December National Reentry Resource Center Newsletter
Corrections & State Leaders from 50 States Convene for a Forum on Recidivism, Marking a Shift in How States Tackle Prisoner Reentry and Public Safety
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| Pat Colloton, Chair of the CSG Justice Center's Board of Directors, speaks at the Recidivism and Reentry Forum. |
On December 8, Republican and Democratic leaders in Congress, as well as representatives of the U.S. Department of Justice, joined teams of policymakers and corrections officials from all 50 states to highlight how the federal government can work in partnership with states to reduce recidivism.
The event was sponsored by the Council of State Governments Justice Center (the National Reentry Resource Center is a project of the Justice Center); the Bureau of Justice Assistance, U.S. Department of Justice; the Association of State Correctional Administrators; the Public Welfare Foundation; and the Pew Center on the States.
Key policymakers spoke to the importance of adopting evidence-based strategies and the substantial fiscal impact that reducing recidivism can have on state corrections budgets. Data presented at the forum by the Pew Center on the States showed that if just the 10 states with the greatest potential cost savings reduced their recidivism rates by 10 percent, they could save more than $470 million in a single year.
Other data highlighted that although recidivism rates seem stubbornly flat nationally, with more than four in ten offenders returning to prison within three years of release, many individual states have made dramatic reductions. The forum was designed to help participants learn about strategies that are working in states that have reduced these rates of recidivism.
“What’s so important about the research being brought to our attention is that we can really change the behaviors of people who are incarcerated and on community supervision. But we should be cautious about who we focus on because that research also demonstrates that prioritizing low-risk offenders can have the unintended consequence of increasing recidivism,” said State Representative Pat Colloton (R-KS), who chairs the Board of Directors for the Council of State Governments Justice Center.
Drawing on lessons learned from reentry policies, programs, and research, teams from each state discussed what recidivism reduction goals make sense for their state, how they might achieve these goals, and what benchmarks could be set to measure progress.
U.S. Senator Rob Portman (R-OH) underscored the importance of the forum. “This forum presents an opportunity to further advance this country’s progress in reducing recidivism, and I applaud those states that are now coming forward to set clear, measurable targets for reducing recidivism, and tracking progress toward those goals. These are the ambitious steps necessary to showcase the importance of reentry and recidivism to taxpayers, our community, and our families.”
For more information, visit the forum webpage.
2011 National Reentry Resource Center Highlights
As 2011 winds to a close, the Council of State Governments Justice Center would like to acknowledge our partners on the National Reentry Resource Center and to reflect on the many accomplishments that they have helped the center achieve in its second full year of operation.
First we’d like to thank our steering committee. Colleagues from the Urban Institute, the American Probation and Parole Association, and the Association of State Correctional Administrators—as well as Shay Bilchek, professor and director of the Center for Juvenile Justice Reform at the Georgetown University Public Policy Institute—have each played significant leadership roles in guiding the Resource Center. In addition to developing resources for the field, these steering committee members have strengthened the network of reentry practitioners and provided crucial strategic advice on how the center could most effectively support Second Chance Act (SCA) grantees. Without their support, the Resource Center would be incomplete.
A highlight of 2011 was the second annual national SCA grantee conference, Making the Most of Second Chances. At this event, more than 500 representatives of Second Chance Act grantee programs learned from their peers and other reentry experts about the latest approaches in housing, employment, mental health and substance abuse treatment, and other areas that help support a person’s transition from incarceration to the community. Many of the conference sessions were videotaped and can be viewed online here.
To continue reading this feature, click here.
The Justice Center Mourns the Loss of Dr. Rick Kern
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| Dr. Richard P. Kern, 1953-2011. |
Dr. Richard P. Kern, who served as director of the Virginia Sentencing Commission since 1994, passed away earlier this month following a long battle with cancer. He was 58 years old.
Dr. Kern was a key figure in Virginia government and a national expert on recidivism and risk assessment issues. As director of the Virginia Sentencing Commission, Dr. Kern oversaw the Commonwealth’s criminal sentencing guidelines system. In this capacity, he led implementation of truth-in-sentencing reforms in the 1990s. Previously, Dr. Kern directed the Virginia Criminal Justice Research Center, a research division responding to requests from the governor, secretary of public safety, the legislature, and the judiciary. During this period, he also served as research director for the Governor's Commission on Parole Abolition and Sentence Reform as well as the Governor's Commission on Violent Crime.
“Virginia has lost a brilliant scholar, devoted public servant and leading criminologist,” said Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell, in a statement. “Dr. Kern was well respected by his colleagues around the world, public safety professionals, the judiciary, attorneys, members of legislature, and his staff. As a result of Dr. Kern’s years of dedication to the criminal justice system, Virginia has become a model for other states when developing criminal sentencing laws, sentencing guidelines, and evaluating offender rehabilitation programs. He was a leader in research on sentencing and time-served patterns, development of computer simulation programs to estimate the correctional resource impact of parole abolition, and creation of truth-in-sentencing voluntary guidelines. Most recently, Dr. Kern has been assisting with Virginia’s efforts to move forward in innovative ways to address repeat non-violent offenders.”
