adults admitted to substance-abuse treatment facilities has more than doubled since 1992, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

The organization's latest Treatment Episode Data Set report, released Thursday, shows that the number of patients ages 50 and older has increased from about 102,700 in 1992 to 231,170 in 2008.  Read More...

Thursday, September 9, 2010

Inmate who smuggled camera eyes Md. sequel

The way Omar Broadway sees it, Maryland prisons are overrun with gangs, disciplinary rules are ignored and inmates pass the time playing video games and making wine in their cells.

You don't have to take his word for it: He says he's getting it on film.

Broadway, a New Jersey native serving a 12-year sentence for carjacking, has gained notoriety as an amateur documentarian of life behind bars. The choppy footage he captured in a Newark prison was turned into a full-length feature ("An Omar Broadway Film") that aired at a prominent film festival and was broadcast on HBO this summer.  Read More...

Counselors monitoring prison officers with PTSD

CANON CITY, Colo. John Brownfield Jr. became a corrections officer following deployments to Afghanistan and Iraq.

Brownfield was later charged with accepting bribes from inmates seeking tobacco at the U.S. Penitentiary in Florence, Colo. He told the judge that when he came home, he suffered insomnia and nightmares, drank more heavily, was quick to anger, "reckless with everything" in his life.

U.S. District Judge John Kane suspected post-traumatic stress disorder.  Read More...

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Lifers lead classes to prepare other prisoners for success beyond cell walls

CLALLAM BAY -- The idea of lifers teaching release-readiness classes may at first seem counterintuitive.

To inmate Robert Rose, who is beginning to prepare for his release in 13 months from Clallam Bay prison, it is the part of the class that makes it worth attending.

"That is the best part about the class," he said.

"These guys know where we are coming from, and they really care about what happens to us."  Read More...

Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Chairs Meeting/Training Tentative Agenda Posted

You can now find the Tentative Agenda for the 2010 APAI Chairs Meeting/Training on the APAI site or HERE!

Monday, August 30, 2010

2011 ATC Conference Theme Announced

The APAI Exeutive Committee is happy to announce the theme for the 2011 Annual Training Conference - COLLABORATIONS AND PARTNERSHIPS: THE KEYS TO SUCCESS! Please join us in San Antonio for the ATC!

Thursday, August 26, 2010

State's plans to send prisoners to county jails worry officials

Low-risk inmates would , police groups hopes to save money by shipping low-risk inmates

SACRAMENTO — The state’s plans to ship low-risk prisoners to local jails could cost counties revenue and are raising fears that inmates may be released early.

Transferring non-sex offender prisoners to county jails are centerpieces of dueling plans put forward by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and state Senate Democrats as they scramble to close a $19 billion budget gap.

The foundation of both proposals is to save the state money by offering counties incentives — including cash and greater alternative sentencing authority — to accept more prisoners.

The initiatives are drawing resistance from San Diego County supervisors, statewide law enforcement groups and Republican lawmakers.  Read More...

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Inmates' treatment bottleneck means delays in release

CONCORD – State prison inmates trying to earn parole, many of them with alcohol and drug abuse backgrounds, face a shortage of treatment programs they need to attend as a condition of being set free.

Alan Coburn, a member of the Adult Parole Board, told a committee studying parole issues yesterday that because treatment options are few, many inmates ready for release remain behind bars for up to a year while they wait their turn.  Read More...

Michigan has lower rates of felons that go to prison than other Great Lakes states, prosecutors say

KALAMAZOO — There is a perception that Michigan prisons are full of low-level criminals whose release would reduce both overcrowding and state budget constraints, but the reality is, “it takes a lot to get sent to prison,” a local prosecutor said.

Nationally, 40 percent of felony convictions result in a prison term, said Jeff Fink, Kalamazoo County’s prosecuting attorney, citing research released last year by the Council of State Governments Justice Center. In Michigan the rate was 23 percent.  Read More...

Agencies: New sex laws will help abuse prevention

OCEAN CITY -- Uncle John has been taking his nephew Steve on camping trips every weekend. The family knows John has a history of being a sexual predator, and they suspect he may be grooming the child for abuse.

