Corrections, Reentry, and Community Supervision

Using qualitative and quantitative data, this report discusses the history, performance, and progress of the District of Columbia Frequent Users Service Enhancement Pilot Program, implemented by the Corporation for Supportive Housing. As a supportive housing reentry program focused on disabled individuals with histories of homelessness and incarceration, the program intended to provide housing and coordinate services for 50 "frequent users" leaving the city jail. Over the first year of operations, the program successfully identified and targeted more than a dozen frequent users and linked them to supportive housing through effective cross-system coordination. Policy implications of the evaluation findings are discussed.

The goal of this evaluation was to understand the planning, implementation, and execution of the Put Families First program as it is administered by Functional Family Therapy (FFT) in the District of Columbia (D.C.). The primary question is whether FFT has been implemented with high fidelity and quality, and whether there are local factors or circumstances that either facilitate or interfere with its reliable implementation. The current implementation evaluation shows promise for the effective implementation of FFT for youth at risk of out-of-home placement in D.C. For those who do complete the program, implementation is generally close to program benchmarks and showing improvement.

The Jail Sexual Assault Prevention project tests the application of violence reduction strategies informed by situational crime prevention (SCP) theory within three jail facilities. The project collected and synthesized data from multiple sources in order to identify and implement interventions to address each facility’s unique safety challenges: an officer tour system in Site A, a recording camera system in Site B, and crisis intervention training at Site C. The brief provides summary findings on the safety impacts and cost effectiveness of each intervention and discusses the utility of a SCP framework in addressing correctional violence.

This white paper discusses how state efforts to reduce the growth of prison populations can affect local criminal justice systems. Although these state strategies – which typically focus on policies governing sentencing, inmate release and transfer, and supervision violation response - have the potential to greatly benefit both the offender and the community, they can strain the resources and capacity of jails, supervision officers, and community-based providers. Likewise, local actors may respond to these strategies with policies and practices that conflict with state prison population management efforts. Recommendations on how state and local stakeholders can avoid these unintended outcomes are provided.

Parole supervision is the key mechanism facilitating the return of prisoners to the community. To examine the current state of parole practice, the Urban Institute conducted a survey of parole supervision field offices. In this report, the authors examine survey results at the state level to supplement and extend the national-level analysis presented in the previously released An Evolving Field. This analysis provides a more nuanced view of parole practices and, despite differences in population and structure of justice systems, shows the varying strengths, weaknesses, and similarities across states.

This interim report details the first two years of the Urban Institute's evaluation of the family-inclusive case management component of the Safer Return Demonstration—a reentry program based in Chicago's Garfield Park neighborhood. The report presents the logic of the case management model and summarizes family members and formerly incarcerated persons experiences and perceptions, based on interviews and focus groups. In general, family members were highly supportive of returning prisoners and, despite a typically disadvantaged socioeconomic status, provided substantial material support to their returning family members, particularly housing. The implications of these findings for the Demonstration and reentry planning are discussed.

The Jail Sexual Assault Prevention project tests the application of violence reduction strategies informed by situational crime prevention theory (SCP) within three jail facilities. The project collected and synthesized data from multiple sources in order to identify and implement interventions to address each facility's unique safety challenges: an officer tour system in Site A, a recording camera system in Site B, and crisis intervention training at Site C. The report provides findings on the safety impacts and cost effectiveness of each intervention and discusses the utility of a SCP framework in addressing correctional violence.

This report describes the Community Supervision Mapping System (CSMS), an online tool that enables users to map the formerly incarcerated and others on probation, along with related data such as service provider locations and police districts. CSMS was developed by The Providence Plan and piloted in Rhode Island in 2008. It was designed to be a user-friendly, low-cost software package that could be easily replicated in other jurisdictions. This report documents the mapping system’s development and its implementation by probation officers and law enforcement, and includes a process and initial outcome evaluation. In addition, lessons learned are synthesized to offer guidance to jurisdictions seeking to adopt a geographically-informed approach to prisoner reentry.