1. Community-Based Corrections, 9th Edition Leanne Fiftal Alarid Cengage Learning prepared by Barbara Belbot
Chapter 1
An Overview of Community Corrections: Goals & Evidence-Based Practices

2. The Correctional Dilemma
U.S. crime control policies over last three decades have led to a steady increase of convicted offenders in the correctional system
Approximately 7 million people, about 3% of the total adult population, are currently under some form of correctional supervision
Recent economic troubles causing states to reduce their correctional population and shift resources away from prisons to community corrections

3. Community Corrections
Any sanctions in which offenders serve a portion of or their entire sentence in the community
Seek to repair the harm the offender caused the victim or the community and to reduce the risk of re-offending in the future
Can be imposed either pre or post- adjudication of offender’s guilt

4. Variety of Community Sanctions
Probation
Intensive supervision probation
Restitution & fines
Community service
Substance abuse treatment
Day reporting
House arrest & electronic monitoring
Halfway houses
Boot camps
Prisons and jails

5. Probation Most common form of community supervision
The release of a convicted offender under court imposed conditions for a specified period during which the court retains authority to modify the conditions or resentence the offender if they violate the conditions
Most other community sanctions are programs or conditions of probation

6. Recent Government Statistics
As of 2010, 4.2 million offenders were on probation, and over 819,000 on parole
2.4 million offenders were incarcerated in jails & prisons

7. Indeterminate Sentencing: 1930’s – 1970’s
The primary sentencing philosophy; parole boards determined readiness for release
Concerns raised in the 1970’s regarding the effectiveness of rehabilitation and fairness of indeterminate sentencing
Robert Martinson in 1974, concluded that “with few and isolated exceptions, the rehabilitative efforts that have been reported so far had no appreciable effect on recidivism.”
The American Friends Service Committee urged repeal of indeterminate sentencing laws in 1976 so that offenders convicted of similar crimes would serve roughly equal terms in prison

8. Determinate Sentencing
In 1979, David Fogel proposed determinate sentencing in “. . . We Are the Living Proof . . .”: The Justice Model for Corrections Sentencing.”
Fogel urged limiting sentencing & parole discretion, abolish parole boards, & flat-time sentences for each offender category
Maine was the first state in 1975 to adopt determinate sentencing

9. Examples of Determinate Sentences
Mandatory minimums for certain types of offenders
Truth in sentencing requires offenders serve at least 85% of sentence
Three strikes laws for third felony convictions
Sentencing guidelines for judges to follow when sentencing

10. Sentencing Guidelines
A matrix for a judge to use based on the offender’s prior criminal record & the current conviction
Some are suggestive; others are mandatory
Proponents contend guidelines decrease judicial disparity & potential for discrimination
Federal sentencing guidelines have been revised to allow judges to exercise more discretion
Many states use a mix of indeterminate and determinate sentencing

11. The Paradox
Correctional policy shifts between what we can afford, changes in public perception, & what is important to vocal constituents
Maruna & King (2008) note a shift away from expert- driven policy to policy based on emotion and politics, with public opinion influenced by biased, sensationalist media reports about crime and criminal justice
Consequently, the public is not well informed

12. Strategies to Increase Public Support for Community Corrections
Convincing the public that people are redeemable if given the tools & means to change
Experts suggest the media must present broader, more accurate view & not concentrate on atypical cases
Informing the public about diverse sentencing options with adequate information

13. Prison is Expensive
Correctional funding is driven by public tax dollars
Incarceration is far more costly than community supervision – growing consensus that prison should be reserved for most dangerous offenders & community options expanded
About $0.18 of every correctional dollar goes to community corrections to supervise more than 70% of all people under correctional supervision

14. In Response to the Current Fiscal Crisis
Legislators and correctional administrators have considered a variety of options:
Decriminalizing lower level violent & drug felony offenses to Class A misdemeanors
Repealing mandatory minimums
Using more community graduated sanctions
Increasing parole rates
Changing probation & parole policies for responding to violations
Closing existing housing units within a prison or closing existing prisons altogether

