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Georgia Corrections System Assessment

Georgia Corrections System Assessment. August 25, 2011 Len Engel- Managing Associate for Policy Crime and Justice Institute at CRJ. Agenda. Evidence-Based Practices Key Questions How the system is structured Components of System Assessment GDC Prisons GDC Probation

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Georgia Corrections System Assessment

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  1. Georgia Corrections System Assessment August 25, 2011 Len Engel- Managing Associate for Policy Crime and Justice Institute at CRJ

  2. Agenda • Evidence-Based Practices • Key Questions • How the system is structured • Components of System Assessment • GDC Prisons • GDC Probation • Pardons and Paroles • Accountability Courts

  3. Evidence-based Practices • Practices proven to reduce the risk of reoffending: • Use of a validated risk and needs assessment tool to identify and target risk and need factors associated with criminal behavior • Use a supervision strategy that matches the risk level of offenders and focus supervision resources on higher risk offenders • Target interventions (EBP programs and services) to the crime-causing needs of offenders and direct assessed offenders to programs and services that address these needs • Collect data and information to track offender outcomes and ensure that what is in place is working

  4. Key Questions • Are Georgia’s laws, policies and practices focused on reducing recidivism and improving public safety? • Is Georgia focusing its resources on moderate and high risk offenders? • Is Georgia targeting programs to offender needs? • Is Georgia evaluating the outcomes of their programs?

  5. How the system is structured:

  6. GA Corrections Costs- Per Day The Pew Charitable Trusts Prepared by Applied Research Services Source: Department of Corrections, Board of Pardons & Paroles, Office of Planning and Budget

  7. 1. GDC Prisons: OverviewMission, Population, and Staff • Mission statement • The Georgia Department of Corrections protects and serves the public as a professional organization by effectively managing offenders while helping to provide a safe and secure environment for the citizens of Georgia. • Inmate population 53,120 (this number doesn’t include the jail backlog awaiting prison beds, currently at 3,374) • 13,800 minimum security • 29,288 medium security • 8,507 close security • 1,525 no classification • Staff: 12,299 total GDC staff (not just prisons) • Source: GDC Inmate count by sec level and institution as of 7-20-11

  8. 1. GDC Prisons: Overview Prison Admissions by Type of Admission The Pew Charitable Trusts Prepared by Applied Research Services July 2011 Source: Georgia Department of Corrections

  9. 1. GDC Prisons: Overview 2010 Prison Admissions The Pew Charitable Trusts Prepared by Applied Research Services July 2011

  10. 1. GDC Prisons: OverviewTypes of Facilities • 31 state prisons: 3 for women • 3 main security levels: Close Security, Medium Security, Minimum Security • 3 Pre-Release Centers (PRC) • Secure environment for offenders with 5 years or less to serve • 13 Transitional Centers • Approx 2,700 beds; provides work release; average 9-12 months length of stay • One Boot Camp for 256 state prison males • Board of Pardons and Paroles chooses who will attend from prison population • 3-4 month program; those who complete successfully released on parole • Contracted facilities • 23 county prisons; interagency agreements to lease over 5,000 beds in county prisons to hold state offenders • 2 Private Prisons; 5,376 offenders

  11. 1. GDC Prisons: OverviewCustody Population and Utilization 7/1/11 Offenders (In a Bed) Operational Capacity State Prisons Pre-Release Centers Inmate Boot Camps Parole Revocation Centers Transitional Centers Probation Detention Centers Probation Boot Camps Probation RSAT Centers County Prisons Private Prisons 38,483 644 218 419 2,624 2,259 100 768 5,031 5,873 107% 101% 95% 91% 101% 98% 98% 98% 99% 98% Source: Georgia Department of Corrections ARS July 2011

  12. 1. GDC Prisons: Overview Historical Prison Population And Baseline Projection 59,684 8% projected growth in 5 years 2011 2016 2000 2005 The Pew Charitable Trusts Prepared by Applied Research Services

