Insights & Information

A new report from The Sentencing Project suggests that while the initiative known as Justice Reinvestment has helped open a dialogue about justice system reform, it has not produced significant reductions in state correctional populations. Ending Mass Incarceration: Charting a New Justice Reinvestment highlights actions states can take to achieve the Justice Reinvestment initiative’s original mission, which is based on the principal of cutting justice system budgets and reinvesting the savings into communities that have the highest rates of incarceration. Authors suggest that states reduce all forms of incarceration and correctional supervision, reinvest in high incarceration communities, involve stakeholders and non-governmental entities in the planning and implementation processes, and create a multi-year plan for implementation and evaluation. Access the report here.

The Council of State Governments Justice Center has released a report, Adults with Behavioral Health Needs under Correctional Supervision: A Shared Framework for Reducing Recidivism and Promoting Recovery. Introducing CSG's Criminogenic Risk and Behavioral Health Needs Framework, the report is intended for policymakers, system administrators, and service providers working to reduce recidivism among people with substance use and mental health issues who are under community supervision. The framework can be used by both correctional and behavioral health systems to guide the use of resources based on objective assessments of individuals’ risk of committing a future crime and their treatment and recovery support needs. To access the fully report, click here.

In a recent report, the Sentencing Project explores the potential costs and benefits regarding video visitation for children whose parents are incarcerated. The report finds that video visitation can potentially benefit children if costs are not prohibitive, if visitation can occur from home or a place near the home, if frequent visits are allowed, and if video visits are used to supplement face-to-face visits instead of replace them. Click here to read the full report.

Roosevelt University's Mansfield Institute for Social Justice and Transformation and Project Nia are hosting a series of events focused on juvenile detention and incarceration. For more information about the series, click here. RSVP to Nancy Michaels, nmichaels@roosevelt.edu.

Gage Gallery
18 S. Michigan
Chicago, IL

• Alternatives to juvenile detention and incarceration: Can we succeed? What will it take?
  Tuesday, October 23, 5:30pm

• Youth with disabilities need education, not incarceration
  Thursday, November 8, 5:30pm

• Reentry and life after juvenile confinement: Existing Services, or lack thereof, to ensure a successful transition and no recidivism
  Tuesday, December 4, 5:30pm

Note: The deadline for the RFP has been extended to Tuesday, October 9th.

The Adult Redeploy Illinois Oversight Board has released a Request for Proposals (RFP) to counties, groups of counties, or judicial circuits for funding to expand alternatives to incarceration for non-violent offenders. The Adult Redeploy Illinois program provides grants to increase programming in their areas in exchange for reducing the number of people they send to the Illinois Department of Corrections. Funding is currently being provided for planning, expansion, extension, and implementation ramp-up efforts for local Adult Redeploy Illinois sites. Applications are due September 28, 2012, for the grant period running from November 1, 2012, through June 30, 2013. The full RFP can be viewed here, the cover page template can be viewed here, and the budget template can be viewed here.

The Council of State Governments Justice Center released a report comparing three-year recidivism rates among seven states that have recently implemented targeted and evidence-based reentry reforms. Among the seven states, the report cites that recidivism rates decreased as much as 18 percent and not less than 6 percent. This is encouraging evidence that effective, evidence-based reforms can improve public safety and save tax dollars. Read the full report here.

A new study by the Vera Institute of Justice and Pew Center on the States examines the relationship between prison populations and corrections and community corrections spending. The authors find that despite policies aimed at reducing the number of people incarcerated and shifting public opinion on crime and punishment, there is no relationship between the number of people incarcerated and the amount that a state may spend on corrections or community corrections. In interviews, policymakers and corrections administrators proposed that the lack of success of policy decisions, the continuing expense of the increasing population in prisons, labor unions, and public sentiment have contributed to the finding. To access the full report and a fact sheet, click here.

As the population of the Illinois' Department of Corrections nears 50,000, the proportion of resources that IDOC must use for healthcare is growing, and with that, the resources available for programs that can reduce recidivism are on the decline. A recent report published by the John Howard Association of Illinois highlights the burdens of this healthcare system and provides fifteen recommendations to improve it. Not only does the inadequate healthcare systems in Illinois prisons effect the lives of those that occupy cells, if improperly treated, once released, releasees may bring communicable diseases to his or her community. To improve the prison healthcare system, JHA suggests that IDOC provide the female population gender-based programming, that IDOC and state legislators study alternatives to incarceration for Illinois’ growing elderly incarcerated population, and that IDOC prepare to enroll inmates in Medicaid in 2014. To read the other recommendations, view the full report here.

The Sentencing Project released a summary of the 2012 Democratic and Republican Party platforms on criminal justice policy. Both parties have legislative goals relating to enhancing rehabilitation and reducing recidivism. The full summary can be found here.

With the 2012 election only two months away, the issue of voting rights has gained increasing public attention. A recent report by The Sentencing Project highlights the disparities between states regarding levels of felon disenfranchisement. Authors Christopher Uggen, Sarah Shannon, and Jeff Manza note that over the past 35 years, the number of disenfranchised people has risen from 1.17 to 5.85 million. Due to post-sentence disenfranchisement laws, 2.6 million of the total disenfranchised population have completed their sentences but still cannot vote. The African-American population is affected disproportionately by disenfranchisement laws, as 1 in 13 African Americans of voting age across the nation are prohibited from voting. Click here to read the full report.