National Jail Exchange

Lessons Learned: The Santa Cruz County Story

Susan Powell — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 15:36:00 GMT

By Daniel Macallair, Scott MacDonald, Mike Males, and Catherine McCracken, June 2012, The Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice (CJCJ)

As in all California counties, justice and corrections officials in Santa Cruz County, California, recently were faced with the need to respond to state policy changes through AB109, the state's 2011 legislation that transfers responsibility for supervising some inmates from the state to counties.

Santa Cruz County agreed to participate in a Jail Alternatives Initiative, a collaborative partnership with the Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice, the Earl Warren Institute on Law and Social Policy at the University of California, Berkeley Law School, the Santa Cruz County Probation Department, and the Placer County Probation Department. The project included an intensive data analysis conducted by CJCJ in conjunction with the Santa Cruz Probation and Sheriff Departments and the Superior Court.

Because of the county's work on a data-driven and structured decision-making approach, non-sentenced inmates make up about half of the Santa Cruz County jail population. Elsewhere in the state, that proportion can be as high as 70% or more.

According to the authors, "Santa Cruz’s story is reflective of an intentional effort by local stakeholders to improve the local justice system. Through the utilization of data-driven analysis, Santa Cruz justice administrators embraced a practitioner/researcher relationship to target specific areas within their justice system most amenable to significant changes. This case study demonstrates the county’s success in employing deliberate strategies to reduce jail occupancy. For example, the Santa Cruz Probation Department’s pretrial service program has allowed the county to maintain lower levels of non-sentenced individuals within their jail than the state average."

They continue, "If California’s other counties jailed their adult arrestees at Santa Cruz’s lower rate, approximately 43,000 inmates would be held in jails statewide instead of the current 74,000."

Download the case study here.

A Country in Crisis: Launching a County/State Collaborative Forensic Mental Health Team—An Enhancement of the Sequential Intercept Model

Susan Powell — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 14:45:00 GMT

by Adam Hopkins, Lieutenant, Washoe County Sheriff’s Office, Reno, Nevada

A chance conversation about persons with mental illness was the starting point for a new collaboration between the Nevada State Medical Department and the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office. The resulting Forensic Mental Health Team (FMHT) has implemented new responses that keep mentally ill persons out of jail or help keep them from returning to jail through improved case management and service referrals at release. In this arrangement, the State of Nevada is providing case workers and other staff who operate on-site at the jail. Another element has been the reallocation of some chronic-care mental health system beds for use in acute care, providing an alternative to detention in jail for persons who need 24-hour care. The FMHT model is being implement in other countries across the state.

The author describes the steps taken to launch the multi-partner collaboration and provides recommendations for other agencies that may follow a similar path.

Download the full article here.

Friends Outside's Positive Parenting for Incarcerated Parents: An Evaluation

Susan Powell — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 13:56:00 GMT

by Charlene Wear Simmons, Amanda Noble, and Marcus Nieto

Corrections Today, December 2012

Helping inmates to develop stronger parenting skills contributes to their family stability and reduces the chances that their own children will commit crimes as teens and adults. Strong family relationships are also one of the best sources of motivation for inmates who want to change dysfunctional life patterns.

This article describes insights gained via an evaluation of the Positive Parenting curriculum, which is currently being used in both prisons and jails. This 30-hour program teaches parents emotional communication skills, helps them acquire skills for positive parent-child interaction, and allows them to practice these skills while being observed by a service provider. After reviewing course topics and methodology, the article reports on evaluation results. Separate findings for incarcerated mothers and fathers include data and comments on what the program participants felt were the most important accomplishments they made in the class, such as gaining confidence in their ability to be a better parent and the ability to listen to another person's point of view.

Read the full article

Keeping Your Criminal Justice Coordinating Committee Going Strong

Susan Powell — Tue, 12 Feb 2013 18:36:00 GMT

by Michael R. Jones, Senior Project Associate, Pretrial Justice Institute, Washington, D.C.

What makes some local criminal justice coordinating committees (CJCCs) so effective? Mike Jones discusses three key components that underpin teams that work especially well in developing effective solutions that make a big difference. He also highlights the formation of the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council Network, a BJA-supported community formed to share knowledge and ideas. CJCCs can be a very effective forum for finding long-term solutions and for managing justice system issues, such as jail crowding, court inefficiencies, and resource reductions, to name only a few. Mike’s expertise comes from several years leading the CJCC in Jefferson County (Golden), Colorado, plus his experiences working with many other jurisdictions as an NIC Technical Assistance provider and with the Pretrial Justice Institute team.

Download the full article here.