In the recent past, Social Services could only help that child once it suspected he had been mistreated.

Not anymore. New laws passed this year in the wake of the horrific abuse and murder of a Salisbury girl address loopholes in the system that deals with sexual predators.  Read More...

Monday, August 23, 2010

Dallas County's alternative sentencing program lets low-level offenders do time at home

What's the difference between a stark jail cell and the comforts of home? For a few lucky Dallas County criminals, the answer is nothing.

Under the county's alternative sentencing plan, certain low-level offenders discharge their sentences under ankle-monitored house arrest, giving them the opportunity to keep their jobs, eat home-cooked meals and enjoy the interaction of family and friends.

"I think the program is better than jail," said Arletha Baker, who was released from the program's restrictions recently. "You get to touch your family. ... I have a very helpful family."

Alternative sentencing is also helping Dallas County's bottom line. Since its inception Sept. 1, it has saved the county $366,016. And officials expect that figure to reach $400,000 by the initiative's first anniversary in two weeks.  Read More...

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Crime Victims To Probation-Parole Officials: Pay More Attention To Us

Crime victims urged probation and parole officials today to pay more attention to their cases and issues. The unusual appeal came near the conclusion of the 35th annual American Probation and Parole Association training institute, held this year in Washington, D.C. Andrea Conte, wife of Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen, said that crime victims sometimes have viewed probation and parole agents as enemies, more sympathetic to offenders than to victims; she urged more attention to issues like restitution by offenders to their victims. Conte founded an anticrime group called You Have the Power--Know How to Use It. She was the victim of a pistol-whipping by a would-be kidnapper 20 years ago. Susan Russell, a vicim services consultant in Vermont who was kidnapped, raped, and nearly killed 18 years ago, complained that the state had given her misleading and inaccurate information about the offender.

Pat Tuthill, whose daughter Peyton was raped, tortured, and murdered by a probationer who transferred from another state to Denver in 1999, made a plea for victims and their families to get more information about convicts' whereabouts and status. "Offenders have many rights, victims have few," she told the meeting. Victims advocates acknowledge that most offenders eventually will be released from custody or supervision; the victims ask that they be notified every important step along the way, including about the conduct and treatment of offenders who are in prison. The general theme of the program was that victims are getting more respect in the criminal justice system, but there is a long way to go. Other victim advocates who spoke included Mary Dodd of Nevada, Rick Fiori of Maryland, Elizabeth Page of Texas, and Carroll Ann Ellis of Virginia. Listening were senior officials of the Justice Department's Office of Justice Programs. Moderator was Anne Seymour of Justice Solutions in Washington, D.C.

Bill would let juvenile criminals seek leniency

When Democratic state Sen. Leland Yee talks about SB399, he inevitably points to the case of Sara Kruzan.

In 1994, at age 16, Kruzan killed her alleged pimp three years after she was forced into prostitution. The Riverside girl was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to spend the rest of her life in prison with no possibility of parole.

Under SB399, juvenile offenders such as Kruzan, now a 32-year-old prison inmate, would be allowed to ask a court to review their case after 10 years in prison, and could potentially get their sentence reduced to 25 years to life. The bill - a watered-down version of Yee's original proposal, which would have barred life imprisonment for all juveniles - has been approved by the state Senate and is set to be taken up by the Assembly as soon as Thursday.  Read More...

Prison Without Walls

Incarceration in America is a failure by almost any measure. But what if the prisons could be turned inside out, with convicts released into society under constant electronic surveillance? Radical though it may seem, early experiments suggest that such a science-fiction scenario might cut crime, reduce costs, and even prove more just.

