1. Promising Practices in Criminal Justice Reform
Council of State Government
June 2017
Presentation by Steve Allen, CSG

3. Most people in the justice system have multiple risks and needs
Objective
Public Safety
Public Health
Risk
Recidivism
Violence
Relapse
Decompensation
Needs
Criminal Thinking*
Associates
Drugs & Alcohol
Family & Relationships
Work/School
Lifestyle
Substance Abuse
Mental Illness
Co-occurring
Physical health
Can’t simply focus on CJ or BH. Both are present and interact. System level and individual level interventions need to incorporate both in an integrated way
*Most predictive
Council of State Governments Justice Center

4. People with behavioral health conditions are over-represented in criminal justice systems
In the U.S. General Population:
In the U.S. State Prison Population: 9%
Meet criteria
for substance use disorders
53%
Meet criteria for Substance Abuse Disorders
56%
Meet criteria for Mental Health Problem
16%
Meet criteria
For mental illness
People with BH disorders are over-represented in CJ systems at rates 3-5 times general population 5%
Meet criteria for serious mental illness
17%
Meet criteria for serious mental illness
On average, female inmates have a higher prevalence of MH and SU Disorders than male offenders
Source: Doris James and Lauren Glaze. “Mental Health Problems of Prison and Jail Inmates”. September Office of Justice Programs

5. Risk and Treatment Assessment
Properly assessing risks and needs helps appropriately match people to the right types of interventions
Risk and Treatment Assessment
Risk, need and responsivity principles work by individually matching an individual’s
risk of recidivism and criminogenic need factors to programs and treatment.
When tailored programs
and treatment are combined with community supervision, they are effective in reducing recidivism.
MOD/
HIGH
RISK
LOW RISK
Low to High
Treatment Needs
Low to High
Treatment Needs
Standard Supervision
Enhanced
Supervision
Standard
Treatment
Enhanced
Treatment
Jordan M. Hyatt, JD PhD and Geoffrey C. Barnes, PhD, Evidence Based Practices (EBP) & Workload Analysis: Survey Results, April 2015

6. To reduce recidivism, approaches must address the need areas that drive criminal behavior
Addressing just one need is insufficient to change behavior
Programs must be based on proven curricula or principles of effective intervention
Programs must have high integrity
Addressing only one criminogenic factor has significantly less of an impact than addressing multiple factors
Evidenced-based practices significantly reduce recidivism, while outdated punitive approaches can increase negative results
Program integrity is how closely a program aligns with best practice standards (fidelity to the model).
Program integrity score
Reduced Recidivism
Increased Recidivism
Cognitive-behavioral with graduated
skills practice
Increased Recidivism
Targeting 1 Need
Targeting 3+ Needs
Punishment oriented
14%
22% -
51%
Level of Recidivism Reduction
Reduced Recidivism
Andrews and Bonta, The Psychology of Criminal Conduct, 5th ed. (New Providence, NJ: Mathew and Bender & Company, Inc., 2010); Lowenkamp, Latessa, and Holsinger, “The Risk Principle in Action: What Have We Learned from 13,676 Offenders and 97 Correctional Programs?” Crime and Delinquency 52, no. 1 (2006):

7. Adherence to RNR principles is especially important to the effectiveness of community supervision as a recidivism reduction strategy
EFFECT SIZE OF DIFFERENT SUPERVISION PROGRAMS ON RECIDIVISM REDUCTION AS DETERMINED BY INVENTORY OF EVIDENCE-BASED AND RESEARCH-BASED PROGRAMS FOR ADULT CORRECTIONS AS OF DECEMBER 2013
Characteristics of Intensive Supervision Programs
Surveillance focus
One size fits all approach
Contact frequency as a key performance measure for officers
Use of incarceration as primary sanction
Proportionality of sanctions not prioritized
Little consideration of criminogenic “needs”
($7,646)
Benefits
Minus Cost
Intensive Supervision Program Only
Intensive Supervision Program + Treatment
$3,728
Benefits Minus Cost
Characteristics of RNR Supervision
Assessing risk/needs
Focusing on higher risk parolees
Balancing supervision and treatment
Using incentives and rewards
Involving offenders in process
Responding to violations in swift and consistent manner
High quality CBI programming
$12,121
Benefits Minus Cost
Risk Needs Responsivity Supervision
Increased Recidivism Reduction
Washington State Institute for Public Policy. Benefit Cost Results: Adult Criminal Justice System. June

8. Specialized Supervision
IDEAL ARRAY OF CARE
Medicaid Reimbursable
Not Medicaid Reimbursable
Providing funding and engaging community providers in collaborative and evidence-based interventions can reduce incarceration for people with behavioral health needs
More
diversions from incarceration
Intensive
Outpatient Treatment
Certified
Peer
Supports
Case
Management
Specialized Supervision
Supported
Housing
Aftercare
Correctional
Programming
Self-Help
Groups
ARRAY OF COMMUNITY INTERVENTIONS AND SUPPORTS
Funding
Fewer supervision failures
Network of
Providers

9. https://csgjusticecenter.org/jr/
For more promising practices from around the country, visit the CSG website: