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Senate Bill 91: Summary Of Policy Reforms, Uaa Justice Center

Vols 31-36 (2014-2019)

This article highlights provisions of Senate Bill 91, "Omnibus Criminal Law & Procedure; Corrections Act," related to the recommendations of the Alaska Criminal Justice Commission. SB91 was signed into law on July 11, 2016.

An Application Of General Strain Theory To Recidivism In Arkansas: A Multilevel Study, Brittani Mcneal

Theses and Dissertations

Prior research has focused on individual- and community-level factors in examining recidivism. Additionally, recidivism research has not applied criminological theory to explain recidivism, however, community-level measures have been constructed from social disorganization theory on recidivism. With a spotlight on individual characteristics and the community, potential factors from the institutional environment are limited in research, in addition to, the application of theory. The purpose of this dissertation was to examine the effects strain on recidivism and time to recidivism across prison in Arkansas by applying general strain theory. Specifically, the current study used male offenders released in 2011 who were housed …

An Evaluation Of A Group Counseling Intervention For Inmates With Mental Illness, Robert Michael Cox

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

The U. S. criminal justice system is the largest provider of mental health services in the country. However, the criminal justice system is not prepared to meet the complex needs of offenders with mental illness (OMI). This study used a quasi-experimental design to evaluate the pilot Adult Recidivism Alternatives (ARRAY) program as a treatment for commonly reported symptoms of mental illness. The Emotional Problems Scales (Corrections) was used to measure participants' symptom levels on the anxiety, depression, PTSD, and low se-esteem scales as measured at pre- and post-intervention. ARRAYis a group counseling intervention that combines Control Theory, individual psychology, and …

Ab 109 And Its Impact On Prison Overcrowding And Recidivism: A Policy Analysis, Angie Wootton

Themis: Research Journal of Justice Studies and Forensic Science

California experienced escalating issues with prison overcrowding from the late 1970s to 2010, as the prison population skyrocketed to unprecedented highs. This article will discuss the problem of prison overcrowding, and one recent policy intervention implemented to decrease overcrowding and offender recidivism rates, the Public Safety Realignment Act (AB 109). After providing background on the Public Safety Realignment Act, this article will analyze the effectiveness of the policy and make recommendations.

Alaska Justice Forum ; Vol. 32, No. 4 (Winter 2016), Brad A. Myrstol, Barbara Armstrong

Vols 31-36 (2014-2019)

The Winter 2016 issue of the Alaska Justice Forum features articles on approaches to evidence-based criminal justice reform and recidivism reduction in Alaska, and an initiatve to make Alaska and national public health data available online.

Criminal Justice Reform And Recidivism Reduction, Brad A. Myrstol, Barbara Armstrong

Vols 31-36 (2014-2019)

This article briefly examines evidence-based approach to policymaking in criminal justice and the two conceptual pillars that serve as the foundation of this strategy: effectiveness and efficiency. The article also describes the Pew-MacArthur Results First Initiative, a “smart justice” approach to reducing recidivism under the auspices of The Pew Charitable Trusts and the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, that is being led in Alaska by the Alaska Justice Information Center (AJiC), housed in the UAA Justice Center.

Justice Reinvestment Report, Barbara Armstrong

Vols 31-36 (2014-2019)

This article summarizes the Alaska Criminal Justice Commission's recommendations for criminal justice reform in Alaska included in the Commission's Justice Reinvestment Report released in December 2015.

Understanding The Effectiveness Of Incarceration On Juvenile Offending Through A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis: Do The "Get Tough" Policies Work?, Jacqueline Anita Black

School of Criminal Justice Theses and Dissertations

The juvenile system is no longer perceived as a social welfare model, but has become more punitive approximating a crime control model. Juveniles are not responsible for the majority of crime in the United States and are not the most serious and violent demographic; however, they are incarcerated at a higher rate than adults. Incarceration is an element of deterrence currently used by the juvenile justice system without a clear conclusion of whether or not it works to reduce juvenile crime.

The goal of this research was to first conduct a systematic review of prior studies on the effectiveness of …

Exploring Racial Differences In System Treatment And Criminal Justice Involvement : A Criminal Career Perspective, Jaeok Kim Kim

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

The overrepresentation of racial minorities is one of the key issues of the contemporary U.S. criminal justice system, and has motivated many studies to explore the cause and extent of the resulting disparities in the system. My dissertation consists of three separate papers, which contribute to the understanding of such disparities through unique approaches. Additionally, using both self-reported and official administrative datasets, I identify the strengths and limitations inherent to each type of data source, and discuss ways to increase the accuracy of the estimates of interest.

H.O.P.E. Court, Rhode Island's Federal Reentry Court: The First Year, Patricia A. Sullivan, Michael J. Primeau, Timothy K. Baldwin

Roger Williams University Law Review

No abstract provided.

Punishing Property Offenders: Does Moral Correction Work?, Sharona Aharony-Goldenberg, Yael Wilchek-Aviad

Touro Law Review

No abstract provided.

