Monday, August 27, 2012

Re-entry programs give former prisoners hope in the real world

Guy Moore knows the cost of a bad decision.

It started with a jewelry theft topping $5,000. A 10-month prison term followed. During that time, he lived in constant fear of violence in a 10-by-8 cell.

Then came July 28, 2011. That was the now 48-year-old’s release date from High Desert State Prison, or, as he says, “a day you don’t forget.”  Read more...

Thursday, August 23, 2012

Australasian Parole Authorities Conference 2012

The Australasian Parole Authorities Conference 2012 is being held in Melbourne, Victoria from 31 October to 2 November 2012, hosted by the Adult Parole Board of Victoria and the Youth Parole and Youth Residential Boards of Victoria.

The theme for the conference is Parole into the Future,with a focus on the challenges that parole authorities are facing now and over the next few years. This year the list of presentations is very comprehensive and includes topics such as media management, business planning, professional development for decision-makers, and post-sentence supervision regimes.

At the conference, delegates will not only hear from experts on a wide range of issues, but there will also be the opportunity to visit a prison (Marngoneet), a youth justice centre (Parkville), a transitional facility (Judy Lazarus), and a new housing complex (Elizabeth Street Common Ground). The keynote address - "Setting the Scene - Where are we going to be in the next ten years?" - will be delivered by Professor Arie Freiberg, Dean of the Faculty of  Law, Monash University and Chair of the Victorian Sentencing Advisory Council.
To view the provisional program for the conference, as well as general and registration information, click HERE

Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Texas prison population shrinks as rehabilitation programs take root

In July, Texas' prison system posted its lowest head count in five years, even as the state's overall population continued to grow at a fast clip.

Instead of 156,500 prisoners behind bars in Texas' 111 state prisons a year ago, the lockups now hold just over 154,000 — a drop of about 2,500, according to state statistics. Texas, which historically has had one of the highest incarceration rates per capita of the 50 states, is now in fourth place, down from second two years ago.  Read more...

Pennsylvania eyes overhaul of parole process

Halfway houses a focus of program

HARRISBURG -- State officials are working to streamline parole interviews and focus halfway house rehabilitation on their parolees as they implement a law designed to save millions of dollars in corrections spending.

Efficiency measures and program overhauls in the state's penitentiary system are expected to save $253 million over five years, according to numbers from the Senate Republican Caucus.  Read more...

Monday, August 20, 2012

Many criticize life sentences for juveniles, Terms with no parole called 'cruel and unusual'

SAN FRANCISCO — Sara Kruzan was 17 when she was sentenced to die in prison for killing and robbing a pimp in a Riverside motel.

Now, at 32, Kruzan has a chance at being freed, along with thousands of other juveniles convicted of murder who were sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Read more...

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Texas says rise in paroles gives state bragging rights

Officials say reforms are 'smart on crime' and save money.

Texas continues a steady march away from its Old West image of being tough on crime to one that state leaders now call "smart on crime" and even fiscally "right on crime."

Nothing makes that more apparent than the Texas Board of Pardons and Parole's newly released bragging rights: More prisoners were paroled this past fiscal year than any other year in the past decade, and fewer parolees are being sent back.  Read more...