15. The Role of Corrections at 3 Major Decision Points
Discretion in the criminal justice system begins with victims & law enforcement
Community corrections plays pivotal role at three major decision points that follow arrest: bail, sentencing, and reentry

16. Pre-trial & the Bail Decision
Following arrest, defendants may be released on their own recognizance or required to post bail
Pretrial supervision is correctional supervision of a defendant who is not convicted and…
Accounts for defendant’s whereabouts
Allows defendant to prepare for upcoming court appearances
Allows defendant to continue working
Keeps bed space open in jail for defendants who are not released

17. Sentencing Decision
Vast majority of offenders can be punished in the community
Intermediate sanctions offer graduated levels of supervision
A full range of sentencing options gives judges latitude to select punishments that fit the crime and the offender

18. Reentry Decision
The President’s Commission on Law Enforcement and Administration of Justice (1967) introduced the term reintegration
Today’s term is reentry
% of prisoners will one day be released
Reentry programs help offenders return safely to the community as law-abiding citizens
Prisoner reentry applies to prisoners who are released on mandatory statutes and those released on parole

19. Prerelease Programs
Minimum-security institutional settings for imprisoned offenders who & are nearing release
Considered to be more treatment oriented than prison
Examples: halfway houses, boot camps, prison in- prison therapeutic communities

20. Parole
The discretionary conditional & supervised release of an offender prior to the expiration of their sentence
Technical differences exist between probation & parole, but both involve supervision in the community

21. Theories Behind Community Correctional Goals
Goals of Community Corrections:
Punish offenders
Protect the public
Address victim’s needs
Change offender’s attitudes & behaviors
Theories Behind the Goals:
Principles of effective correctional intervention
Restorative justice
Shaming

22. Protecting the Public Through Offender Supervision & Risk Assessment
Major criticism of traditional probation & parole is its failure to protect the public from future crime
This criticism can be addressed in several ways:
Use appropriate risk assessment to select right offenders for right programs
Offender supervision should include proper monitoring of compliance with conditions
Take violations of supervised conditions seriously

23. Rehabilitating Offenders Through Effective Correctional Intervention
Goal of correctional programming: to address inadequacies that contribute to offender’s criminal behavior
Typical problems include: drug or alcohol addiction, lack of emotional control, inadequate education or vocational training, lack of parenting skills, mental illness & developmental disabilities

24. Rehabilitation, Cont’d.
Principles of effective correctional intervention include:
Early risk assessments
Focus on high risk offenders
Use of cognitive-behavioral treatment for at least 3-9 months
Treatment interventions linked to needs related to criminal behavior

25. Addressing Victims Through Restorative Justice
Victim-centered sanctions that emphasize offender responsibility to repair the injustice caused to their victims and community
Techniques include community boards, mediation, offender-victim meetings
Most effective for nonviolent crimes, juvenile crimes or first-time adult offenders
Less likely at this time to be used for violent crimes

26. Deterrence Through Shaming
Briefly stigmatize offender publicly
To be effective, shaming must have 5 conditions:
Offender must belong to an identifiable group
The form of shaming must be sufficient to compromise the person’s social standing in the group
The punishment must be communicated to the community
The offender must fear being shunned
Normally, there must be a method for the offender to regain social status

27. Evidence-Based Practices in Community Corrections
EBP: using current best practices or interventions for which there is consistent & solid scientific evidence of success
Assessment shows that practices work to meet intended outcomes & are open to periodic measurement, evaluation, & dissemination of practices & interventions
EBP is not based on intuition, speculation, anecdotal evidence, or tradition (e.g., “that’s the way we’ve always done it around here”)
Research methodology must be sophisticated & rigorous enough to determine what does and does not work

28. Outcome Measures
The rate of recidivism is the most common form of measuring program or treatment effectiveness
Recidivism is the return to criminal behavior, measured by:
Rearrest
Reconviction
Reincarceration
Different studies identify recidivism differently, making comparisons of program effectiveness difficult

29. Outcome Measures, Cont’d.
Effectiveness can also be measured by:
Amount of restitution collected
Number of offenders employed
Amount of fines and fees collected
Number of community service hours
Number of probationers enrolled in school
Number of drug-free days
Impact on reduction of institutional crowding