  13. 1. GDC Prisons: Overview Revised Intake/Diagnostic Process Diagnostic Process for Typical Offender (no special MH or medical needs/issues – approx. 75-80% of incoming inmates) Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Day 4 Day 5 • Reception • Medical Screen • Blood work • MH Screen • Orientation • Bed Assignment • Educational Testing • Orientation Videos • COMPAS/TCUDS • Parole PHS • Final Interview • Physical Exam • Dental Medical Profile Entered Day 6 Inmate Ready for Transfer Assignment • Security Classifica-tion Approval • Re-Entry Plan • Diagnostic Director Review Eliminated 2 days of idle time Source: ARS GDCP Time-In-Motion and Simulation Study June 2011

  14. 1. GDC Prisons: OverviewReentry • Reentry planning process • Reentry Case Plan is initiated at entry and Reentry Checklist includes exit preparation for 2 years prior to release • Case planning, housing/residence plan, and employment support are addressed by prison staff at intervals of 24 months, 12 months and 1 month of their parole or release date • Reentry plan determined according to COMPAS and TCUDS results • Results determine programming needs (Educational, Vocational, SA, CBT) • Also determine Parole /probation requirements and eligibility • Also influenced by in-facility behavior • Transitional dormitories within state prisons for offenders not eligible for transition centers (or no space in centers) • Within 12 months of maximum release date, inmates are isolated from the rest of the prison population and receive intensive training and work to focus on reentry skills Source: GDC Reentry Standard Operating Procedures

  15. 1. GDC Prisons: OverviewProgramming • Programs offered in facilities • Motivation for change: pre-requisite for participation in other programs • Cognitive Behavioral Therapy programs: MRT, T4C, D.E.T.O.U.R., Reentry Skill Building (Life Skills) • Substance Abuse programs: Matrix Early Recovery Skills, Matrix Relapse Prevention, PSATC/RSATC, Substance Abuse Aftercare Services • Education programs: Literacy/Remedial Reading, Adult Edu, GED, ESL (English as a Second Language) • Employment programs: Voc training, TOPPSTEP, On The Job Training, Live Work Projects, Offender Career Centers, Work Release (Transitional Centers), Braille • Other programs: including Mental Health treatment, sex offender treatment and faith based dormitories (in some facilities), In House Transitional Centers

  16. 1. GDC Prisons: OverviewCoastal State Prison • Coastal State Prison: Intensive Reentry Program targeted at non-violent offenders with substance abuse issues • For admission, sentence length must be less than 24 months • Current offense cannot be for burglary, drug trafficking, methamphetamine manufacture; No violent felony charges, No sex offenses, No major medical/mental health issues, No pending charges or active warrants • No recidivists sentenced under habitual offender law • One referral per inmate for life • Programming/Groups: • D.E.T.O.U.R. (unique to Coastal), Dignity Encouragement Truthfulness Optimism Uniqueness Respect • GED, ABE, Literacy/Remedial Reading, Release Orientation, Victim Impact, Family Violence,, Motivation for Change, AA Support Group

  17. 1. GDC Prisons: OverviewData and Collaboration • Data collection and information sharing • Commissioner is briefed weekly (if not daily) on populations/trends • Monthly rollup meetings to advise Executive Staff of current numbers and trends; quarterly meetings to address the data from a long-term perspective • COMPSTAT process where weekly, monthly and quarterly meetings are held at different levels of the organization to address numbers and trends and responses • Multi-agency programs • TOPPSTEP involves GDC, Parole, and Labor Departments • THOR (transitional housing directory) administered by parole but made available to GDC/Probation • Reentry partnership housing is a combined effort between parole, GDC and Dept. of Community Affairs (Parole provides funding) • Probation and Parole, as part of GA’s justice reinvestment initiative, have indentified operation areas that could be combined in the future

