Community Corrections for Professionals

Standardizing Parole Violation Sanctions

CC Pro — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 17:04:00 GMT

The economic realities of many state budgets has prompted a renewed examination of how corrections systems do business. One of the areas of concern has been the number of costly and time-consuming parole violation hearings that often result in the re-incarceration of parolees (Table 6). Is there a methodology parole agencies can utilize to address parole violations and the accompanying sanctions in a fairer and more proportionate manner? In an attempt to answer this question, two states (California and Ohio) have employed standardized tools that provide a grid of graduated sanctions to assist in parole violation decision making. Standardizing Parole Violation Sanctions, a National Institute of Justice Journal report highlights both states and the possible implications the use of standardized tools may have on a national basis.

A full report on the impact of Ohio's Progressive Sanction Grid is available here. Information on California's Parole Violation Decision Making Instrument (PVDMI) may be found here.

Innovative Technologies for Community Corrections Professionals

CC Pro — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 20:25:00 GMT

The 10th Annual Innovative Technologies for Community Corrections Conference is being held June 1-3, 2009, in San Diego, CA. Participants will learn about the most up-to-date technologies in the field, network with peers, and gain a greater understanding of how the various technologies may be employed to enhance their job performance. For information on registration and accommodations, please click here.

State Responses to Probation/Parole Violations

CC Pro — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 19:21:00 GMT

The return of offenders to institutions after violation(s) of the terms and conditions of their release places additional stress on already strained state corrections budgets. How can correctional authorities hold offenders accountable for their behaviors, preserve public safety and rein in the human and financial consequences of re-incarceration? The National Conference of State Legislatures has published a report that highlights the strategies employed by legislators from selected states to address these concerns. Principal among the the various approaches are:

Placing restrictions on incarceration;
Authorizing community options; and
Creating specialized violator facilities and programs.

2009 APPA Winter Training Institute

CC Pro — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 16:22:00 GMT

The American Probation and Parole Association (APPA) will hold its Winter Training Institute, February 8-11, in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. For registration and other information, please click here,

Information and Statistics on State Parole Supervising Agencies

Sandy Schilling — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 16:33:00 GMT

The Bureau of Justice statistics has recently released Characteristics of State Parole Supervising Agencies, 2006. This report presents the midyear 2006 information and data collected from 52 state agencies that supervise an adult parole population of 660,959 and an adult probation population of 1,200,570.

Probation, Parole and Community Supervision Week Starts July 13

CC Pro — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 21:21:00 GMT

If you haven't already made plans to celebrate the week dedicated to community corrections professionals, click here for a Resource Kit and other helpful items to get you started. A full array of informational materials will assist you in promoting this year's theme of "Making Your Mark on the Community."

2008 Edition of Topics in Community Corrections

CC Pro — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 21:22:00 GMT

The 2008 edition of Topics in Community Corrections is now available. Applying Evidence-Based Practices in Pretrial Services provides a framework for pretrial personnel to employ research-based practices in "developing programming, designing supervision strategies, and conducting research that will lead to a better understanding of current efforts in the pretrial services area."

Limited hard copies are available through the NIC Information Center by calling 800.877.1461 (Press 4) or downloadable from the NIC website at: http://nicic.gov/Downloads/PDF/Library/022904.pdf

Evidence-Based Practices Tool Kit for Community Corrections

CC Pro — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 17:39:00 GMT

The term "evidence-based" is used widely in describing effective interventions in fields ranging from medicine to corrections. But what is the definition of and the guiding principles that indicate whether individuals and agencies are engaging in proper decision-making for the treatment and supervision of their clients? The Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction, Ohio Institute on Correctional Best Practices, Institute for Excellence in Justice has provided a clear and concise best practices tool kit for community-based corrections professionals that answers these and other questions. This report also highlights the polices and practices of jurisdictions that have adopted an evidence-based model for operations and supervision. Report here.

Innovative Technologies for Community Corrections

CC Pro — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 15:35:00 GMT

If your community corrections agency is interested in the latest in electronic monitoring, drug and alcohol testing, information technology, and management issues, the 9th Annual Innovative Technologies for Community Corrections Conference is the place for you. The Rocky Mountain Regional Center of the National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center will be spotlighting the newest and developing technological advances for community-based corrections that can assist agencies in reaching their mission goals.

Family Involvement in Community Supervision

CC Pro — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 16:25:00 GMT

The American Probation and Parole Association and Family Justice, with funding from the Bureau of Justice Assistance, is offering a free audio teleconference/webcast on Engaging Families in Community Supervision Practices: An Evidence-Based Approach to Public Safety. The presenters will provide information on how families and social networks can assist community supervision officers in attaining supervision goals. Space is limited - Click here to register.

More Lessons Learned in Implementing GPS

Eileen Conway — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 16:52:00 GMT

The Center for Evidence-Based Corrections, at the University of California, Irvine, has just posted the results of the first analysis of implementation and outcomes for GPS monitoring of high risk sex offender parolees in California. In Implementation and Early Outcomes for the San Diego High Risk Sex Offender (HRSO) GPS Pilot Program, the authors report on issues encountered with equipment, data use guidelines, effect on parolee recidivism, etc., useful findings as the pilot is in the process of expanding statewide.

Do You Need an Effective Tool to Monitor Sex Offender Computer Usage?

CC Pro — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 20:56:00 GMT

With almost 70% of sex offenders under community supervision, an effective way to manage and monitor their computer usage is essential to community corrections professionals. The National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center (NLECTC) offers, free of charge to community corrections agencies, such a tool. Field Search, while not a forensic software application, is "designed as a fast and user-friendly investigation and management tool for field agents not trained in computer forensics." For further information and system requirements, click here.

How Effective is GPS in Monitoring Sex Offenders?

CC Pro — Fri, 07 Dec 2007 17:00:00 GMT

A recent report by the New Jersey State Parole Board on Global Positioning System (GPS) monitoring of sex offenders chronicles their initial experience with this technology. A pilot program to track sex offenders deemed most likely to re-offend, and who were not incarcerated or under civil commitment was initiated in October 2005. The monitored offenders were required to wear a transmitter on their ankle and carry a small cell-phone sized device anytime they left their residence. Of the 225 sex offenders monitored since 2005, only one individual in the program was implicated in a new sexual offense, and thanks to the monitoring device was apprehended at the scene. Twenty-four left the state.

Probation and Parole in the United States, 2006

CC Pro — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 19:18:00 GMT

The latest statistics compiled by the U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, on probation and parole populations in the United States at year end 2006 are available here.

Workload Allocation in Probation and Parole

CC Pro — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 22:09:00 GMT

Probation and parole populations has grown steadily since 1980. The number and types of offenders, along with the growth of special supervision conditions, have strained agency resources and the ability of community corrections professionals to effectively manage their caseloads. How then does an agency devise effective strategies that satisfy the mandates of public safety and treatment? The American Probation and Parole Association has taken an important first step in assisting probation and parole managers in differentiating between caseload size and workload effort. This document urges probation and parole administrators to articulate clearly defined goals, to implement directed strategies to achieve them, and the importance of owning the outcome.