ANNOUNCEMENT FROM THE NATIONAL PAROLE RESOURCE CENTER:
STRATEGIC PLANNING ASSISTANCE AVAILABLE FOR UP TO SIX U.S. PAROLE BOARDS
The National Parole Resource Center (NPRC) is pleased to announce the availability of targeted strategic planning assistance to a limited number of parole boards in 2013[1]. Requests for such assistance are invited and must be received by NPRC by Tuesday, January 22, 2013 in order to be considered.
NPRC Background
The National Parole Resource Center (NPRC) was established with funding from BJA in 2009 to provide training, technical assistance, and specialized information resources designed to address the unique perspective and responsibilities of state paroling authorities. A partnership of the Center for Effective Public Policy (CEPP), the Association of Paroling Authorities International (APAI), and the Urban Institute, supported by a grant from the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), the NPRC seeks to provide state paroling authorities with information, assistance, and support emerging from sound research and practice in order to strengthen the work of state paroling authorities within the larger context of the criminal justice system.
Description of Assistance to Be Provided
In its work to date, the NPRC has been able to support a number of boards as they have engaged in a strategic planning process. These boards have expressed appreciation for this experience. They have seen it as an opportunity to set aside the ongoing pressures of individual case reviews and decisionmaking, and to work together as a policy making team to shape their overall strategy.
Current funding now enables the NPRC to work with six parole boards in designing and facilitating a strategic planning process. This strategic planning technical assistance will create the opportunity for members of a participating board to work together as a team. Supported by NPRC staff, members will engage in a discussion of Board members’ mutual interests and goals to define areas of common ground and vision so that participating boards are able to plan for the future with clarity and undertake a more deliberate approach to their work. They will be helped to consider and articulate a clear vision for their collective future as a Board, and to focus on deliberate, strategic approaches to parole policy and decision making.
This assistance will be delivered by staff from the NPRC with extensive experience in working with our nation’s parole boards on a variety of strategic planning and decisionmaking issues. Up to six sites will be selected through a competitive application process. Three applying Boards will be invited to participate in the first phase of assistance (to be delivered between March and July 2013) and three additional applying Boards will be invited to participate in the second phase of assistance (to be delivered between August and December 2013). NPRC will provide strategic planning assistance: off-site preparation for a strategic planning retreat, on-site facilitation of a multi-day strategic planning retreat tailored to meet the needs of each paroling authority, and off-site (and possibly additional on-site) follow-up to the six parole boards.
How to Apply for Assistance
A formal letter from interested U.S., state (non-federal/military) parole boards (described below) should be submitted in order to allow the NPRC to select with confidence six boards that are committed to and recognize the benefit of strategic planning to their daily work and to the value of their work as a board.
In order to apply, applicants should submit a brief letter of interest to Leilah Gilligan, Center for Effective Public Policy, via email at lgilligan@cepp.com with the subject line “NPRC Strategic Planning Application” This letter should:
· Include a concise statement of why the Board wishes to receive this assistance at this particular time (e.g., because of a recent examination of practice, changes in legislation, or turnover among board members);
· Provide a concise statement of any current or recently completed projects and initiatives the agency has been involved in (either as a result of legislation, new Board members or leadership, or of its own volition) to improve the agency’s performance. Of particular interest would be an update on the Board’s interest in and progress toward achieving alignment with the ten “practice targets” for parole boards as outlined by the NPRC, particularly those on which you have made the most significant progress, and the ones that have presented significant challenges (the practice targets are listed at the end of this notice);
· Be signed by the board chair and all board members in order to articulate the commitment of the entire Board to participate in the strategic planning session;
· Identify one board member who will serve as the point of contact for the planning of on-site assistance and who will be the liaison to NPRC in providing off-site assistance and provide full contact information for that member; and
· Articulate a commitment to provide adequate meeting space in which to deliver on-site assistance.
To be considered for assistance between March and July, please submit letters by no later than Tuesday, January 22, 2013. Applications received after that date will be considered for the second phase of assistance. Questions about the application process should be directed to: Leilah Gilligan, Project Manager, National Parole Resource Center, at 301-589-9383 or lgilligan@cepp.com.
[1] Regrettably, this assistance is limited to non-federal, U.S. parole boards only. Our grant funding prohibits applications from military, federal, or international boards.
Ten Practice Targets for Paroling Authorities (NPRC)
1. Use good, empirically-based actuarial tools to assess risk and criminogenic needs of offenders.
2. Develop and use clear, evidence-based, policy-driven decisionmaking tools, policies, and guidelines that reflect the full range of a paroling authority’s concerns (e.g., punishment, victim issues, community safety, etc.).
3. Maintain meaningful partnerships with institutional corrections and community supervision (and others) to encourage a seamless transition process and 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, evidence-informed 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 decision making skills/capacities in these areas.
10. Develop and strengthen agency level policy making, strategic management and performance measurement skills/capacities.