One snowy night last winter, I walked into a pizzeria in Morrisville, Pennsylvania, with my right pant leg hiked up my shin. A pager-size black box was strapped to my sockless ankle, and another, somewhat larger unit dangled in a holster on my belt. Together, the two items make up a tracking device called the BI ExacuTrack AT: the former is designed to be tamper-resistant, and the latter broadcasts the wearer’s location to a monitoring company via GPS. The device is commonly associated with paroled sex offenders, who wear it so authorities can keep an eye on their movements. Thus my experiment: an online guide had specified that the restaurant I was visiting was a “family” joint. Would the moms and dads, confronted with my anklet, identify me as a possible predator and hustle their kids back out into the cold?  Read More...

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Serious Flaws in IL Prisoner Release Program

Criminal justice expert David Erickson released his review of the Illinois Department of Corrections’ Meritorious Good Time Push program Friday, reporting a number of serious flaws in the program, which was terminated in December 2009, and offering detailed recommendations to reform the prison system’s parole procedures.

After an accelerated prisoner release plan last year was found to include some prisoners who had committed violent crimes, Governor Pat Quinn suspended, then terminated the program. He named Erickson, a retired criminal trial judge and Appellate Court Justice, to head a three-person panel to review all Department of Corrections’ Meritorious Good Time (MGT) programs and make recommendations on how the programs should be overhauled.  Read More...

Parole program shifts resources to serious offenders

Police are closely monitoring a new group of parolees on Morgan Hill's streets who can't be carted off to jail as easily as traditional parolees.

The new state parole program that allows certain criminals to be unsupervised when they get out of prison - known as non-revocable parole - is supposed to let authorities keep a closer eye on violent felons, but local police say the policy will result in more violence, drug trafficking and theft.

"It's completely predictable," Morgan Hill police chief Bruce Cumming said. "These people, when they get out of prison they go back to doing exactly what they went to prison for. They go back to their same neighborhood, same crowd, back to drugs, back to robbing people and breaking into houses and stealing cars."  Read More...

Family uses killer's letters to keep him behind bars

Billy Ray White vowed 20 years ago that when he got out of prison, he would track down the relatives of the man he'd murdered and subject them to gruesome deaths.

In a handwritten letter to J.D. Hall's daughter, the convicted killer promised to carve her up like a turkey and make her head into a flower pot. In another letter to Hall's son, he said he would put him through a meat grinder and force his relatives to eat him.

"You can run but you can't hide. You can go to the police, but they can't protect you. You can change your name, address, or even move, but I will always find you," he wrote in a letter postmarked May 15, 1989, to Hall's widow. "They can't keep me in here for the rest of my life."  Read More...

Software Predicts Criminal Behavior

New crime prediction software being rolled out in the nation's capital should reduce not only the murder rate, but the rate of many other crimes as well.

Developed by Richard Berk, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania, the software is already used in Baltimore and Philadelphia to predict which individuals on probation or parole are most likely to murder and to be murdered.

In his latest version, the one being implemented in D.C., Berk goes even further, identifying the individuals most likely to commit crimes other than murder.  Read More...

Probation-Parole Agents Say They Are Starved For Resources

As pressures build to reduce the “mass incarceration” in the United States, more attention should be paid to “starved probation and parole resources,” contends William Burrell, former New Jersey probation and parole official. Speaking yesterday to an American Probation and Parole Association conference in Washington, D.C., Burrell said that about 70 percent of government spending on corrections and only about 12 percent to probation and parole even though probation and parole agents handle high caseloads. The probation staff in Sacramento County, Ca., is facing a 50 percent cutback.  Read More...

Monday, August 16, 2010

Electronic bracelets to track gun-toting Memphis juveniles

Memphis police want to stop gun-toting teens in their tracks -- literally.

Police Director Larry Godwin is teaming with Memphis Mayor A C Wharton to develop a pilot program that monitors the steps of troubled teens through advanced electronic tracking bracelets.

It's part of a $2 million, federally funded program to curtail crime using tracking equipment that can pinpoint a detainee's exact location.

More than 150 minors were arrested with guns last year, police said. And the arrests haven't slowed this year.  Read More...

To fight crime, Ogden tells ex-cons to move out

Ogden - Not only was Joseph Sambrano following the rules of his parole, he was doing so well he received a job as a security guard at his apartment building.

