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...

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)