On Language and Limits; Missions and Mental Health

Susan Powell — Fri, 18 Jan 2013 22:02:00 GMT

By Margaret Severson, J.D. and M.S.W., Professor, School of Social Welfare, the University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas

In this article, a long-time provider of technical assistance for the National Institute of Corrections discusses how jail leaders can promote a mission-focused discussion of the jail’s role in community mental health. Severson contrasts the specialized roles of jails and the community mental health system and provides a rationale for avoiding “mission creep.”

The jail’s core mission is to provide safe and secure custody of persons who are legally confined. By articulating and advocating for that mission, and its boundaries, jail administrators can contribute greatly to the development of true mental health solutions for their communities.

Severson also suggests several practical actions jail leaders can take now to optimize the delivery of mental health care in their facilities.

Download the full article here.

The Art of the Tweet-Along

Susan Powell — Wed, 09 Jan 2013 17:21:00 GMT

By Tom Erickson, Johnson County Sheriff’s Office, Olathe, Kansas

A “tweet-along” is similar to the ride-alongs many sheriffs’ offices offer to area residents who want to learn more about public safety – but the audience can be as large as the number of the agency’s Twitter followers plus their contact networks. Johnson County PIO Tom Erickson explains how to prepare for a tweet-along, how to engage with the community and media during the live event, and how to measure the event’s public outreach impact.

This article is a supplement to an earlier NJE article, “Johnson County Sheriff – The Social Media Experiment,” posted in October 2012.

Download the full article here.

What to do About PREA

Susan Powell — Thu, 27 Dec 2012 14:33:00 GMT

By Connie Clem, Principal of Clem Information Strategies

In late summer 2013, correctional agencies will experience the first audits on their compliance with the new Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) standards released by the U.S. Attorney General in August 2012. The PREA Standards are intended to provide guidance to correctional agencies for managing facilities that are safer and free from sexual coercion and harassment. Over the upcoming 3 years, each adult correctional facility and each residential facility for juvenile offenders can expect to undergo its first audit. Audits will be repeated on a 3-year cycle.

This article suggests ways correctional agencies can make progress toward PREA compliance fairly simply and inexpensively. The approaches described have been shared at meetings of NIC's Large Jail Network (LJN), where participants have been discussing PREA issues and implementation since the PREA law was passed in 1996.

Specific how-to suggestions cover these areas:

• Creating culture change and promoting a zero-tolerance standard,

• Following high-quality professional practice,

• Establishing a coordinated agency approach,

• Preventing incidents and coercion, and

• Responding to alleged incidents.

The article first appeared in the November-December 2012 issue of American Jails magazine (Volume 26, no. 5, pp. 8-14) and is featured here courtesy of the American Jail Association.

Read the full article

NIC’s Frontline Learning Center Extends e-Learning to Correctional Line Staff

Susan Powell — Wed, 26 Dec 2012 16:25:00 GMT

By Scott Weygandt, Management and Program Analyst, National Corrections Academy, U.S. Department of Justice, National Institute of Corrections, Aurora, Colorado

In this article, NIC Management and Program Analyst Scott Weygandt describes NIC's Frontline Learning Center, which was launched in 2012. Frontline is a free, online learning resource for front-line/first-line staff, such as correctional officers, detention officers, probation and parole officers, re-entry specialists, and correctional health professionals.

As of December 2012, 2,372 correctional line staff have signed up for an account, and they have completed more than 6,000 online courses. About half of the learners who have enrolled to date work in detention agencies.

Frontline currently offers more than 90 e-courses on a variety of topics, including corrections-specific skills and knowledge plus interpersonal communication, writing and grammar, computer technology, personal development, leadership, team skills, and more. Most of the courses are between 30 minutes and 2 hours in length.

Agency managers and trainers can incorporate Frontline e-learning programs into their training plans for staff. There is no cost to use the Frontline Learning Center for eligible corrections professionals.

Read the full article

$27 Solutions

Susan Powell — Fri, 09 Nov 2012 15:09:00 GMT

by Thomas P. O’Connor

According to the psychological literature, people typically follow one of three paths to create meaning in their lives and feel connected: a humanist approach (H), a spiritual approach (S), or a religious approach (R). Some studies have found that the practice of spirituality and religion in a prison or reentry context can reduce in-prison infractions and recidivism. This article discusses inmates’ involvement in H/S/R opportunities, these activities’ connection with success on reentry, and the H/S/R motivations that can attract civilians toward volunteering with inmates to improve their outcomes.

The article was originally published in American Jails magazine, July/August 2012 and appears here courtesy of the American Jail Association.

Read the full article

Roanoke County Sheriff’s Office Is on the Cutting Edge of Accreditation

Susan Powell — Thu, 08 Nov 2012 17:23:00 GMT

By Denise Ory

Jail professionals know that managing the pages of records needed for accreditation audits is time- and space-consuming. In this article, Denise Ory of the Roanoke County Sheriff’s Office in Virginia details how that agency shifted to a paperless system for compliance tracking. The agency began implementing its new system in January 2011 as a pilot test with the permission of the American Correctional Association. It completed a successful audit in March 2012, and the system is now considered a model for other agencies to consider. Sheriff Mike Winston commended the project team on an outstanding outcome.

