This two page document provides a brief overview of the Maryland Proactive Community Supervision (PCS) Model.

This paper provides an overview of family homelessness in the United States. It examines the key strategies that communities are implementing to respond to increased family housing instability and homelessness. It also discusses the need for federal leadership.

This study seeks to examine how correctional staff use the LSI-R as they develop offender reentry case plans. Using a representative sample of correctional staff responsible for the delivery of West Virginia’s Offender Reentry Initiative (i.e., case managers, counselors and parole officers), this research illustrates how correctional staff use the assessment’s results when generating recommendations for offenders preparing to re-integrate back into the community. In particular, an effort is made to examine the degree to which the correctional staff’s assessments of offender needs are congruent with subsequent recommendations for reentry referrals and services. Finally, given the importance of staff attitudes on the implementation of programs, the present study also assesses the level of support for the LSI-R among correctional staff. The relationship between LSI-R support and use of the instrument in guiding case planning decisions is examined. Potential implications for the use of standardized assessment information in guiding reentry case planning and improving offender reintegration are also discussed.

Over the past six months, the Massachusetts criminal justice system has come under scrutiny due to the budget growth in its corrections agencies. This growth combined with the state’s budget crisis has compelled a closer examination of the oversight, decision-making and outcomes of one particular agency: the Probation Department. Originally identified in The Boston Foundation/Crime and Justice Institute at Community Resources for Justice report in December 2009, Priorities & Public Safety: Reentry and the Rising Costs of our Corrections System, the Probation Department’s budget was found to have increased 163%, adjusted for inflation, between 1998 and 2008. Recent reports have highlighted the Probation Department’s hiring practices, lack of oversight and reluctance to share important public safety data. This scrutiny has led to calls for significant change in the structure, management and oversight of the Department.

This report examines the current structure of corrections in Massachusetts, focusing on the vital role probation plays in protecting the public, and how other states carry out probation responsibilities. The report also incorporates the research showing the necessary elements of an effective and efficient probation system and what Massachusetts leaders should focus on as they work to restore the Probation Department as an effective and collaborative partner in the criminal justice system.

OJP has been making a concerted effort to attempt to break the cycle of reincarceration and to successfully reintegrate offenders into their communities. In particular, since fiscal year (FY) 2002 OJP has implemented three offender reentry grant programs to help state, local, and community organizations provide assistance to released inmates when they transition from incarceration to life outside prison. The three grant programs are the Serious and Violent Offender Reentry Initiative (SVORI), the Prisoner Reentry Initiative (PRI), and the Second Chance Act Prisoner Reentry Initiative (SCA). The three programs share a common goal: to reduce the recidivism of offenders released from prison into communities nationwide.

The objective of this audit was to examine OJP’s design and management of its three prisoner reentry grant programs. The scope of our audit covered the development of the SVORI grant program in FY 2002 and also covered subsequent OJP reentry grant programs through January 2010.

In this paper on What Are Peer Recovery Support Services, you will be introduced to a new kind of social support services designed to fill the needs of people in or seeking recovery. The services are called peer recovery support services and, as the word peer implies, they are designed and delivered by people who have experienced both substance use disorder and recovery.

New research is emerging thatdemonstratesthat strategies targeting stronger relationships between offenders and their familiescorrelate with better offender outcomes. For this reason, corrections agencies and their partners are becoming increasingly interested in the role families can play in promoting successful reentry. This Coaching Packet addresses a key area in the formula for offender success: identifying and building upon offenders’ pro-social supports from families and other social networks.

With four million youth in the United States estimated to have experienced at least one traumatic event, childhood trauma has become a pressing public health concern...Youth in correctional facilities already face significant challenges related to their incarceration and justice involvement, including separation from their families, communities, education and other positive social networks. But youth who have experienced trauma will be even more acutely affected. In addition, there is risk of re-traumatization by staff and other people in correctional facilities. Addressing a child’s trauma through the public health system before the child becomes involved in the justice system, or if necessary while in the justice system, is critical to promoting the well-being of the child, his family, and the community.

This database provides references for 99 recidivism studies conducted between 1995-2009 in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The studies have been produced by a variety of agencies, including departments of corrections, sentencing commissions, statistical analysis centers, and universities. The analyses addresses a broad variety of issues, including juvenile/adult status, gender, race, type of offense, type of program intervention, and many others. Because of this diversity, measurements of recidivism rates are not necessarily comparable across jurisdictions, but overall the studies provide insight into the variety of factors that affect recidivism for people sentenced to incarceration.

This past year saw the United States take important steps toward a criminal justice system that is fair and equitable in its sentencing laws and practices, and that uses incarceration only as a last resort in ensuring public safety. It's a big vision, but one that is coming into view. Every day. In substantive, measurable ways. See how in The Sentencing Project's new 2009 Annual Report. Whether the issue was crack cocaine sentencing reform, ending the practice of sentencing juveniles to prison for the rest of their lives, helping policymakers understand the unsustainable social and economic costs of imprisoning over 2 million Americans, or capturing media attention for analyzing how current policies create difficulties for people returning home from prison, The Sentencing Project was at the forefront of change.

Since June 2005, the Prisoner Reentry Institute has sponsored a monthly Occasional Series on Reentry Research that features emerging research on topics related to incarceration and reentry. The Occasional Series is designed to serve as a vehicle for disseminating emerging research and generating conversation to improve policy and practice within the field of reentry.

At each lecture, a researcher presents new research, followed by reflections from a policymaker and practitioner on the implications of the research for service provision and public policy. We distribute brief biographies for each panelist, a bibliography of related journal articles, books, and reports, the powerpoint slides presented by the researcher (if applicable), and the report or journal article containing the research. Links to these materials are provided below.

The EIC is a tax benefit for working people who earn low or moderate incomes. It has several important purposes: to offset taxes, to supplement very low wages, and to provide a work incentive.