The following are links for the
materials from the Leadership Council's Reentry Forum which took
place
on April 8, 2010.
Justice
Reinvestment: A data-driven approach to reduce corrections
spending and reinvest savings in strategies that can decrease crime and
strengthen neighborhoods
The Justice
Center of the Council of State Governments
presents “Reinvestment” as the national model for States to address the
rising
cost of corrections spending. The Reinvestment model focuses on using
research
to determine factors driving crime and re-offense rates, and also to
identify
approaches and programs that reduce recidivism. The goal of Reinvestment
policy
is to gather and analyze data from which policy options can be formed,
implement the most promising policy options, and measure the efficacy of
these
programs. Case studies are provided that document the experiences of
Texas and
Kansas enacting policies to prevent each State’s prison population from
increasing.
http://www.justicereinvestment.org/resources
Department of Corrections Business Plan
The Wisconsin Department of Corrections prepared a business
plan for the time period spanning from 2008 - 2013. The business plan codifies
DOC approach to preparing offenders for “ReEntry” from intake to discharge from
DOC supervision. The DOC business plan formally delineates the tenants of the
“ReEntry” approach. The plan also outlines “offender” data and measures of
statistical interest to DOC leadership.
Lastly, the plan indentifies organizational objectives and requisite DOC
activities to ensure their achievement. Program outputs are also indentified
that will signal completion of a given objective.
http://www.wi-doc.com/PDF_Files/Reentry%20Business%20Plan%204-2008%20with%20sign.pdf
After- Prison Road Blocks to ReEntry: A Report on Legal Barriers Facing
People with Criminal Backgrounds
The Legal Action Center (LAC) prepared this report to document
the barriers that individuals face when attempting to re-enter society after
serving time in prison. The report takes a national perspective and summarizes,
State by State, various laws that create barriers for ex-prisoners to return
successfully to their communities. A report card is provided for each State’s
ability to effectively adjudicate offenders without unduly hindering ex-offenders
ability to function in society once their sentence is over. Recommendations are also provided for
Federal and State policy-makers pursue further systems change.
http://www4.uwm.edu/eti/barriers/MilwaukeePrisonStudy.pdf
Barriers to Employment: Prison Time
This 2007 report by John Pawasarat of UW-Milwaukee discusses
the conditions that affect ex-prisoners successful integration into society.
The focus of the report is the legal and transportation barriers that
ex-prisoners face when returning to Milwaukee County. It is determined that
transportation is more of a barrier to retaining employment than education
attainment. The report proposes several action items, including implementation
of driver’s license restoration programs during prison sentences and assessment
of City of Milwaukee ordinances that criminalize failure to pay fines,
particularly in cases unrelated to serious driving violation. An assortment of
statistics are presented to illustrate the current conditions facing the State
and the City with regard to incarceration and recidivism rates.
http://www4.uwm.edu/eti/barriers/MilwaukeePrisonStudy.pdf
ReEntry a Bridge to
Success
To summarize the issues surrounding “ReEntry”
policy from
the institutional standpoint, the Department of Corrections (DOC)
prepared this
report to identify the major areas where the DOC can support prisoner
efforts
to successfully transition back to their communities. The report
addresses how
AODA, mental health, education, family support, housing and
transportation
affect ex-prisoners reintegration into society. Care is also taken to
analyze
the effects of incarceration as they relate specifically to the
experiences of
women, men, and adolescents. The DOC also provides listings of the
organizations and agencies that partner in their effort to reduce
recidivism.
http://www.wi-doc.com/index_leadership.htm
Justice Reinvestment in
Wisconsin: Analyses and Policy Options to
Reduce Spending on
Corrections and increase Public Safety.
This report, authored by the Justice Center of
the Council
of State Governments at the behest of Governor Doyle and Chief Justice
Abrahamsom and several Assembly members, details the Corrections
statistics in
the State of Wisconsin and makes policy prescriptions presumed to
further
advance the goal of decreasing Corrections spending.
http://www.legis.state.wi.us/lc/committees/study/2008/JRIO/files/Wisconsin_vfinaldraft.pdf
ReEntry a Bridge to Success
To summarize the issues surrounding “ReEntry” policy from
the institutional standpoint, the Department of Corrections (DOC) prepared this
report to identify the major areas where the DOC can support prisoner efforts
to successfully transition back to their communities. The report addresses how
AODA, mental health, education, family support, housing and transportation
affect ex-prisoners reintegration into society. Care is also taken to analyze
the effects of incarceration as they relate specifically to the experiences of
women, men, and adolescents. The DOC also provides listings of the
organizations and agencies that partner in their effort to reduce recidivism.
http://www.wi-doc.com/index_leadership.htm
Right-sizing Prisons: Business Leaders Make the Case for Corrections Reform
The
PEW Center on the States published excerpts from interviews given by business
leaders across the nation regarding their interest in Correction Reform.
Primarily, business interests are affected by expanded Corrections spending and
its negative impact on business tax burdens and tax incentives that are
foregone to pay for the cost of Correctional facilities. The report also
documents the business community’s effort to lobby public decision-makers to
embrace Corrections reform.
http://www.pewcenteronthestates.org/uploadedFiles/Business%20Leaders_QA_Brief_web.pdf