In This Issue:

• New JPC Center Director: Nancy La Vigne
• JPC @ the American Society of Criminology Conference
• JPC on the Hill: Testimony from Amy Solomon and Jesse Jannetta
• Set For Launch: Upcoming JPC Initiatives
• Welcoming Melanie Peyser: JPC's Newest Senior Researcher
• Just Published: Justice Policy Center Reports

Join our mailing list!

UI Appoints New JPC Center Director, Nancy La Vigne

Nancy La Vigne was recently appointed director of the Urban Institute's Justice Policy Center (JPC), succeeding Terry Dunworth, who directed the center for seven years and is now an institute fellow. La Vigne joined JPC in 2001 as a senior research associate after six years at the National Institute of Justice (NIJ), the research arm of the United States Department of Justice. She is an expert on crime prevention and prisoner reentry, and was founding director of NIJ's Mapping and Analysis for Public Safety program.

At the Urban Institute, La Vigne has overseen a groundbreaking study of prisoners returning to their communities and families. This research has generated dozens of recommendations on policies and practices that can increase the successful reintegration. She also created and served as the principal investigator for the Reentry Mapping Network, a partnership of 15 jurisdictions engaged in the mapping and analysis of reentry and community data in order to improve outcomes for the formerly incarcerated. Currently, La Vigne is leading an evaluation of the use and impact of public surveillance cameras as a crime control and prevention strategy in three U.S. cities.

Says La Vigne of her new role, "I look forward to supporting an exceptional team of researchers in their efforts to develop knowledge that can inform a wide array of criminal justice policies and practices."

JPC @ the American Society of Criminology Conference

Urban Institute event highlights banner year for JPC at the 41st American Society of Criminology Conference in Philadelphia

From left: Terry Dunworth, Institute Fellow, Urban Institute;
Nancy La Vigne, Director, Justice Policy Center, Urban Institute; and
Urban Institute Trustee Jeremy Travis, President, John Jay College of Criminal Justice

JPC had a significant presence at this year's American Society of Criminology (ASC) Conference, held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Over 20 of JPC's researchers presented findings and methodologies spanning a variety of research areas, including reentry, courts, forensic science, policing, and crime prevention. JPC's contributions to the conference were highlighted by a reception designed to share JPC's research with conference attendees. Over a hundred people attended to learn more about JPC's new and existing projects and to speak first-hand with those who are conducting the research.

For a complete listing of JPC conference presentations at ASC, please click here and search "The Urban Institute".

JPC on the Hill

Testimony from Amy Solomon and Jesse Jannetta

On September 22, 2009, Urban Institute researcher Jesse Jannetta testified before the United States House of Representatives Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee on the topic of the future role of the U.S. Parole Commission. Janetta set the context for the hearing, explaining the key strategies to effective parole supervision, highlighting current innovations in the parole field, and detailing important factors to consider in implementing recommended parole practices.

"Parole supervision matters. Much has been written about prisoner reentry and the cost of failing to reintegrate the hundreds of thousands of people who are released from prison each year. The role of parole supervision, which is intimately connected to prisoner reentry and the maintenance of public safety, has often been lost in that discussion. Yet the majority of prison releases, over 500,000 annually, are to parole supervision, and just over 824,000 individuals were under parole supervision at the end of 2007. Parole supervision can, and should, play an important role in delivering public safety for the community at large."

Read Jesse Jannetta's entire testimony here.

On November 5, 2009, Urban Institute researcher Amy Solomon testified before the United States Senate Judiciary Committee, Subcommittee on Crime and Drugs, regarding reentry from local jails. She discussed how jurisdictions across the country can incarcerate and release individuals in a way that makes them less likely to reoffend and more likely to work, support their families, pay taxes, and be productive members of society.

"The traditional business-as-usual approach to incarceration is to keep inmates locked up - away from society - to keep us safe. With little treatment and transition planning, most individuals are released with the same problems that got them locked up in the first place. To be clear: business-as-usual does not produce the results we want."

Read Amy Solomon's entire testimony here.

Set For Launch: Upcoming JPC Initiatives

The National Reentry Resource Center

The National Reentry Resource Center, established by the Second Chance Act (Public Law 110-199) and administered by Bureau of Justice Assistance, U.S. Department of Justice, provides education, training, and technical assistance to states, tribes, territories, local governments, service providers, non-profit organizations, and corrections working on prisoner reentry.

The National Reentry Resource Center is a project of the Council of State Governments Justice Center, with key partners including the Urban Institute, American Probation and Parole Association, and Association of State Corrections Administrators. The National Reentry Resource Center is guided by an Advisory Board that includes over 25 leading nonprofits and service providers in the reentry field. The Urban Institute, in collaboration with the John Jay College of Criminal Justice’s Prisoner Reentry Institute, will lead the development of establishing a “what works" library.