The 46-year-old Sambrano would ensure that visitors to Park Avenue Apartments had escorts, told tenants to turn down loud music and helped police when they visited the building. Along the way, Sambrano assumed custody of his 16-year-old nephew and began raising him at Park Avenue.

Despite that, Ogden City wants Sambrano out of Park Avenue. Building management will evict him to save money.  Read More...

Housing program for ex-cons not working as intended, some lawmakers say; Prison officials say program is succeeding.

As Texas prison programs go, this one was tiny. Just a few hundred ex-cons would be eligible for housing vouchers those who had been approved for parole but were stuck behind bars because they had no place to live, either because their families didn't want them or they had no place to go.

It was also supposed to save taxpayers money, since the housing would cost less than a $47-a-day prison bed.

Instead, state records show, the 8-month-old Temporary Housing Assistance Program appears to have accomplished just the opposite. In some cases, parolees have been moved into state-rented homes from less expensive halfway houses.  Read More...

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Three-pronged attack on prison costs

The core function of the state courts is the adjudication of legal disputes. And of all the legal disputes we adjudicate, our courts spend more time by far presiding over criminal cases.

Each year our judges faithfully apply the law of this state to the facts of each criminal case and sentence thousands of convicted offenders to prison for the protection of the public.

The annual cost of prison is a shocking $19,000 per prisoner and growing. And this growing investment in incarceration is not paying a return in increased public safety.  Read More...

Do Michigan's prison changes put the public at risk?

Earlier paroles.

Fewer parole violators returned to prison.

More commutations and pardons.

Lower security levels for many state prisoners.

These policies of the Michigan Department of Corrections, combined with Michigan's prisoner re-entry program, are translating into lower costs for the state and a shrinking prison population -- down more than 7,000, or nearly 14 percent, in three years. An MDOC-endorsed proposal to end Michigan's "truth in sentencing" law -- which requires prisoners to serve at least their minimum sentence -- would accelerate those trends if it passes the Legislature.  Read More...

Monday, August 9, 2010

'Sarah's Law' on paedophiles rolled out

Home Secretary Theresa May hailed an "important step forward for child protection" as Sarah's Law, which allows parents to check if someone has a history of child sex offences, was rolled out nationally today.

Mrs. May said the programme, which followed the abduction and murder of eight-year-old Sarah Payne by convicted sex offender Roy Whiting 10 years ago, will also help police manage known sex offenders more effectively.  Read more...

Mississippi's Corrections Reform: How America's reddest state -- and most notorious prison -- became a model of corrections reform

In January 2002, Margaret Winter, an attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union's (ACLU) National Prison Project, received a letter from Willie Russell, an inmate on Mississippi's death row.

"I am on a hunger strike to the death," the letter began. In highly idiosyncratic language, the letter then described conditions at the facility where death row was housed, Unit 32.

Unit 32 was one of seven prisons located on Mississippi's fabled penal institution, Parchman Farm. As described by Russell, it was also a lot like hell. Inmates were locked in permanent solitary confinement. In the summer, the cells were ovens, with no fans or air circulation. Russell's was even worse: He was in a special "punishment" cell with a solid, unvented Plexiglas door. The cells were also sewers, thanks to a design flaw in cellblock toilets that often flushed excrement from one cell into the next. Prisoners were allowed outside -- to pace or sit alone in metal cages -- just two or three times a week. Inside was a perpetual dusk: One always-on light fixture provided inadequate light for reading but enough light to make it hard to sleep.  Read more...

GPS anklets keep paroled gang members in check

A self-described former gang member in a silver and black Bo Jackson Raiders jersey and Nike high tops strutted into an Oakland parole office Thursday morning to get a new GPS unit strapped around his ankle.

Sergio, 43, said he wasn't happy to represent one of the new frontiers of state corrections. The anklet he has worn 24 hours a day for the past two months, he said, made him feel like a dog on a leash.  Read more...