  18. 1. GDC Prisons: Findings • Many offenders serving sentences for non-violent offenses with no priors • Low-risk offenders in prison are mixed with moderate and high risk offenders • Over 50% of prison population are drug and property offenders • The validity of Compas results may be questionable due to the manner in which they are conducted • While many programs are being offered, program outcomes are not being evaluated across the board • Programs like TOPSTEP and DETOUR are only offered to a percentage of population (those being paroled, not those maxing out; only those at Coastal) • Programs in prison and in the community have significant wait lists

  19. 2. GDC Probation: OverviewProbation Population • Probation is the most frequently used sentencing option in Georgia. • Approximately 63% of State Adult Offenders are on probation • Probation often follows incarceration • About 2,000 offenders currently being supervised by both probation and parole • 17% of probation population have mental health needs • Average GA probation sentence length is 6.8 years while nationally it’s estimated at 3 years 2 months • Currently 41,899 active probationers (30%) with 4.1-5 years probation sentence • Currently 30,157 active probationers (22%) with 9.1-10 years probation sentence

  20. 2. GDC Probation: OverviewProbation Caseloads and Supervision • Ratio of probationers to probation officers is 200 to 1 • Currently 812 Probation Officers in the field hand; they handle a blended caseload • 209,616 on probation • Multiple Probation Supervision Levels (currently High, Std, Specialized, Admin/Unsupervised , Warrant) based on offender characteristics: • Active Supervision 106,365 (Standard 78,166, approximately 25,000 identified as high risk based on assessment) • Administrative 28,346 • Unsupervised 22,290 • 33,807 came off probation in 2010 • 39,417 were admitted to probation in 2010 Numbers from R. Henry with GDC

  21. 2. GDC Probation: Overview % of Prison Releases with Probation to Follow The Pew Charitable Trusts Prepared by Applied Research Services Source: Georgia Department of Corrections

  22. 2. GDC Probation: OverviewProbation Options • Residential Substance Abuse Treatment Centers (RSAT) • Six month residential treatment facilities for probationers with severe substance abuse problems • Three facilities: 2 male (600 beds available), 1 female (200 beds available) • 500 male offenders are in a jail bed awaiting transfer to an RSAT and 250 female offenders are backed up in jail • Can be sentenced to a RSAT by a judge or sent for violation of probation or parole • Offer cognitive-behavioral substance abuse treatment with mental health component • Probation Boot Camp for 100 males • Can be sentenced directly by court or sent for revocation • Ages 17-30 with no previous adult incarceration • Military regime; work during the day, risk reduction programming at night

  23. 2. GDC Probation: OverviewProbation Options Continued • Probation Detention Center (PDC) • Sentencing option or as result of revocation • About 2,315 beds • 808 in jails waiting for PDC beds (8/19/11) • 9 minimum security facilities, 1 for women • Intended to be a 60-120 day program • Judges are sentencing inmates to PDCs for as long as 4 years • Average length of stay for those departed in FY11 was 183 days • Unpaid work details and programming • Drug assessment conducted and may be referred to treatment services (AA, NA, other treatment methods)

  24. 2. GDC Probation: OverviewProbation Options Continued • Probation Reporting Contact Center (PRCC) - compliance reports from standard, lowest risk level probationers • PRCC’s Interactive Voice Response technology (IVR), an automated telephone reception and case note documentation system • Support staff member assigned to the PRCC—Customer Service Representatives (a.k.a. PRCC “call handlers”). Information documented into Probation Operations’ case notes data management system and immediately made electronically available to the supervising probation officer. • There are about 13,000 probationers reporting through the PRCC and this is expected to double by the end of the year. • Caseloads are 500-1 • Moves a large volume of low-risk probationers into a low supervision caseload and reserves POs for higher risk probationers.

