Publications

Economic Impacts of Prison Growth (4/13/2010)

The Congressional Research Service released a report on the economic impact of prison growth due to the unprecedented expansion during the last few decades, with a more than 400% jump in the prison population and a corresponding boom in prison construction. The corrections sector is in stress as states seek to reduce prison populations and rein in costs. Congress is involved in the debate via federal contracts with private prisons, proposed legislation to create a task force on the prison system, increased funding to reduce recidivism, a proposed bill to allow collective bargaining for public sector correctional workers, proposals to alter rules for the 2010 Census count, and rural development efforts. This report discusses this prison growth, prison employment and construction, the private sector, the economic impact of this growth and the challenges policy makers face.  Download report here.

Repaying Debts (2007)

The Council of State Governments Justice Center issued a publication in October on why victims and children of people released from prisons and jails often do not receive the restitution and support they are owed. Repaying Debts is a first-of-its-kind comprehensive guide, supported by the U.S. Justice Department’s Bureau of Justice Assistance, that details how policymakers can increase financial accountability among people leaving correctional facilities, improve rates of child support collection and victim restitution, and make individuals’ transition from prisons and jails to the community safe and successful. The report recommends very specific strategies to improve how people released from prisons and jails meet their court-ordered financial obligations. It also provides examples from states that have successfully implemented some aspect of these strategies, including Arizona, California, Colorado, Iowa, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Rhode Island, Washington, and Wisconsin.

Download the report summary

Download the full report

Click here to see other reentry resources from the Justice Center.

Health In Prisons: A WHO Guide to the Essentials In Prison Health (2007)

A continuing challenge in public health is to get services to the people who need them the most, especially those who are hardest to reach. Yet it is a sad reality of life that, at any one time, a high proportion of those with multiple health problems are incarcerated in the prisons of each country. They are certainly reachable, for a certain period at least.  For more than a decade, WHO has had a network of countries of the European region (with more than 30 countries now involved) supported by senior representatives approved at the ministerial level that gather to exchange experiences and evidence on how best to make prisons healthier places for staff as well as prisoners. The detection of serious communicable diseases such as HIV infection and tuberculosis, accompanied by adequate treatment and the introduction of harm reduction measures as necessary, contributes significantly to the health status of the communities from which the prisoners come and to which they return. In addition, it is now known that substance dependence can satisfactorily be treated in prisons. The many imprisoned people who have mental health problems can also be helped.

This guide outlines some of the steps prison systems should take to reduce the public health risks from compulsory detention in often unhealthy situations, to care for prisoners in need and to promote the health of prisoners and prison staff.

Click here to download a copy of Health In Prisons: A WHO Guide to the Essentials in Prison Health (6 MB).

Reposted with permission of the WHO Regional Office for Europe 2007, ISBN 978 92 890 7280 9, www.euro.who.int.

Mental Health Screens for Corrections (May 2007)

Julian Ford and Robert L. Trestman; and Fred Osher, Jack E. Scott, Henry J. Steadman, and Pamela Clark Robbins

Mental Health Screens for Corrections reports on two projects to create and validate mental health screening instruments that corrections staff can use during intake. The researchers created short questionnaires that accurately identify inmates who require mental health interventions. One mental health screen was found to be effective for men and is being adapted for women; the other has effective versions for both men and women. The screening instruments are reproduced in the appendixes.

Click here to download a copy of Mental Health Screens for Corrections (1.2 MB).

Reposted with permission of the National Institute of Justice, www.ojp.usdoj.gov/nij.

Roadmap to Seclusion and Restraint Free Mental Health Services (2007)

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has established seclusion and restraint as a priority area and has developed a National Action Plan to reach our vision of seclusion and restraint free mental health services. Roadmap to Seclusion and Restraint Free Mental Health Services represents a key component of this National Action Plan. It will increase the knowledge and skills of mental health service direct care staff, administrators, and consumers on alternatives to the use of seclusion and restraint. We also see this training as a tool to assist you with mental health system transformation—creating mental health services and supports that facilitate recovery and promote resiliency.

Many training manuals exist, but this curriculum is unique. The President’s New Freedom Commission on Mental Health called for consumer- and family-driven approaches that support recovery. The material in this manual is recovery based and developed by consumers. It draws on the published writings and research of the leaders in the recovery movement— consumers. It was developed with the assistance of the National Association of Consumer/Survivor Mental Health Administrators, and consumers from around the country were asked to provide insight derived from their experiences of seclusion and restraint and offer their guidance for the elimination of these practices. The expert opinion of direct care staff was also gathered and current literature on the topic was reviewed so that references could be provided. A Steering Committee, comprised of representatives from nearly every stakeholder organization within the mental health system, provided technical assistance and insight.  Finally, the training was pilot tested with direct care staff and administration at two hospitals.

Click here to download a copy of Roadmap to Seclusion and Restraint Free Mental Health Services.

Reposted with permission of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Rockville, Maryland, www.samhsa.gov.

Addressing Sexual Violence in Prisons: A National Snapshot of Approaches and Highlights of Innovative Strategies (2006)

John Blackmore, Rebecca Naser, Megan Schaffer, Janine M. Zweig

Before the Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) of 2003, it was not clear the extent to which state departments of corrections (DOCs) were addressing sexual violence in systematic ways. Little information existed about what strategies were being put into practice in prison systems across the country. PREA has changed the way DOCs are addressing prison sexual violence (PSV). The purpose of the current collaborative project between ASCA and the Urban Institute was to provide a national snapshot of DOC initiatives to address PSV, as well as to identify specific practices that seemed to be, in the absence of formal evaluations, particularly promising or innovative in nature. Practices were identified related to policy development, prevention, investigation and prosecution, victim services, staff training, documenting incidents, and funding.

Click here to download a copy of Addressing Sexual Violence in Prisons.

Reposted with permission of the Urban Institute, Washington DC 20037, www.urban.org.

Evidence-Based Adult Corrections Programs: What Works And What Does Not (2006)

This study by the Washington State Institute for Public Policy provides a comprehensive review of evidence-based programs for adult offenders. We asked a simple question: What works, if anything, to lower the criminal recidivism rates of adult offenders? To provide an answer, we systematically reviewed the evidence from 291 rigorous evaluations conducted throughout the United States and other English-speaking countries during the last 35 years.

Click here to download a copy of Evidence Based Research Results (to download PDF 1.6)

Correctional Directors Best Practices Perspectives on Reentry (2004)

Privatization: Contracting For and Monitoring Correctional Services Provided By Private Vendors (2000)

Correctional Best Practices: Directors' Perspectives (2000)

Action Partnerships for Corrections-based Victims Services (2001)

Alternatives for Financing Prison Facilities (2000)