Domestic Violence Intervention Program Facilitators' Motivation For Working With Repeat Offenders, Elaine Marie Barclay

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Domestic violence (DV) rehabilitative program facilitators administer the same treatment programs to males who reoffend. When DV facilitators administer the same unsuccessful treatment programs to repeat offenders, facilitators may lose intrinsic and extrinsic motivation to perform their job. For this study a hermeneutic phenomenological methodology approach was used to explore the phenomenon of DV facilitators' motivation. Self-determination theory was used to frame the influence of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation on DV facilitators who administer treatment programs to repeat offending males. A recruitment flyer was placed in the DV organization, data were collected from 7 participants through face-to-face or telephone interviews …

Portmanteau Ascendant: Post-Release Regulations And Sex Offender Recidivism, J. J. Prescott

Articles

The purported purpose of sex offender post-release regulations (e.g., community notification and residency restrictions) is the reduction of sex offender recidivism. On their face, these laws seem well-designed and likely to be effective. A simple economic framework of offender behavior can be used to formalize these basic intuitions: in essence, post-release regulations either increase the probability of detection or increase the immediate cost of engaging in the prohibited activity (or both), and so should reduce the likelihood of criminal behavior. These laws aim to incapacitate people outside of prison. Yet, empirical researchers to date have found essentially no reliable evidence …

Empathy In Detained Male Juvenile Offenders, Cloyce Joe Barton

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In Texas and across the United States, minority male juvenile offenders are overrepresented in juvenile detention facilities. Researchers have demonstrated an inverse relationship between levels of empathy and antisocial beliefs and delinquent behaviors in juveniles. Understanding this relationship is an important step in designing and implementing rehabilitative interventions for juvenile detainees. Grounded in social learning theory and the social empathy model, the current study addressed whether significant differences in empathy existed between nonminority and minority male juvenile offenders with felony and nonfelony offenses within a juvenile detention facility in rural Texas. A de-identified data set of 357 Interpersonal Reactivity Index …

Psychoneuroimmunology: Enhancing Treatment Efficacy And Reducing Sexual Offender Recidivism In Court-Mandated Treatment, Cameron F. Zeidler

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Despite astronomical costs, state-funded sex offender treatment has a sole purpose of protecting communities at large. Designed to treat sexual psychopaths, costly state risk management programs are required to use traditional, outdated treatment models, which lack empirical support, lack published research, and lack curricula written at the seventh grade reading level. Psychoneuroimmunology (PNI) eagerly proves to be a new modality for Psychoeducation (PE) enhancing treatment efficacy and reducing offender recidivism in court-mandated treatment. The distinction in the present study is the difference between PE alone (control group) and PE with PNI (experimental group). Specifically, this study investigated the extent to …

Smart Justice In Alaska, Barbara Armstrong

Vols 31-36 (2014-2019)

Smart justice initiatives seek to reform criminal justice systems by reducing correctional populations and recidivism while lowering costs, maintaining offender accountability, and ensuring public safety. This article describes two smart justice initiatives underway in Alaska, “Results First” and “Justice Reinvestment."

Alaska Justice Forum ; Vol. 32, No. 2-3 (Summer/Fall 2015), Kristin S. Knudsen, Troy C. Payne, Daniel Reinhard, Barbara Armstrong

Vols 31-36 (2014-2019)

The Summer/Fall 2015 issue of the Alaska Justice Forum presents articles on a survey of studies on judicial selection methods used by U.S. states, selected milestones from the UAA Justice Center's 40-year history, an intervention to reduce public disorder in Anchorage's Town Square Park, 2014 institutional populations under authority of the Alaska Department of Corrections, and smart justice initiatives in Alaska.

Road To Recovery: Recidivism And The Mclean County Drug Court, Julia Neaves

Student Research – Stevenson Center

This study explores the effectiveness of the McLean County Drug Court at reducing time to recidivism using survival analysis techniques. Data on 146 drug court participants was collected using the county’s proprietary case management systems. Findings suggest that length of drug court programming significantly reduces time to recidivism. Unfortunately, black offenders and offenders with prior criminal history were found to return to the prison system more rapidly than other groups, suggesting that drug court programming may not be addressing the greater systemic issues present in the criminal justice system. These findings collectively inform policy recommendations provided to county administrators and …

Success In Drug Court: The Offenders' Perspective, Clete Snell Dr.

Journal of Family Strengths

Drug Courts have demonstrated a reduction in recidivism in comparison to traditional probation programs. Prior studies have not addressed why drug courts are effective from the participants' perspective. This study used focus groups to attempt to understand why the drug court model worked for these offenders when other approaches failed.The results suggest that avoiding jail or prison are the initial impetus to join, but individualized treatment, structure, accountability, and rewards are the factors cited as being most important for success in drug court. Many successful participants had long criminal and addiction histories. This study used eight years of drug court …

A Multilevel Approach To Recidivism: The Role Of Risk For Criminal Opportunities At The Neighborhood Level, Grant Drawve

Theses and Dissertations

In the past, research has focused on individual-level characteristics in examining recidivism, which could, in part, be because recidivism relies on the offenders to commit crime. In short, people recidivate, so research focuses on individuals, the ‘who’. With such a spotlight on individual characteristics, other, potential influential factors of recidivism are limited in research. One potential aspect of recidivism research that may add to the understanding is that the offenders are going back to neighborhoods. The expansion of research on recidivism to examine the neighborhood factors builds from identify the ‘who’ and working towards understanding the ‘where’. The purpose of …