Dr. Kern was also a key figure on the national stage. States across the country tapped Dr. Kern for his expertise on risk assessment and making state sentencing commissions more effective. “He combined an encyclopedic knowledge of the research with a style that was candid and straightforward, which made him a very effective presenter with various audiences. Dr. Kern could always be counted on for a terrific sense of humor. His passing leaves a major void in the field,” said Michael Thompson, director of the CSG Justice Center.
Kern was twice elected president of the national Justice Research and Statistics Association (JRSA), and also served as an advisory board member of the Center on Sentencing and Corrections operated by the Vera Institute of Justice.
“With Dr. Kern’s passing, the nation lost a leading expert in sentencing and criminal justice issues,” said Assistant U.S. Attorney General Laurie Robinson, who heads the Department of Justice’s Office of Justice Programs. “Over the past three decades, Dr. Kern was frequently a featured speaker at national conferences among policymakers from all states. The U.S. Department of Justice, under various administrations over the years, frequently turned to Dr. Kern for his insights about crime trends and sentencing practices. He will be missed.”
Dr. Kern is survived by his wife Denise and three children—Justin, Jillian, and Jessica.
Funding Opportunities
"Second Chance Act Technology Careers Training Demonstration Projects for Incarcerated Adults and Juveniles” FY 2012 Competitive Grant Announcement, Bureau of Justice Assistance, U.S. Department of Justice
On Tuesday, December 6, 2011, BJA released the solicitation for the SCA Technology Careers Training Demonstration Projects for Incarcerated Adults and Juveniles. States, units of local government, territories, and “federally recognized Indian tribes” are encouraged to apply for funds that can be used to establish programs to train individuals in prisons, jails, or juvenile residential facilities for technology-based jobs and careers during the three-year period before their release. Applications are due by 11:59 p.m. ET, March 2, 2012. To download the solicitation, click here.
Resources for applicants responding to this solicitation:
- Frequently Asked Questions, Bureau of Justice Assistance, U.S. Department of Justice
- Archived webinar for applicants responding to the FY11 solicitation for this same award, National Reentry Resource Center*
- 2011 Webinar PowerPoint Presentation, National Reentry Resource Center*
*The 2011 webinar and presentation are relevant for applicants responding to the 2012 solicitation; a webinar specific to the 2012 solicitation will NOT be offered.
Second Chance Act Demonstration Field Experiment: Fostering Desistance Through Effective Supervision, Bureau of Justice Assistance, U.S. Department of Justice
BJA is looking for government agencies to participate in the Second Chance Act-funded Demonstration Field Experiment (DFE), "Fostering Desistance Through Effective Supervision.” DFE site applicants must agree to comply with the mandatory requirements of the study, which include delivering treatment services, conducting the experiment, and allowing staff to receive training and coaching. Over the 30-month implementation period, sites must assign at least 500 parolees to the DFE sample.
The key elements of this DFE model include:
- The National Institute of Corrections’ (NIC) Integrated Case Management and Supervision Model (ICMS) and Crime Desistance training curriculum and interaction techniques for parole officers;
- Coordinated services to address criminogenic needs that create problematic behaviors for offenders; and
- Cognitive behavioral therapy consisting of four MET (Motivational Enhancement Therapy) sessions followed by 25 T4C (Thinking for Change) sessions.
Applicants can apply for up to $1 million for the first year to cover the following allowable expenses:
- An onsite project coordinator to manage the day-to-day operations of this DFE.
- Partnerships with community-based service organizations to provide enhanced services for the target population. This could include treatment services.
- Partnerships with community-based service organizations to coordinate and administer MET and T4C sessions for the target population.
- The development or enhancement of a data system or database to collect SCA DFE-related client and program-level data and information and facilitate sharing with the evaluator.
- Travel costs for key team members to attend BJA-approved SCA DFE trainings and project meetings (three trips to Washington, D.C., and one peer-to-peer meeting).
- Data collection assistance (e.g., hiring new staff and/or contracting with a local research partner).
- Other BJA-approved SCA DFE project costs.
The deadline for submitting an application is February 23, 2012.
To learn more about this funding opportunity, click here.
To download the solicitation, click here.
A webinar on this solicitation will be held on January 9 at 2:00-3:30 p.m. ET. For more information about this webinar, click here.
Events & Announcements
Publications & Resources
Reentry in the News
Articles from newspapers around the country covering issues related to reentry can be found on the National Reentry Resource Center website. Some recent articles, with excerpts, are posted below.