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This report examines 10 years of data analyzing the effectiveness of correctional boot camps in reducing the likelihood that inmates will commit another crime after release from prison and reducing prison populations and costs. Each boot camp studied had a different design, and each study used a different method to evaluate the program. Results indicated that participants reported positive short-term changes in attitudes and behaviors and had better problem solving and coping skills. With few exceptions, however, these positive changes did not lead to reduced recidivism. The boot camps that did produce lower recidivism rates offered more treatment services, had longer sessions, and included more intensive post-release supervision. However, not all programs with these features had successful results. Results suggest that under a narrow set of conditions, boot camps can lead to small relative reductions in prison population and correctional costs. Reasons for failure included: mandates to reduce prison populations through early release made volunteering for boot camps unnecessary as a means of shortening sentences; lack of a standard boot camp model; and insufficient focus on offenders' reentry into the community. (Contains 23 references.) (SM)

This Research for Practice examines the Residential Substance Abuse Treatment (RSAT) program at the South Idaho Correctional Institution. The program targets parole-violating inmates with substance abuse problems in an effort to reduce recidivism. Researchers conducted a 15-month evaluation of the program's process to identify strengths and weaknesses. Evaluators found Idaho's RSAT program succeeds in part because it combines the most successful known substance abuse treatment approaches used in correctional facilities: a strict process for screening potential participants; the establishment of a therapeutic community; a combination of treatment types--cognitive self-change and behavioral strategies and a 12-step program; the intense involvement of inmates in their own problem solving and development; and an emphasis on the need for a structured aftercare component. Evaluators observed that program participants seemed to have developed prosocial attitudes after participation in the program, and they speculated that the program would likely reduce incarceration costs. These findings may be instructional for other correctional facilities grappling with similar problems. (GCP)

Previous research has found that 80 percent of all adults incarcerated for felonies either had regularly used illegal drugs or abused alcohol, been convicted of a drug or alcohol violation, were under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol at the time of their crime, committed a crime to support their habit, or exhibited some combination of these characteristics. The key to reducing crime, the prison population and the enormous associated costs is to reduce the substance abuse among offenders. The Drug Treatment Alternative-to-Prison (DTAP) Program in Brooklyn, New York gives every indication of doing just this with some of the most difficult offenders who have not been convicted of violent crimes. The program is open to addicts who have repeatedly sold drugs, have not been convicted of a violent crime, are willing to engage in treatment and communal living, do not have a history of violence or severe mental disorder, and are facing a mandatory prison sentence. CASA's five-year evaluation of the program reveals the following: DTAP participants have rearrest rates that are 26 percent lower and reconviction rates that are 36 percent lower two years after leaving the program than those of the matched comparison group; participants are 67 percent less likely to return to prison; DTAP graduates had rearrest rates that were 33 percent lower, re conviction rates that were 45 percent lower, and were 87 percent less likely to return to prison; and graduates are three and one-half times likelier to be employed than they were before arrest. DTAP is proposed as a promising example of what law enforcement can do to reduce the number of addicted drug offenders in America's prisons. (Contains 56 references and 3 tables.) (GCP)

Three judges rated General Educational Development (GED) student essays that had been written by nine incarcerated youths. If judge's ratings were not consistent, students would receive a biased average rating. Traditional classical measurement theory computes an intraclass reliability coefficient to determine if judges' ratings are reliable. In contrast, a latent trait measurement theory approach can determine a student's fair average rating adjusted for any bias in the judges ratings. A comparison of these two approaches with this sample indicated that the latent trait approach yielded more useful information for training judges to be more consistent and less biased in rating GED student essays. An appendix contains the scoring guide, computer screen illustrations, and the Rasch measurement programs. (Contains 18 references.) (Author/SLD)