A Field Study Of A Comprehensive Violence Risk Assessment Battery, Tess M. S. Neal, Sarah L. Miller, R. Clayton Shealy

University of Nebraska Public Policy Center: Publications

We used archival data to examine the predictive validity of a prerelease violence risk assessment battery over 6 years at a forensic hospital (N = 230, 100% male, 63.0% African American, 34.3% Caucasian). Examining “real-world” forensic decision making is important for illuminating potential areas for improvement. The battery included the Historical-Clinical- Risk Management–20, Psychopathy Checklist–Revised, Schedule of Imagined Violence, and Novaco Anger Scale and Provocation Inventory. Three outcome “recidivism” variables included contact violence, contact and threatened violence, and any reason for hospital return. Results indicated measures of general violence risk and psychopathy were highly correlated but weakly associated with reports …

Straight Lives: The Balance Between Human Dignity, Public Safety, And Desistance From Crime, Lila Kazemian

Publications and Research

This report looks at how the academic and practitioner worlds must collaborate to develop an effective, desistance-promoting approach to criminal justice. Interventions need to be desistance-focused and tailored to individual circumstances rather than standardized programming. Interventions should shift away from an emphasis on risk and criminogenic needs and help individuals overcome obstacles to desistance.

Rearrests During Mental Health Court Supervision: Predicting Rearrest And Its Association With Final Court Disposition And Post-Court Rearrests, Donald M. Linhorst Phd, David Kondrat Phd, Ann Dirks-Linhorst Ph.D., J.D.

SIUE Faculty Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activity

Mental health courts are one means to address the involvement of persons with mental illness in the criminal justice system. Using a sample of 811 participants of a municipal mental health court, this study found that 23.2% of participants were rearrested during court supervision. This study also identified factors associated with these rearrests, as well as the effects of rearrests during supervision on program completion and rearrests in the one-year period following program completion. This study concludes with implications for mental health court supervision.

Newsroom: Horwitz On Ri Probation Reform, Roger Williams University School Of Law

Life of the Law School (1993- )

No abstract provided.

Veteran Treatment Courts, Honorable Robert T. Russell

Touro Law Review

No abstract provided.

Adjudicating Cases Involving Adolescents In Suffolk County Criminal Courts, Honorable Fernando Camacho

Touro Law Review

No abstract provided.

Proportional Response: The Need For More—And More Standardized—Veterans’ Courts, Claudia Arno

University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform

Over the past two decades, judges and legislators in a number of states have recognized significant shortcomings in the ways traditional systems of criminal corrections address cases involving criminal offenders who are veterans of the U.S. armed services. This recognition has come at a time when policy-makers have similarly recognized that, for certain subsets of criminal offenders, “diversionary” programs may achieve better policy results than will traditional criminal punishment. In accordance with these dual recognitions, some states have implemented systems of veterans’ courts, in which certain offenders, who are also U.S. veterans, are diverted into programs that provide monitoring, training, …

Civil Disabilities In An Era Of Diminishing Privacy: A Disability Approach For The Use Of Criminal Records In Hiring, Andrew Elmore

Faculty Scholarship

An evaluation of normative and legal frameworks to encourage the employment of people with criminal convictions is in order. While current approaches are likely to eliminate overbroad initial hiring screens, there remains the unfinished project of reintegrating persons with criminal convictions into the workforce. For this, policy tools are needed to discourage the misuse of irrelevant criminal convictions and to encourage a contextualized evaluation of criminal convictions and the fair consideration of applicants’ qualifications separate from them.

This Article proposes a disability normative and legal framework as a useful approach to guide this analysis. Disability laws first consider the privacy …

Labor Force Participation And Crime Among Serious And Violent Former Prisoners, Nora Ellen Wikoff

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

This project examines the relationship between work and crime among male former prisoners. Criminological theories and observational studies suggest that work reduces crime, but recent studies cast doubt on the ability of employment programs to reduce recidivism among former prisoners. Ongoing weak evaluations may imperil support for employment-focused rehabilitative programming. Using data from the Serious and Violent Offender Reentry Initiative (n = 1,575), this study examines whether selection bias and unobserved heterogeneity contribute to weak evaluation findings.First, this study tests whether unobserved heterogeneity contributes to jobs programs' weak treatment effects. It uses group-based trajectory modeling and propensity score methods to …

Capital And Punishment: Examining Prison's Revolving Door, Amanda Paige Cook

Theses and Dissertations

Using data collected at the Central Mississippi Correctional Facility, this research aimed to examine factors that affect the likelihood of re-offending by testing two models: a specific deterrence model and a proposed comparable capital model. Specifically, this research aimed to examine how economic, cultural, and social capital in the community, as well as in prison, affect self-reported likelihood of re-offending upon release, and to examine if these indicators are better suited for explaining offending as compared to those included in a deterrence model. By examining these effects, it was discovered that traditional deterrence and capital indicators alone do not provide …