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| Change starts at the top |
| By Sarah Etter, News Reporter |
| Published: 12/25/2006 |
For many, the coming of a new year means resolutions and revitalized efforts to improve or change. In 2007 corrections will be no different as the National Governors' Association offers five states a new chance to reduce recidivism with the help of the Prisoner Re-Entry Policy Academy.
The academy was established after NGA officials estimated that repeat offenders cost states across the country about $40.7 billion dollars in 2004. They decided that top state officials should collaborate with other agencies to provide comprehensive offender services both pre- and post-release. “The objective of this academy is to develop an inter-agency, statewide plan [for each state] that improves outcomes for offenders returning to their communities,” explains Thomas MacLellan, NGA program director. “We're providing a range of strategic services to these five states to help engage the community and corrections in re-entry.” As a result, Maine, Minnesota, Indiana, Pennsylvania and Washington were chosen to develop effective recidivism strategies. They will participate in meetings with NGA officials who will help each state collaborate with agencies like the Governor's Office, Department of Motor Vehicles, and Department of Health Services. Getting corrections linked to these departments will give offenders access to health care, substance abuse programs and even driving licenses, which, in turn, improves their chances of succeeding on the outside. States will initially establish a committee with agency representatives who will create a specific re-entry plan that will work in the local community. “Corrections is a state-level function, but re-entry is essentially a local issue because prisoners return to communities,” says MacLellan. “States are beginning to adopt evidence-based practices to create more realistic expectations about re-entry. If a program shows a 15 percent reduction in recidivism, that sounds like a modest reduction. But the long-term cost savings are significant. We want to help states recognize these reductions across the country.” Twenty states applied for the academy, but only five were selected because of their current approach to re-entry. “There were quite a few reasons we chose these five,” MacLellan explains. “The criteria included executive leadership and commitment from the Governor's office with a high level of interaction across different agencies. We were looking for a commitment to enact change.” According to WADOC (http://www.doc.wa.gov/) Re-Entry Administrator Candy Curl, Washington state has been focused on reducing recidivism for some time now. “We are changing from a risk-based organization to a needs-based organization,” she says. “We know that we need to protect the public and that is our main goal. But we cannot do that by locking up offenders alone. We need to address their issues so they don't re-offend again. We're seeing a big cultural shift here.” Washington officials also participate in the Government Management and Accountability Practice. GMAP is a program that requires regular reports from the Governor's office about state services, and accurate data about how those services work. To ensure oversight, the reports are made available to the public. MacLellan says GMAP was they type of idea he was looking for. “Washington will measure whatever they do for review,” says MacLellan. “The state really has a number of great things going on. It has made a large commitment across the board to accountability in upper and lower level offices when it comes to policy and procedure.” As it and they other four states gear up to combine forces with NGA on re-entry, MacLellan says he is optimistic that positive results of the academy will become obvious in 2008. “There are different re-entry challenges in each community,” he says. “But we are using a workable plan to help states reduce recidivism and change the culture that surrounds offender releases.” Bottom line: All five states selected by NGA have a chance to reduce recidivism and customize a re-entry plan for their communities. Corrections.com will follow up with NGA to see what results and feedback the program has received. |
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