The article was originally published in Corrections Today magazine, August/September 2012, and appears here courtesy of the American Correctional Association.

Read the full article

Web-Based Inmate Visitation Improves Security and Access in Washoe County, Nevada

Susan Powell — Thu, 01 Nov 2012 15:02:00 GMT

By Debi Campbell, Detention Operations Manager, Washoe County Sheriff's Office, Reno, Nevada

The jail in Washoe County, Nevada, successfully piloted a web-based inmate visitation system that improves security, reduces visitor travel, and raises money for the inmate welfare fund. Visitors can access the system from their computers or from cell phones and tablet computers. After 2 years of use, the numbers of on-site inmate visits and web visits are about equal, and it is expected that web visits will continue to increase. Debi Campbell outlines how the system works, discusses some challenges in implementation, and highlights the benefits to the Sheriff’s Office, the inmates, and their families and friends.

Download the full document here.

From Cell Block to Clubhouse

Susan Powell — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 16:38:00 GMT

by William Daly, Director, Salt River Department of Corrections, Scottsdale, Arizona, and James Short, Director of Correctional Programs, Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Scottsdale. American Jails, September/October 2012, pp. 8-10.

This article “tells the story of the Salt River Department of Corrections' partnership with the Greater Scottsdale (Arizona) Boys & Girls Clubs to provide the first fully functional Boys & Girls Club program in a correctional facility in Indian Country.”

The multi-agency partnership is making a difference in transitioning at-risk Native American youth from juvenile detention back into the community’s programs, clubs, and educational system, to help them graduate and find jobs. Health, recreation, vocational skills, and life skill classes are offered to youth who often have gone without guidance, positive role models, or support systems. The educational component uses a Boys & Girls Club curriculum.

The program was recognized in 2012 with a Merit Award from Boys & Girls Clubs of America in the Health and Life Skills category.

Download the full article

A “Low-Demand” Homeless Shelter Relieves Jail Crowding: Pinellas County’s Safe Harbor

Susan Powell — Thu, 25 Oct 2012 17:31:00 GMT

By Lt. Sean McGillen and Chief Deputy Dan Simovich, Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office, and Dr. Robert G. Marbut, Jr.

Across the United States, jails often function as the largest homeless shelter in their communities, which dramatically exacerbates jail crowding problems.

“Low-demand” homeless shelters (also known as “first-step” programs or “courtyards”) have proved very effective in reducing the number of chronic homeless and serial inebriates in general jail populations.

Low-demand shelters give agencies a much more positive enforcement alternative for “quality of life” ordinance violations, create major cost savings by avoiding the use of jail beds, and when operated with a holistic programming approach, significantly reduce the recidivism rate of homeless individuals as well as helping them find steady housing.

A new first-step homeless shelter in Pinellas County takes this concept a step further. In a partnership with the Florida Department of Corrections, the county’s Safe Harbor facility is also used as the first step for prison inmates who are re-entering the community.

This article discusses the principles that make low-demand homeless shelters work, tells the story of how the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office established Safe Harbor, and highlights its benefits to the jail and the broader community.

Download the full document here

Johnson County Sheriff – The Social Media Experiment

Susan Powell — Tue, 09 Oct 2012 18:57:00 GMT

By Tom Erickson, Master Deputy, Public Information Office, Johnson County Sheriff’s Office, Olathe, Kansas

The Johnson County, KS Sheriff’s Office has fully embraced the use of on-line social media as a way to inform the public and to educate them about the jail and other sheriff’s office operations. In addition to their own experience, this article written by a master deputy in the public information office also discusses why jails should expand their communications into the online social media, the benefits of online community outreach, and how to get started.

Download the full document here.

Two Case Studies on Jail Evacuations During a Natural Disaster: Iowa’s 2008 Flooding

Susan Powell — Mon, 13 Aug 2012 17:04:00 GMT

By Major James A. Murphy, Plymouth County Sheriff’s Department, Plymouth, Massachusetts

The spring of 2008 was notable in Iowa for extreme flooding in several river drainages. Conditions were such that the jails in Polk County (Des Moines) and Linn County (Cedar Rapids) were evacuated. Both evacuations were completed successfully, yet each jail’s leadership learned through experience that additional preparations could have resulted in a smoother experience. This report compares their experiences and highlights ideas that may be of value to other agencies.

This article is based on a training resource prepared for the National Sheriffs’ Association (NSA), Jail Evacuation and Implementation Program Initiative, part of NSA’s Homeland Security Initiative. The material is presented here with the permission of NSA and of the Linn County and Polk County Sheriff’s Offices.

Download the full document here.