Search results matching tag 'Legislation'

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.

Getting Cell Phones Out of Cells

CC Pro — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 21:53:00 GMT

Read about the efforts of corrections departments and legislatures to stem the tide of contraband cell phones in institutions. While these mobile devices have been used by inmates to stay in touch with family and friends, they have also been employed to facilitate escapes, continue ongoing criminal enterprises, and to retaliate against other inmates. Legislatures are also stiffening penalties for corrections personnel who assist inmates in securing the banned mobile phones.

PREA - Program Responses to Relatively Minor Sexual Misconduct

dagjessiidjc — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 15:46:59 GMT

Imagine an inmate or juvenile offender in a sex offender program has just intentionally bumped up against a peer and admitted that it was done for the purpose of sexual gratification. What is your program's response? What does "zero tolerance" mean in this context?

Thank you in advance for any ideas, thoughts, insight.

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.

How Are the States Coping?

Eileen Conway — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 16:37:00 GMT

In an era of budget shortages and policy reconsiderations, the Sentencing Project has produced a summary document of state criminal justice policy reforms and legislation, The State of Sentencing 2007: Developments in Policy and Practice. Stateline.org has further summarized the findings in a Top Story today.

New online reentry resource

gma221 — Fri, 19 Oct 2007 21:13:50 GMT

CSG JUSTICE CENTER UNVEILS NEW REENTRY POLICY COUNCIL WEBSITE

New York—The Council of State Governments Justice Center has launched its new Reentry Policy Council (RPC) website at www.reentrypolicy.org. The redesigned site provides more resources and is easier to navigate, giving website visitors quick access to media coverage, announcements from the field, publications, and upgraded tools and materials on a range of reentry issues.

The website also continues to showcase the Report of the Re-Entry Policy Council, a comprehensive guide published in 2005 that contains hundreds of policy recommendations for legislators, service providers, researchers, criminal justice professionals, and others involved in creating and implementing effective reentry initiatives. Users will be able to access the full report, or can easily find relevant sections through links on the website that are dedicated to particular topics or project work.

“At a time when states are fighting high recidivism rates that compromise public safety and contribute to the unsustainable growth of prison populations, it’s vital to ensure that state agencies and community organizations can easily access and put to use the practical, nonpartisan information that the Justice Center’s Reentry Policy Council offers,” said Florida State Senator Stephen Wise, Justice Center board member and Senate Criminal Justice Committee member. “The updated and redesigned RPC website does just that.”

In addition, the revamped website will feature a suite of hands-on tools designed to help users apply policy recommendations and other information contained in the report to their own reentry programs and initiatives. For example, site visitors can use the Reentry Housing Options Comparison Chart to compare housing options available to people returning to the community from prison or jail. This chart presents extensive information on myriad topics including availability, duration, and funding sources for several housing types in an easy-to-read format.

The RPC plans to release several additional web-based tools later this fall that will address the following issues: assessing the risks and needs of people who are incarcerated or released from prison or jail, accessing federal benefits and cash assistance programs that can aid this population, and improving collaborations between community supervision agencies and children and family services.

“The Reentry Policy Council website is an invaluable resource for anyone involved in prisoner reentry issues, from policymakers to staff working to carry out those policies every day in their communities,” said New York State Assemblyman Jeffrion Aubry, Justice Center board member and chair of the Assembly Committee on Correction. “The new website includes such features as interactive tools, which will allow people working on reentry issues across the country to evaluate and improve their programs, and the latest reentry news, funding opportunities, new research, and publications.”

The launch of the improved RPC website is the first step in the Justice Center’s plan to provide users with a comprehensive online database of reentry resources, including profiles of local programs, research studies, media articles, legislation, descriptions of local advocacy efforts, and examples of coordination by state agencies and community-based organizations to promote integrated reentry strategies. This database will complement the Justice Center’s existing Criminal Justice / Mental Health Information Network, which provides expansive information on mental health issues as they relate to the criminal justice system.

The Reentry Policy Council is a public/private partnership funded in part by the U.S. Departments of Justice, Labor, and Health and Human Services, as well as the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. For more information, visit www.reentrypolicy.org.

The Council of State Governments Justice Center is a national nonprofit organization that serves policymakers at the local, state, and federal levels from all branches of government. It provides practical, nonpartisan advice and consensus-driven strategies—informed by available evidence—to increase public safety and strengthen communities. The Justice Center coordinates the Reentry Policy Council. For more information, visit www.justicecenter.csg.org.