  25. 2. GDC Probation: OverviewProbation Options Continued • Day Reporting Centers (DRC)- 13 centers, 80-120 offenders served per center (future expansion planned as funding allows) • Non-residential, alternative sanction for felony offenders with a history of non-compliant behavior related to substance abuse • Sentenced by the courts or sent due to a supervision violation (probationers and parolees) • Provide: Substance abuse (in three phases), Cognitive (criminal thinking), Education, Employment • Components include: • Drug treatment (daily testing), Surveillance Officer oversight (nightly curfew), Community partnerships, Family / social bonds restored, Mandatory employment, mental health counseling • Aimed at medium-high risk • Low risk offenders are 16.7-39.3% of admissions depending on site

  26. 2. GDC Probation: OverviewProbation Options Continued • 2004: Probation Management Act established the Probation Options Management Program (POM) • Administrative process to sanction probation violators without returning to the judge. GDC can modify the probationer’s current supervision as long as the sanctions are equal to or less restrictive than the maximum non-prison sanction set by the sentencing judge. • Typically used for technical violations and low-level misdemeanor offenses • Probationers can appeal to the judge, however few do and most waive the administrative hearing (83% during the pilot project) • Current stats: • 18,527 offenders under POM • Statewide average is 147 new cases per week being placed under POM • 104 judges in 34 judicial circuits

  27. 2. GDC Probation: OverviewProbation Options Continued • Evaluation of POM pilot program in 2005: • POM participants spend significantly less time in jail than non-POM probationers (6-10 days in jail for the 4 POM judicial circuits vs. 28-34 days in jail for the comparison districts) • Reduced time in court for offenders and probation officers • Reduced time between first violation and sanction (“swiftness”) though still between 25 and 83 days (reduced from 111-229 days in comparison circuits) • Offenders under POM received more proportionate and graduated sanctions • Probation also uses a matrix of graduated sanctions to address less severe non-compliant behavior

  28. 2. GDC Probation: Findings • Limited use of assessment tools in making diversion decisions: • RSAT – do judges use a validated needs assessment? • Boot camps – what is the target risk population? • Probation Detention Centers (PDC) – longer terms than intended (6-12 months), creating backlog in jails, and mixing risk levels • Programs targeting moderate and higher risk offenders are admitting low-risk offenders • Probation sentence lengths are much higher than the national average • Extremely high caseloads • Administrative and unsupervised cases still require Probation Officers’ time, and therefore they aren’t able to focus on high risk offenders • Delay between violation and POM sanction (between 22 and 83 days)

  29. 3. Pardons and Paroles: OverviewMission, Board, and Communication • Parole Board Mission Statement • To enhance public safety by making informed parole decisions and successfully transitioning offenders back into the community • Georgia Parole Board • Five member Parole Board appointed by the Governor and confirmed by State Senate for a seven year term • Parole Board members individually consider eligible inmates parole release cases rather than by joint meeting • Final parole decisions are determined by individual votes of three parole board members • Communication with DOC and Probation has increased significantly in the last couple years. Parole staff now has access to the DOC database SCRIBE and DOC will have access to Parole database CMS this month. • Case Management System (CMS) produces reports to various levels of staff

  30. 3. Pardons and Paroles: OverviewParole Population and Staff Parole Field Supervision Data • Parole Supervision Population • 26,836 under parole supervision in-state (8/13/11) • At least 2,000 parolees are also on probation (Split-sentencing) • Parole Population Trends • 67% (36,640 out of 54,459) of the total inmate population are parole eligible • 2% decrease of parole eligible inmates since 2009 and 29% decrease since 1995 • Staff (ratio) • FY10: 300 parole officers • FY10 average caseload: 81 blended High and Standard cases

  31. 3. Pardons and Paroles: Overview Prison Releases by Release Type The percentage of inmates paroled has decreased over the past 20 years Max-Out Parole The Pew Charitable Trusts Prepared by Applied Research Services Source: Georgia Department of Corrections

  32. 3. Pardons and Paroles: OverviewApprovals, Denials, and Revocations • Decision-making: approvals, denials, etc. • FY11: 80% (29,393 out of 36,640) of parole eligible inmate population reviewed for parole consideration • FY10: 10,511 releases to parole, 1,645 releases to supervised reprieve, 1,076 releases to conditional transfer, and 694 releases to commutation • Parole revocations • TOTAL PAROLE REVOCATIONS: 2,594 (down from 3,092 in FY09) • 10% of revocations were a result of technical violations (273) • 90% of revocations due to new criminal offenses (2,321) • 11,189 arrest warrants issued by Parole Board