Monday, August 2, 2010

APAI Committees

The Professional Development Committee is seeking APAI members to serve on the committee (See APAI By Laws Article VI sub section 6.1f ). The Standards Committee is also seeking APAI Members to serve on the committee (See APAI By Laws Article VI sub section 6.1h). Members who are interested should send an e-mail their respective Regional/Sectional Vice Presidents, (Article IV of By Laws for the regions/section a state is a member), who will be in contact with the appropriate committee Chair to include the members as part of the committee. For more information on what Region/Section you are in and who your Regional/Section Vice President, go HERE!

The sites selected for the replication research (Canadian model) on structured parole decision making were Ohio and Connecticut

National Institute of Corrections Structured Parole Decision Making Project (Canadian model) Site Solicitation

Goals

A primary goal of this initiative is to advance evidence-based parole decision making research in the United States. The National Institute of Corrections (NIC), Carlton University and the Association of Paroling Authorities International (APAI) are seeking 2 sites who might wish to embark on a collaboration to replicate research conducted in Canada regarding structured parole decision making.

Background material (literature review, user manual) will be provided to the parole agency staff prior to the site visit. Two investigators from Carleton University will travel to the site and provide a workshop and training regarding the application of the Structured Decision Framework. The training will also address contemporary risk assessment issues and implications for establishing parole conditions. The researchers will ensure inter-rater reliability prior to commencing data collection. Procedures for sharing the data will be finalized at the time of the site visit (either worksheets without identifiers or an electronic data file). A report regarding the findings (comparing the accuracy of existing decision strategies with the Structured Decision Framework) will be completed for each agency. This research will also review parole decisions against a model reflecting evidence-based practice; hence, the parole agency will be in a position to evaluate the extent to which current decision procedures reflect contemporary practice. This research will also investigate the impact of training on grant rates, as well as provide preliminary findings regarding decision making competencies. Of note is that the issue of practice guidelines is different than current interest in risk assessment and recidivism and could potentially insulate an agency from criticism in the event of parole failures. A summary report will be provided to both the agency and NIC.

Resource Implications
Each parole site will need to assign someone to review case files and co-ordinate data collection. Depending on the comprehensiveness of file information, it is expected this individual could do 4 cases per day (more if file information is limited). If we aim for 100-120 cases, this is 6 weeks over 12 months. The university researchers will complete all the training, conduct the statistical analyses and provide a written report.

The Framework

This is a structured professional judgement model that requires a systematic review of empirically relevant factors (i.e., criminal history, institutional adjustment, correctional programming, release plan), grounded by a valid risk assessment estimate and a consideration of policy requirements. This review provides an outline for decision makers when writing a rationale for their decisions. The framework does not provide an actual decision rather it is an empirically-informed decision guide. Research has demonstrated that using the framework increases both accuracy and accountability. In one study of sensational parole failures, application of the framework would have reduced such failures by 42%. Based on such findings, and its empirical derivation, the framework is a training standard for newly appointed parole board members in Canada.

Site Requirements for NIC Structured Parole Decision Making Study

These requirements describe the scope and information necessary for this project to be successful. Not all interested sites may meet all requirements but this will not eliminate them from consideration.

1.Decision making context: Decisions should be made by the paroling authority regarding timing of release as well as conditions upon release. These decisions should be compiled in a registry.

2.Decision registry and database: There should be a registry of decisions and assigned conditions. Where possible the decision would include a rationale. There should be a database, preferably electronic, of these decisions and outcomes for at least 12 months post-release. Outcomes should include multiple indices such as technical violations and new offences.

3.Staff: Part of the project involves training regarding Evidence-Based Practice and Parole for paroling authority staff, so a level of organizational readiness is expected. As well, a staff member will need to be assigned so that they may be trained on the Structured Decision Framework for its application to 120 case files.

Deadline for Applications: Friday July 9, 2010.