The cost benefits of lifelong learning in the United Kingdom were estimated, based on quantitative evidence. Between 1975-1996, 43 police force areas in England and Wales were studied to determine the effect of wages on crime. It was found that a 10 percent rise in the average pay of those on low pay reduces the overall area property crime rate by between 0.7 and 1.0 percentage points. The benefit was estimated to be between 1.3 and 1.8 billion British pounds per year. Furthermore, the effect on wages of a one point increase in the proportion of the working age area population with a high school diploma or equivalent qualification was predicted to lie between 10 million and 320 million pounds. It was found that cost benefit increases and crime decreases with more education. Parent background, health, and social cohesion were among key factors underlying the relationship between learning, achievement, and crime reduction. Future qualitative studies were recommended to determine more specifically the causal mechanisms and mediating processes that bear on the wider benefits of learning throughout an individual's life. (Seven tables/figures are included. The bibliography lists 53 references. Appended are tables on the relationship between education and training qualifications and wages and a classification of academic and vocational qualifications.) (AJ)

This study compared face-to-face and video classroom instruction and assessed self-reported educational outcomes and intent to persist for a population of 274 student inmates at 9 prisons. Consistent with student-institution fit literature, the strongest positive and direct influences on educational outcomes are faculty classroom effectiveness, peer interactions, and being female. Learning via distance, in this case video, has a direct negative influence on faculty and peer interactions, a negative but indirect influence on outcomes, a positive influence on intent to persist in the course and semester, but no association with intent to persist in the degree program. (Contains 3 tables and 23 references.) (Author/SLD)

This study focused on employment-related programs in prison, exploring what the research literature tells about the effectiveness of prison-based education, vocational training, and prison industry on postrelease outcomes. Also studied was the state of practice of such programs and strategic opportunities for improving existing employment-related programs and introducing new programs in prison. Following a review of evaluation research on the effectiveness of education and work-related programs, an inventory of programs in seven states in the Great Lakes region was conducted. Based on the literature review, state profiles, and interviews with correctional administrators and experts, strategic recommendations were developed to improve and enhance prison programming. A conference on correctional programming in September 2001 afforded an additional opportunity to obtain views and research on such programs. Fewer than 15% of inmates receive programming that addresses their educational needs. The work experience and skills of inmates are well below those of the general population, and, overall educational and vocational prison programming has declined for a combination of economic reasons and growth in the number of inmates. The preliminary findings highlight the need for a much more systematic assessment of these issues, but they do suggest that researchers have developed important groundwork in the area of correctional programming. There are core principles that effective programming should reflect. The gap between programming need and resources appears to be considerable, but opportunities for improving and enhancing correctional programming do exist. (Contains 2 figures, 5 tables, and 32 references.) (SLD)

This document describes a research study of the status of basic adult literacy services in New England, particularly the inadequate link between adult basic education (ABE) and work- force preparation programs. The report describes a system that has failed to adapt to the region's increased need for articulation among English as a Second Language Programs (ESOL), adult education and secondary education. Following an executive summary and a section describing the need for ABE services, there are sections on four major areas considered to be significant if New England is to transform adult basic education from an inadequately funded, stand-alone cottage industry into a institutionalized, professional delivery system characterized by effective partnerships. These are the major areas: (1) funding and capacity; (2) mission and performance measures; (3) pathways to advancement; and (4) special populations. The report concludes with 14 recommendations for change, including the following: develop a clear mission for ABE that includes a public role in economic development and poverty reduction; create pathways to educational and economic advancement; create sustainable adult education systems for prison inmates; provide adequate funding; and publish state report cards. There are nine tables. Notes, list of interviewees and the research methodology are appended. The bibliography lists 22 references. (AJ)

Secure state correctional facilities currently house more than 1.8 million adults, and nearly 4.4 million adults fall under state-administered community corrections. A state's approach to corrections and the communication between the state correctional components can have a large impact on the state's correctional education program. Decentralized systems can lead to inconsistencies offered to offenders and to duplication of services. State correctional programs are also shaped by their own government structure, which can be separate from the governing structure of corrections. State corrections systems also differ significantly from the standpoints of funding sources, correctional philosophy, and pertinent laws. Low literacy is pervasive in prisons, and the percentage of inmates with learning disabilities is estimated to be higher than in the general adult population. Correctional education instructors face numerous significant challenges. Improving inmates' literacy skills is a central component of correctional education. In response to changing inmate demographics, increasing numbers of correctional programs are offering family literacy programs to improve parents' and children's' literacy skills and to maintain and strengthen family relationships. The correctional education programs in Maryland, Ohio, and Texas illustrate how the structure of correctional education programs varies by state. (Contains 105 endnotes and 32 recommended resources.) (MN)