  33. 3. Pardons and Paroles: OverviewPED, TPM, and PIC • Inmates eligible for Parole have a Parole Eligibility Date (PED) set at 33% of their sentence • Prior to the PED, the Parole Board examines the specific circumstances of the case and, using a crime severity level and risk to reoffend grid, assigns a Tentative Parole Month (TPM) • Inmates are able to lower the TPM by earning Performance Incentive Credits (PIC) for participation and satisfactory progress in education/treatment programs, work, and good behavior

  34. 3. Pardons and Paroles: OverviewReentry Housing Reentry Partnership Housing Program (RPH) • 40 approved RPH facilities providing housing to parolees with no residential options considered “problem residence inmates” • In 2010, 199 parolees were placed in RPH facilities increasing the total parole population in RPHs from 644 to 678 with a total of 992 parolees being placed in an RPH facility since its beginning in 2006

  35. 3. Pardons and Paroles: Overview Residential Programs • Transitional Housing for Offender Reentry (THOR) • 134 THOR residences throughout Georgia providing community-based residential and/or substance abuse options for inmates released on parole. • THOR facilities are targeted to parolees with unaddressed criminogenic needs and/or who are homeless or nearly homeless. • Parole Board must approve parolees admission into THOR facility • 1) Structured Housing (assessments optional) • 26 facilities for inmates who meet prison release requirements, but do not have available housing. • Structured housing does not provide treatment and/or counseling. • 2) Standard Recovery Residence (assessments recommended) • 60 facilities providing one or more substance abuse counseling services per week. • 3) Intensive Recovery Residence (assessments required) • 48 facilities providing 5 or more hours of intensive substance abuse counseling provided by certified substance abuse counselors or licensed professionals

  36. 3. Pardons and Paroles: Overview Substance Abuse Programs • Outpatient Parolee Substance Abuse Recovery Services • 6 week program, available in every parole district, requiring weekly group sessions and a minimum of 2 negative drug tests • FY 2010: 2,394 motivation assessment and planning (MAP) group sessions, and 7,924 recovery group sessions • FY2011: 133 successful completions, and 94 non-completers • No program waitlist-once capacity of 10 is reached, an additional program is added • The Substance Abuse Aftercare Services (SAAS) • 6 month program targeting high risk, high needs offenders who have completed an intensive substance abuse services program • These programs include: Day Reporting Centers, Residential Substance Abuse Treatment, and/or approved community programs lasting a minimum of 17 weeks of length

  37. 3. Pardons and Paroles: Overview Programs • Cognitive Skills Programming • Moral Reconation Therapy (MRT) • 12 step Cognitive-Behavioral Treatment Program for criminal offenders, substance abusers, and others with anti-social personalities • MRT takes an average of six months to complete • Approximately 700 individuals enrolled with a monthly completion rate of roughly 70 individuals • Those that do not complete the program are as a result of several factors (i.e. new arrest with parole revocation, new employment in conflict with programming time, successful discharge from supervision) • Sex Offender Programming • Parole mandated, all sex offenders are required to attend sex offender therapy and submit to polygraph exams • 762 sex offender cases currently under supervision • No waitlist for therapist or polygrapher services; these providers are located throughout the state

  38. 3. Pardons and Paroles: Findings • Inmates eligible for parole who are sentenced to two years or less are not eligible for PIC- Performance Incentive Credits • Cognitive Skills Programming, such as MRT, is not offered in all Parole offices due to staff shortages/high caseloads • There is no incentive for offenders to comply with the conditions of their supervision and participate in programs while on parole (similar to PIC while in prison) • Judges, prosecutors, and victims don’t have all the information regarding how much time the offender is likely to serve based on parole decisions

