Thinking About Corrections : Corrections Reform

10 Steps for Corrections Directors, Plus Assessing Consistency and Fairness in Sentencing

Eileen Conway — Thu, 22 May 2008 20:44:00 GMT

As a result of "hundreds of hours of interviews with a wide cross section of officials from 45 state corrections departments in an effort to spotlight the most effective management practices," the Pew Center on the States brings us Ten Steps Corrections Directors Can Take to Strengthen Performance, which "showcases innovative strategies to improve correctional systems’ performance, transparency and accountability." Also new on the Pew site is Assessing Consistency and Fairness in Sentencing: A Comparative Study in Three States," which it calls a "first-ever comprehensive, comparative evaluation of states that use sentencing guidelines," looking at Minnesota, Michigan, and Virginia.

State Sentencing and Corrections Legislation

CC Pro — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 21:17:00 GMT

The National Conference of State Legislatures has published a report that examines state legislative actions during 2007, the elements that drove these actions, and the potential impact of sentencing and corrections in the near term. Principal legislative concerns were/are burgeoning prison populations and the accompanying budget growth. Measures passed to address prison construction and operating costs, reducing recidivism, and increasing the efficacy of correctional systems without compromising public safety include:

Expanding community corrections;
Managing probation and parole violators;
Boosting incentives for good behavior;
Preparing inmates for reentry; and
Linking released offenders to community support.

Examining the Incarceration Policy/Funding Bind

Eileen Conway — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 17:56:00 GMT

The Pew Center on the States has released a new report examining how states are coping with burgeoning prison populations and whether public safety is effectively being purchased with high incarceration costs. In One in 100: Behind Bars in America 2008, Pew reviews the varying state trends in prison growth, costs associated with them, and efforts to forge new directions in controlling crime and costs.

Looking across the Pond for Correctional Improvements

Eileen Conway — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 18:36:00 GMT

The dilemmas created by burgeoning prison populations and fiscal constraints are not unique to the United States. It might sound familiar that "...we need a long term strategy to create an affordable and sustainable solution to the limitations in the way we create demands on our custodial resources and then respond to them." Quoted not about a U.S system, but from a new examination of the prison system in Great Britain, Securing the Future: Proposals for the Efficient and Sustainable Use of Custody in England and Wales, in which Lord Carter reports to the Prime Minister and others with "proposals...intended to provide you with a long term strategy as well as suggestions for measures to manage the immediate pressures that the prison system faces." His proposals address "how to resolve the current and historical pressures facing our prison system."

"Unlocking America" - Can It Be Done?

Eileen Conway — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 16:45:00 GMT

Today, the JFA Institute released Unlocking America: Why and How to Reduce America's Prison Population. The report "focuses on how we can reduce the nation's prison population without adversely affecting public safety." The authors analyze flaws in the current system and make a series of recommendations for changing the direction of that system.

Staggering Costs in the Next Five Years?

Eileen Conway — Wed, 14 Feb 2007 15:50:00 GMT

The much-awaited Pew report is out. Public Safety, Public Spending: Forecasting America's Prison Population 2007-2011 predicts a 13 percent jump in state and federal prison populations in the next five years. The report examines national and state trends (including state by state projections), operational and capital costs, and the relationship between incarceration and crime rates. Projecting a potential additional cost to taxpayers of $27.5 billion over the next five years, the report showcases states that are examining the performance of their sentencing and corrections systems to improve their outcomes.

The California Situation, Continued

Eileen Conway — Wed, 31 Jan 2007 18:12:00 GMT

Hard on the heels of the Little Hoover Commission's report released last week, California's Legislative Analyst's Office has just released "California's Criminal Justice System: A Primer." Providing an overview of California's criminal justice system, it documents costs of crime and criminal justice, and identifies challenges to policymakers in the areas of prison capacity management and correctional rehabilitation programs.

Stark Assessment: Time Is Running Out

Eileen Conway — Mon, 29 Jan 2007 15:37:00 GMT

"The bare facts have earned California's Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation an ignoble distinction for systemic failure." The State of California's Little Hoover Commission takes California's prison problems head-on in a new report, "Solving California's Corrections Crisis: Time Is Running Out." The report notes that, despite many years of study, "policy-makers have been unwilling to take on the problem in a purposeful, constructive way."