Closing the Revolving Door: Transition from Prison to Community National Association of Sentencing Commissions August 2, 2011
Oregon Department of Corrections Mission To promote public safety by holding offenders accountable for their actions and reducing the risk of future criminal behavior. 2
Focus on Release Preparation Inmates who will be returning to the community should be considered a priority if Oregon is to have fewer victims of crime. 3
Public Safety Implications During 2010, DOC received 5,270 admissions to prison In 2010, 5,100 offenders were released back to their communities across the state from prison Average length of stay: 868 days Percent who will recidivate: 27% Percent who will return to prison: 22.5% 4
Recidivism on Post-Prison Supervision: State Benchmark Recidivism Rate 35% 30% 25% 20% 15% 10% 12 mos 24 mos 36 mos 5% 0% 1st 05 2nd 05 1st 06 2nd 06 1st 07 2nd 07 1st 08 Release Cohort Corrections Information System Recidivism = conviction of a new felony 5
State of Recidivism: The Revolving Door of America s Prisons Pew Center for the States Report, 2011 Oregon had the lowest rate of recidivism Measure=return to prison Key indicator of return on correctional investment 6
Comparing Recidivism Rates: Pew Study Oregon Total Oregon New Ci Crimes National Totals 1999 Releases 33% 23% 28% 19% 45% 43% 2004 Releases 7
Why is Oregon s Rate the Lowest? Increasing emphasis on improving transition from prison to community Increasing application of the research on reducing recidivism to corrections practices 8
Why is Oregon s Rate the Lowest? State law and policy Sentencing guidelines Administrative sanctions 1995 revisions to the Community Corrections Act 9
Sentencing Guidelines Prison beds are reserved for more serious crimes Person-to-person Repeat property Very few drug or driving crimes Most revocation sentences limited to 180 days 10
Administrative Sanctions Swift response to violations Use intermediate sanctions prior to revocation Consistency provided by sanctioning grid Reduce cost to the public 11
Administrative Sanctions Funding includes dollars for community sanctions History: statewide policy to reduce technical revocations Present: need to manage local criminal justice system resources 12
COMMUNITY CORRECTIONS PARTNERSHIP ACT Coordinated local criminal justice response will impact crime better than a short prison stay Community based sanctions are effective against crime 13
Community Corrections Partnership Act Transfer of Responsibility for Short Prison Sentences 12 months or less Construction projects to build local capacity Powers of the supervisory authority 14
Evidence Based Practices Evidence-based practices required by SB 267 (2003) Applies to prevention, treatment or intervention programs which are intended to reduce future criminal behavior in adults and juveniles, or to reduce the need for emergency mental health services 15
DOC and Community Corrections Approach To Reduce Victimization Prioritize limited changeoriented resources by risk to reoffend Focus on criminal risk factors in programming g and interventions Accept greater responsibility for successful community living 16
Automated Criminal Risk Scale Predicts risk to re-offend Predictive factors identified through analysis of Oregon prison releases over a five year period Over 50% of the high risk group will re-offend 17
DOC and Community Corrections Approach to Reduce Victimization Assess for and target criminal risk factors - Antisocial attitudes - Antisocial peers - Alcohol/drug addiction - Personal/emotional factors like impulsivity i it and anger control - Lack of success in work or school 18
Transition Begins At Intake Risk to re-offend assessment completed on all inmates Criminal risk factor assessment completed on all medium and high h risk inmates Medical and mental health screening Educational assessment Custody level el assessment Correctional plan developed 19
General Population Work Education 1 year or Less Re-entry Prep A&D Intake Special lneeds Housing Cognitive Parenting Medical Mental Health Religious Services Work Release Transitional Leave SUMMIT 20
Correctional Caseload Management Counselor time prioritized for higher risk inmates Intake center assesses, counselors do case plans Counselors make referrals to treatment programs based on criminal risk factors, custody level, sentence length, and motivation to change 21
Transition Preparation Work Experience Oregon Corrections Enterprises jobs Work crews Vocational education Institution jobs Processes: Job applications Performance appraisal and job references 22
Transition Preparation Education Programs GED Adult basic education English as a second language Access to college courses Cognitive programs Parenting skills 23
Releasing Institutions Salem Area - OSP - OSCI - SCI Columbia River Coffee Creek Shutter Creek Powder River Snake k River 24
Prioritizing Services for Transition High Risk
Transition and Release Services Addictions treatment programs Provide transition programming Assist with ID and applying for federal/state benefits Coordinate release planning with community corrections Create release packets for Board and PO 26
Community Supervision Assess risk to re-offend Assess criminal risk factors Create a case plan Refer for treatment Monitor conditions of supervision Respond to violations 27
Community Services and Support Transitional Housing Addiction Treatment e Mental Health Treatment Employment Assistance Sex Offender Treatment Domestic Violence Treatment 28
Models for Success Oregon Housing and Community Services: Joint contracting ti process for transitional housing with programs New transitional housing for offenders in Baker, Columbia, Douglas, Klamath, Yamhill, and Multnomah Counties Local partnerships p between community corrections, service providers, and housing providers 29
Models for Success Oregon Department of Human Services: Smart Start packets Oregon Trail Card Prequalification process for federal benefits 30
Models for Success Veteran s Re-Entry Initiative: Outreach into prisons prior to release State-specific reentry guides for incarcerated veterans 31
Transition Requires Collaboration The success of prison to community transition is complex Many ypublic and private agencies have responsibility for parts of it yet no agency has responsibility for all of it. No single agency can accomplish this goal. 32
Re-Entry Council The Governor s Re-Entry Council is envisioned as a state-level, statewide leadership group to work collaboratively on improving the success and safety of prison-to-community it transition 33
What are the Goals of the Re-Entry Council? Identify and address the barriers to successful re-entry that extend beyond the boundaries of the criminal justice system Find cost-effective ways to overcome those barriers. Establish and monitor statelevel performance goals 34
Steering Committee Conduct a thorough review of existing policies and practices that need to be corrected and making specific recommendations for system improvement for consideration by the Council 35
Steering Committee Identify strategies to improve reentry Establish implementation ti groups to work on the operational aspects of system reform, the procedures and practices that will require change in the many agencies involved in the reentry process. 36
First Priorities Housing Employment Continuity of Health and Mental Health Care Reentry Service Sites 37
Work Groups Content experts from the public and private sectors on each topic Over 100 participants, p only 25% from corrections Identify barriers and strategies to address them 38
Implementation Groups Different expertise required for implementation Reentry Wiki Discharge planning process for health/mental health care Work Source Oregon Centers inside prisons 39
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Six Months Out of Prison: Compliance on Supervision 95% 85% 75% 65% 55% 45% 35% 25% 71% 63% 54% 2005 2006 2008 2009 2010 Non-compliance = abscond, revocation, reconviction 41
Oregon s Low Return to Prison Rate Laws reserving prison space for new and more serious crimes Supervision practices: administrative sanctions and risk- based offender management and treatment Release preparation and programming 42