The forum's goal was to build on progress made over the last decade in the area of prisoner reentry, which has become a fundamental organizing principle of corrections organizations everywhere. Drawing on lessons learned from reentry policies, programs, and research, it aimed to position states to leave the event with the outlines of a plan that had the following elements:
U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse's address to the forum attendees.
set specific goals that include concrete reductions in recidivism;
design plans to achieve these goals that draw on the latest research and experiences from the field; and
identify benchmarks that states agree are ambitious, yet realistic, that state and federal policy makers can use to track progress towards recidivism reduction.
To browse an online version of the forum agenda and two presentations from the event, Recent National and State Trends in Recidivism and What Works and What Doesn't in Reducing Recidivism, click on the covers below and scroll through the pages using the arrow buttons on the sides.
Pew Center on the States: Reducing Recidivism
This video, made by the Pew Center on States and presented at the forum, shows how states can break this cycle of recidivism, and save money, by implementing evidence-based programs and policies including risk assessment, fiscal incentives and swift and certain sanctions.
Welcome Speakers: Michael Thompson, Director, Council of State Governments Justice Center Representative Pat Colloton, Chair, House Committee on Corrections and Juvenile Justice, Kansas Laurie Robinson, Assistant Attorney General, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice
The Role of the Corrections Director in Reentry and Reducing Recidivism Speaker: A.T. Wall, President, Association of State Correctional Administrators, and Director, Department of Corrections, Rhode Island
Recent National and State-by-State Trends in Recidivism Speaker: Ryan King, Research Manager, Public Safety Performance Project, Pew Center on the States
Policies and Practices Essential to Reducing Recidivism Speaker: Ed Latessa, Ph.D., Corrections Institute, University of Cincinnati
Setting Recidivism Reduction Goals and Realizing Those Targets Panelists: Representative Pat Colloton, Chair, House Committee on Corrections and Juvenile Justice, KS; Chris Epps, Commissioner, Department of Corrections, MS; Justin Jones, Director, Department of Corrections, OK; Michael Lawlor, Undersecretary, State Office of Policy and Management, Criminal Justice and Planning Division, CT; LaDonna Thompson, Commissioner, Department of Corrections, KY; and A.T. Wall, Director, Department of Corrections, RI.
How Police Executives Responded to the Challenge from Elected Officials to Reduce Crime Speakers: Gary Dennis, Ph.D, Senior Policy Advisor, Bureau of Justice Assistance, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice The Honorable Michael A. Delaney, Attorney General, New Hampshire Darrel Stephens, Executive Director, Major Cities Chiefs Association
Next Steps: Working Together to Reach Our Goals Speaker: Denise O'Donnell, Director, Bureau of Justice Assistance, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice
The forum would not have been possible without the help of our colleagues and partner organizations. A special thank you to the organizations that provided resource materials for forum attendees: NIC, PEW & NCSL.