  39. 4. Accountability Courts: OverviewMission and Different Courts • “These courts promote personal responsibility by holding the participant accountable for his/her actions and behaviors.” • “Team approach that functions within the existing court structure. The judge, defender, prosecutor, law enforcement, treatment provider, coordinator and others all work together to create a balance of authority, supervision, support, and encouragement for each participant.” • 72 Drug courts: 33 adult felony drug courts (1 felony drug & DUI court, 1 felony drug & mental health court), 18 DUI courts, 12 juvenile drug courts, 9 family dependency treatment courts,) • 13 Mental health courts • 3 Veterans courts • 4 Child Support Problem Solving courts Source: Georgia Accountability Courts

  40. 4. Accountability Courts: Overview Drug Courts • Drug courts use sanctions and incentives • Each drug court is operated independently; Standing Committee on Drug Courts set 10 key components • No standard operating practices or procedures for management of courts • No comprehensive data management or collection system • Length of program usually 12, 18, or 24 months • Sobriety required for graduation usually 6 or 12 months • Of 29 adult felony drug courts*: • 2,183 active participants (as of 1/1/11) • Range from 13-285 participants per drug court • 4,078 graduates (as of 1/1/11) *Data not available for 4 drug courts

  41. 4. Accountability Courts: Overview Drug Courts Continued • Pre-trial diversion : • Not asked to plead innocent or guilty • Enter immediately into the intervention program, including regular meetings with the judge • If they successfully complete the program, charges against them may be dismissed. If they fail to complete the program, they will be prosecuted on the original charge • Post-plea sentencing: • Defendant enters a plea, but the judge agrees to defer imposing a sentence until an intervention program is completed • Upon successful completion, the judge may vacate the plea, and ask the DA to dismiss the case • Post-adjudication : • Judge imposes a sentence but agrees to suspend it until completion of the intervention program Source: Administrative Office of the Courts

  42. 4. Accountability Courts: Overview Drug Courts Study • Department of Audits 2010 Study: Adult Felony Drug Court • 7% of drug court participants re-convicted in 2 years • (29% for similar incarcerated offenders) • Average $13.54/day cost for drug court • Cost for 2,000 participants was ½ of traditional • sentencing options • ($18 vs. $36 million) Source: Georgia Department of Audits and Accounts Performance Audit Operations,, September 2010

  43. 4. Accountability Courts: Findings • Accountability courts aren’t using a validated risk-needs assessment to ensure that only moderate to high-need offenders are admitted • Accountability courts are systemized with basic standards and are run individually with no central oversight • There aren’t systemic standards requiring decision-making that only allow certain offenders bound for prison to go to a drug court • There is no requirement that Accountability Courts collect admission, implementation and outcome data that would allow assessment of how effective they are at improving public safety

  44. Summary of System Assessment • Key Questions: Are Georgia’s laws, policies and practices focused on reducing recidivism and improving public safety? • Is Georgia focusing its resources on moderate and high risk offenders? • Inconsistently and not systemically • A validated risk-needs assessment tool is not used when sentencing someone to RSAT, PDC or other program nor is one used in drug courts to determine who has a substance abuse problem warranting significant resources • The majority of the prison population are serving sentences for non-violent offenses, and probation caseloads are high therefore POs can’t focus on moderate and high risk offenders • While many community-based programs target moderate and high risk offenders they have a significant percentage of low risk offenders; mixing risk levels has been shown to negatively affect the low risk population

  45. Summary of System Assessment • Key Questions: Are Georgia’s laws, policies and practices focused on reducing recidivism and improving public safety? • Is Georgia targeting programs to offender needs? • Risk-needs assessment are not conducted for all programs, and when they are conducted it is unclear if they are implemented with fidelity and if the results are evaluated and targeted to the extent that they need to be in order to be effective • Is Georgia evaluating the outcomes of their programs? • There have been some evaluations of programs, but not that link programs elements to reducing recidivism. Thus whether these programs are improving public safety is largely unknown. • The evaluations that have been conducted indicated the need for changes in various practices

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