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!

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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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...