Questions: see pdf or contact Ralph Serin at ralph_serin@carleton.ca

The National Parole Resource Center (NPRC) Announces and Invites Applications from Paroling Authorities and their Supervision Agency Partners To Participate as NPRC "Learning Sites"

This solicitation invites U.S. state paroling/releasing authorities to apply to become one of four states participating in the first major technical assistance effort of the newly-established, Bureau of Justice Assistance-sponsored National Parole Resource Center (NPRC). All four sites will receive technical assistance and training geared toward enhancing their capacity for effective decisionmaking policy and practice. The NPRC Learning Sites initiatives is designed to support participating sites as they strengthen their decisionmaking and supervision practices, and to generate lessons and insights that will be shared widely with other jurisdictions through the NPRC web site and continuing training and technical assistance. Available resources will allow the NPRC to provide two of the four states with expanded training and technical assistance to address the state’s parole supervision function and to move toward implementation of 13 Strategies for Effective Parole Supervision (more information about the 13 Strategies for Effective Parole Supervision).


The application deadline for this initiative is Monday, June 21, 2010. Assistance is scheduled to begin in August, 2010. The full solicitation can be downloaded from their website.

Justice Center Releases Reentry Program Databases

Justice Center Releases Reentry Program Databases

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Inside the Parole Board: how freedom is granted or denied for prisoners

Unprecedented access opens door to the often publicly criticised, but little understood, workings of the Parole Board

A Parole Board hearing starts early and with little fanfare. There are no grand, oak-lined courtrooms or spacious chambers. Instead, in a cramped room in the bowels of a modern, unprepossessing building just beyond the shadow of parliament, panel members grab paper cups of powdered coffee and converse about the comparative quality of the beverages served in prisons. Then, firmly shutting the door on the outside world, the panel squeeze around a table dominated by teetering piles of prison, probation and psychiatric reports and victim statements, and begin their work.  Read more...

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Sexual predator treatment is squeezing state budgets

Despite completed sentences, sex offenders are being kept locked up

MOOSE LAKE, Minn. — Just off the highway leading to this woodsy Minnesota town, more than 400 men live behind tall fences topped with razor wire. They spend their days shuffling between meals, group therapy sessions and activities such as painting state park signs.

The men are sex offenders who have completed their prison sentences. But because they are still considered dangerous, they have been locked away indefinitely - part of a national trend that began when states were flush with cash.  Read more...

3 lessons from a successful reentry initative

The story of a successful South Carolina program and the lessons it can teach

It has been argued that the strongest quality of great leaders isn’t their capacity to manage others’ growth directly, but their ability to connect people with complementary skills and needs; enabling them to manage their own growth.

Correctional professionals manage inmates’ growth through discipline and treatment. Yet with retracting budgets and overburdened parole systems, leaders skilled in connecting offenders to people and organizations that enable them to mange their own growth outside of custody are becoming paramount. So how can we learn to hone these increasingly important skills?  Read more...

Inspector General Can't Tell If DOJ Offender Reentry Grants Are Effective

Attorney General Eric Holder may be a fan of the Justice Department's prisoner reentry programs, but an audit released Wednesday by the DOJ’s Inspector General found the department is doing a poor job monitoring the effectiveness of programs aimed at reducing recidivism.

According to the report, the Inspector General’s office could not determine if Office of Justice Program grants were successful in reducing recidivism rates because the office does not effectively track how the programs that receive grants spend their funds.  Read more...

Full DOJ Report Here (4 MB in size)

Law review could open doors for ex-offenders

A nine-month stint in prison on a probation violation was the jolt Carl P. Thompson needed to straighten out his life. He had squandered a good job as a customer service supervisor by stealing goods from his employer, Finish Line. And now, to support six children and make $15,000 in restitution, he needed work.  "It gets frustrating," Thompson, 38, said, when a hopeful job interview invariably turns south at mention of his felony conviction.  Read more...

Welcome to the APAI Blog

Welcome to the APAI Blog!  The purpose of the blog is to post various articles and news of interest from around the globe.  It will give everyone a chance to see what is going on all over the world regarding parole, mandatory release, recidivism, rehabiliation, and anything else related to parole/releasing authorities.  We can post troubles, successes, or just interesting stories for all to see.  If you have anything you would like to post, just let me know and we will get it posted.

Thanks
Natalie (APAI Secretariat)