National Institute of Corrections Library

The strength of this blog entry is it’s linking to pictures of conditions in solitary confinement. Since photographic evidence is so hard to locate, the links to these photographs make it easy to see how your agency’s practices compare to other agencies. SOURCE: Prison Photography. Authored by Brook, Pete.

“The ultimate goal of any correctional intervention is to prevent and reduce reoffending, and there is growing recognition that programmes solely based upon experience and intuition do not produce satisfactory results. Information about “what works,” generated through research or evaluation using accepted scientific methods, should guide the treatment of offenders. This is the essential philosophy of the “evidence-based approach.” There are two major components to the evidence-based treatment of offenders: appropriate risk assessment and proper implementation of treatment programmes. First, the risk factor of each offender must be identified, and then programmes proved to be effective that correspond to the identified risk must be properly implemented. This programme offered participants an opportunity to deepen their understanding and share knowledge and experience on the subject of the evidence-based treatment of offenders” (p. v). Visiting experts’ papers, participant and observers’ papers, and reports of the course found at this website are: “Risk/Needs Assessment: From Theory and Methods to Policy and Practice” by Laurence Louis Motiuk; “The Effectiveness, Efficiency and Relevancy of Correctional Programs: A System’s Perspective” by Motiuk; “The Evolution of Evidence-Based Correctional Programs in Canada” by Motiuk; “Overview of Correctional Programs in the U.S.A.” by Edward James Latessa; “Designing More Effective Correctional Programs Using Evidence-Based Practices” by Latessa; “Evaluating Correctional Programs” by Latessa; “The Introduction of Evidence-Based Practice within an Organization Undergoing Transformational Change” by Timothy Hee Sun Leo; “Current Evidence-Based Practices in the Singapore Prison Service” by Leo; “Using Evidence-Based Knowledge to Create an Offender Throughcare System” by Leo; “’Reception and Orientation Commission” As A Prison Reform Measure to Improve Offenders’ Treatment in Morocco” by Abderahim Rahouti; “Overview of the Correctional Department in Morocco” by Rahouti; “Evidence-Based Treatment of Offenders: Risks and Needs Assessment and Management Protocol for Offenders in the Correctional Services Department of Hong Kong” by Chun-kit Lawrence Chow; “Risk Assessment of Offenders in Korea—For a Successful Evidence-Based Treatment” by Jong-won Yoon; “Overview Paper: Introducing the Korean Correctional System” by Yoon; “Risk/Needs Assessment of Offenders”; and “Evidence-Based Offender Treatment Programme”. SOURCE: United Nations Asia and Fair East Institute for the Protection of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders (UNAFEI) (Tokyo, Japan).

Individuals looking for information about how to engage families in an ex-offender’s reentry efforts should read this report. The “goal of the research study was to add to the literature on whether and how family and social support networks are vehicles for practitioners and policymakers to reduce recidivism and lead to better reintegration outcomes” (p. iv). Sections following an executive summary include: introduction—importance of families in the reentry process, Safer Return Demonstration Process, study overview, and road map for the current report; Safer Return’s case management approach—preliminary process evaluation findings; data sources and evaluation methodology; portrait of family members of returning prisoners in two Chicago communities; changes in family experiences and outcomes over time; analyses of the association between family support and recidivism; and conclusion and tentative implications. It is extremely difficult to get families involved in the reentry process. SOURCE: Urban Institute. Safer Return Demonstration Project (New York, NY). Authored by Fontaine, Jocelyn; Gilchrist-Scott, Douglas; Denver, Megan; Rossman, Shelli B..