Mental health advocates have been distressed for years about the disproportionate number of people with psychiatric disabilities who are arrested or held in jail or prison. Equally disturbing is the endless cycle of recidivism that results when people with psychiatric disabilities are released with their needs unmet. The Council of State Governments (CSG) recently completed two years of study and meetings of hundreds of individuals involved in criminal justice or mental health systems at the state and local levels. As the CSG found, "individuals with mental illnesses leaving prison without sufficient supplies of medication, connections to mental health and other support services, and housing are almost certain to decompensate, which in turn will likely result in behavior that constitutes a technical violation of release conditions or a new crime." This cycle can be broken, by ensuring that inmates with psychiatric disabilities have immediate access to the mental health services, housing and other supports they need to avoid rearrest. "Building Bridges" offers an approach that states can use to afford recently released inmates with psychiatric disabilities a successful transition to community life and provides a legislative template for enacting such policies. A summary of the model law is presented to provide a broad overview. In the succeeding sections, the text of the proposed legislation is paired with a commentary with background and explanation to assist advocates and policymakers in working to adapt the model to their state. The commentary highlights potential issues, explains the choices made as the language was drafted and provides references to helpful sources and supplementary materials. (GCP)

The impact of correctional education (CE) on inmates' postrelease behavior was examined in a longitudinal study of recidivism in Maryland (which has a medium-sized prison population), Minnesota (which has a small prison population), and Ohio (which has a large prison population). The study sample consisted of 3,170 individuals in the release cohorts from the three states during 1997 and 1998. Of those individuals, 1,373 (43.3%) had participated in CE and 1,797 (56.7%) had not. Data were collected through an inmate prerelease survey, and educational/institutional data collection form, and a parole/release officer survey. Together, the surveys provided information about the release cohort members' socioeconomic characteristics, criminal behavior, family life, educational experiences, work history, postrelease employment and wage patterns, and postrelease behavior (recidivism). Inmates who participated in CE while incarcerated showed lower rates of recidivism after 3 years. In each state, the three measures of recidivism (rearrest, reconviction, and reincarceration) were significantly lower among those who had participated in correctional education. The aggregate recidivism data for all CE participants versus nonparticipants in all three states were as follows: rearrest, 48% versus 57%; reconviction, 27% versus 35%; and reincarceration, 21% versus 31%. In all 3 years of the study, CE participants earned higher wages than did nonparticipants. Background information on correctional services and CE programs in Maryland, Minnesota, and Ohio is appended. (Contains 15 references.) (MN)

The role of incarcerated women's writings as change agents for their communities was explored in a project during which 15 Anglo-American, African-American, and Latina women between the ages of 19 and 40 years voluntarily participates in three 10-week poetry reading and discussion sessions. The program was designed as a Freirian/humanities adult education program and was based on a model for a pilot study with homeless women as a nonthreatening mechanism for addressing personal crises. Before the first session, the women were apprised of the process and requested that Maya Angelou, Patrice Gaines, and Nikki Giovanni serve as "mentors" or role models for their writing. The majority of the women were receptive to the program model of reading, reflecting on, and discussing poetry as a tool for examining their personal identity and values and building a community. The program also had a serendipitous outcome the emergence of a different, activist voice as several of the "repeaters" developed an activist perspective for effecting change within their community, thus confirming theoretical constructs regarding the developing of a confident, meaningful "voice" for social engagement. In interviews, especially, the women exercised extraordinary agency, requesting that their writing be disseminated and maintaining that the alternative, open resistance to the prison system would be personally destructive. (Contains 16 references.) (MN)