Objectives include:

• Provide a one-stop, interactive source of current, user-friendly reentry information.
• Identify, document, and promote evidence-based practices.
• Deliver individualized, targeted technical assistance to the Second Chance Act grantees.
• Advance the reentry field through training, distance learning, and knowledge development.

The Washington, DC Crime Policy Institute

The Urban Institute, in partnership with the Brookings Institution, has established the Washington, DC Crime Policy Institute (DCPI). Funded by the Office of the Mayor, the Policy Institute will work with juvenile and adult criminal justice stakeholders to: 1) identify promising, evidence-based programs; 2) collect data on the impact and costs of those programs; and 3) conduct analyses to determine which programs are cost-effective, resulting in DC-oriented policy recommendations. In addition, the Policy Institute will conduct research projects of interest to the Executive Office of the Mayor and local criminal justice agency executives. Dr. John Roman and Dr. Jocelyn Fontaine are co-directors of the DCPI, with Joshua Markman serving as project director.

Welcoming Melanie Peyser: JPC's Newest Senior Researcher

JPC, in collaboration the Urban Institute's International Development Group, is pleased to introduce Melanie Peyser, who joined the Institute as a senior research associate in December. Peyser has a law degree and extensive experience in international rule of law and justice sector issues. She will be working to apply the Institute's domestic criminal justice expertise and analytic capabilities to the international arena.

Just Published: Justice Policy Center Reports

Evaluating the Use of Radio Frequency Identification Device Technology to Prevent and Investigate Sexual Assault and Related Acts of Violence in a Women's Prison
Robin Halberstadt, Nancy G. La Vigne, Barbara Parthasarathy
(October 2009)

JPC is recently released the report Evaluating the Use of Radio Frequency Identification Device (RFID) Technology to Prevent and Investigate Sexual Assault and Related Acts of Violence in a Women’s Prison. Funded by the National Institute of Justice, the report examines the use of RFID technology as a preventative and investigative tool at North East Pre-Release Center (NEPRC), a women’s prison in Cleveland, Ohio. Sexual assault and related acts of violence, including physical assault, are serious crimes that jeopardize the safety of staff and inmates at correctional facilities. Radio frequency identification device technology is one tool that is theorized to deter inmates from committing acts of misconduct by increasing the risk that prohibited acts will be detected and recorded. UI researchers conducted a process evaluation drawn from interviews of staff and inmates, as a well as an impact analysis employing institutional disciplinary records. The process evaluation illustrated that the capabilities of the RFID system that are theorized to prevent misconduct were not implemented. The results of the impact evaluation indicated that RFID did not reduce the prevalence of inmate misconduct at NEPRC. While the evaluation could not determine if RFID technology is an effective prevention tool when fully implemented, the report contains valuable implementation lessons for correctional agencies considering the adoption of RFID. Read the entire report here.

From the Classroom to the Community: Exploring the Role of Education during Incarceration and Reentry
Diana Brazzell, Anna Crayton, Debbie Mukamal, Amy L. Solomon, Nicole Lindahl
(October 2009)

In From the Classroom to the Community: Exploring the Role of Education during Incarceration and Reentry, JPC researchers survey the current landscape of correctional education, discussing both the educational needs of people involved in the criminal justice system and the programs being provided to meet those needs. The report reviews research on the effectiveness of correctional education; outlines the guiding principles for effective programming; discusses the issues involved in providing education in correctional settings; and identifies some potential responses to these challenges. This publication concludes by looking to the future and highlighting key issues and new directions in research, policy, and practice. Read the entire report here.

Delivering Legal Aid after Katrina: The Equal Justice Works Katrina Legal Initiative
Sara Debus, Seri Irazola
(August 2009)

Hurricanes Katrina and Rita led to a myriad of legal needs in the Gulf Coast area at a time when the region's legal infrastructure was weakened. In response, Equal Justice Works implemented the Katrina Legal Initiative, an innovative legal aid disaster relief program to assist communities affected by these hurricanes. This report details the implementation of the Initiative; describes the program goals, activities, and impacts; analyzes whether the Initiative met the stated goals; and offers recommendations for comparable programs in the future. The evaluation concluded that Equal Justice Works and its partners succeeded in implementing a much-needed program, assisting individuals with a variety of legal needs while also helping to rebuild the legal infrastructure in these communities. Lessons learned from the Katrina Legal Initiative can help to inform future disaster relief efforts on the part of the legal community. Read the entire report here.