Community Corrections for Professionals

The National Parole Resource Center Invites Applications from Paroling Authorities to Participate as “Learning Sites”

llinke — Tue, 11 May 2010 17:09:00 GMT

The newly-established National Parole Resource Center invites U.S. state paroling/releasing authorities to become one of four states participating in the first major technical assistance effort of the Center. Four sites will recieve technical assistance and training geared toward enhancing their capacity for effective decisionmaking policy and practice. The initiative is designed to support the selected agencies strengthen their decisionmaking and supervision practices, and to generate lessons and insights that will be shared with other jurisdictions. The application deadline is Monday, June 21, 2010. Click here to see and download the full solicitation.

Validation of the Wisconsin Department of Corrections Risk Assessment Instrument

CC Pro — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 21:18:00 GMT

The use of risk assessment instruments to measure the probability of individuals under community supervision re-offending is standard operational procedure (SOP) for probation and parole agencies across the country. Across the different generations of instruments that have been employed, the basic question still remains: Does this instrument provide the necessary data to formulate proper levels of offender supervision based on risk, and assist in calculating staff workload and deployment.

The Wisconsin Department of Corrections has recently completed a validation of the risk assessment instrument they use. The study was prepared by the Council of State Governments Justice Center. With a sample of over 42,000 offenders under community supervision (probation and parole) between 2001 and 2002, data were examined using the outcome measures of: "(a) a new offense within three years of placement on community supervision; and (b) new violent offense within three years of placement on community supervision." to define recidivism.

Among the findings:

A high percentage of offenders were classified as high risk, which is counter to the goal of risk classification: to differentiate the population by risk and and allocate resources accordingly.
The main reason for the over-classification was the weight given to the assaultive offense factor.
Other factors, besides the weight given to the assaultive risk factor, may have also contributed to the over-classification issue.
The probation and parole population differed significantly on the distribution of the population on most risk factors.
Probationers and parolees classified at the same risk levels had different rates of re-offending with parolees having higher rates of re-offending for the same risk levels.
The Wisconsin Risk instrument (DOC 502) differentiated populations into groups with different rates of committing a new assaultive offense. However, most of the offenders classified at high risk of committing a new offense did not commit a new assaultive offense during the follow-up period.

Included is a Summary of Recommendations by the authors to increase the effectiveness of this instrument. While this study is specific to Wisconsin, it has implications for every agency that uses assessment instruments for assigning risk and resource allocation.

2009 Survey of Pretrial Services Programs

CC Pro — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 18:00:00 GMT

A survey of pretrial service programs in 171 participating jurisdictions has been published by the Pretrial Justice Institute. This survey examines the "general characteristics of pretrial services programs, such as jurisdictions and populations served; pretrial program practices such as investigation, risk assessment, initial court appearances and supervised pretrial release; the management and evaluation of these practices; and issues connected to jail crowding."

Among the findings:

44% of pretrial programs established since 2000 serve areas that are considered primarily rural.
Half of the pretrial programs started since 1990 are administratively housed within probation departments.
Half of these probation-run programs have annual budgets of less than $200,000 and half have five or less staff persons.

Pandemic Flu Guidelines for Community Corrections

CC Pro — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 20:45:00 GMT

A recently released report from the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) estimates the H1N1 virus could "produce infection of 30-50% of the U.S. population this fall and winter...; lead to as many as 1.8 million U.S. hospital admissions during the epidemic...; cause between 30,000 and 90,000 deaths in the United States...; pose especially high risks for individuals with certain pre-existing conditions..."

With the goal of preparing community corrections professionals to deal with the realities of such a situation, the American Probation and Parole Association, through a grant from the Bureau of Justice Assistance, has published guidelines for preparedeness and response planning for community corrections personnel to protect the health and well-being of themselves and their clients to carry out their mission(s) during an anticipated severe flu season.

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 16:39:00 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.