The concept of narrative was used to examine the process of transformative learning and explore the possibilities for using narrative as a central construct for theorizing transformation and thereby expanding the possibilities for research and practice. The concepts of narrative used in the analysis were as follows: (1) it moves from past to future; (2) it spans the psychological, social, cultural, and historical dimensions in content and form; and (3) it includes cognitive, affective, spiritual, and somatic dimensions. These concepts were used to analyze the narrative of a woman who was incarcerated for serious drug offenses and was herself an addict. The analysis demonstrates that the method of using retrospective life history that is typically used as the primary form of data when studying transformative learning provides only one perspective on transformative learning and that prospective studies might provide researchers and theoreticians with a new perspective on information on transformative learning. The argument is made that since the incidents that serve as a catalyst for transformation are rarely predicable enough to enable study, other ways of expanding understanding of transformation must be found. Reconceptualizing transformative learning as a narrative process is deemed promising because it addresses some of the problems that accrue when transformation is thought of in constructivist terms. (Contains 12 references.) (MN)

A study examined how one group of marginalized women, the incarcerated, construct their sense of self. Using the notion of nonunitary subjectivity to analyze life history narratives, the study demonstrated how they create and sustain thematic coherence in their sense of self and how they manage contradiction, primarily through constructing a split self and by positioning themselves within discourses they see as advantaging them. Data were collected in two ways from 24 women incarcerated in Texas whom prison school faculty considered to be reflective, capable of human growth, and socialized to prison life. Ten were African-American, 7 were Hispanic, and 7 were Anglo. Life history interviews were conducted with each women. They were unstructured interviews done in two or three sessions of approximately 90 minutes each. After the interviews were completed, group meetings were held weekly for two hours over the course of a year. The cases of two women were studied in detail. For each, major events of her life were summarized, overarching themes in her narrative were identified, and a segment of her interview was examined in which she was in dialogue with herself about her life. Findings indicated two strategies dominate the way women manage contradiction. The first was to construct a split self, a conscious division of their subjective experiences and feelings that enables them to organize contradictory elements and manage them. The second was to position themselves within discourses that they see as advantageous to themselves, such as portraying themselves as"good mothers," whatever the reality of their mothering. (Contains 19 references.) (YLB)

This paper describes a state-funded inmate education and re-entry program that provides soft skills training for soon-to-be released offenders. The paper presents preliminary evidence regarding the impact of this training on 14 young male participants. Data came from information prepared by inmates throughout the training program and ethnographic field notes from interviews with inmates following successful completion of the program. The paper begins with four hypotheses on "the African American male problem" (spatial isolation, social capital, search and destroy, and cultural capital/employer preference), assessing their implications for designing interventions to facilitate African American male inmates' re-entry into mainstream society. It describes the North Carolina Inmate Education and Re-Entry Program, profiling its participants, describing preliminary program successes, and examining the pro-social actions inmates have taken in working to achieve their goals. All 14 participants expressed willingness to work in legitimate occupations and rebuild and improve their family lives. Two earned work release privileges and are successfully employed, two were released from prison and have jobs, and another runs a legitimate business from prison. (Contains 91 references.) (SM)

This paper examines two themes pertaining to children of incarcerated parents in Norway. The first is the visiting room of a Norwegian prison. The paper briefly describes conditions in and provides photographs of the children's corner of the visiting room at Norway's Oslo Fengsel Prison. The corner was established in 1998 with toys and fresh paint to facilitate children's visits with their fathers, but recent visits revealed a lack of care by prison officials for the area. The second is "Families in Trouble, What Do We Tell the Children? And What Is Right To Say?" The paper briefly describes a workshop and prison project to help children and fathers cope with parental imprisonment. (EV)

A project was conducted to determine the thoughts and feelings of probationers (mostly white males ranging in age from early 20s to early 50s) mandated by a judge to complete their GED (General Educational Development) diploma or their high school diploma at a local adult education program mostly attended by middle-aged white female displaced textile workers. The study began by interviewing the local criminal judge, two probation officers, and one probationer individually and holding a focus group in which six probationers participated. In addition, two teaching staff members were queried and the probationers were observed in the classroom and in tutoring sessions for 4 months. The study found that, unlike the adult students who attend the center on a voluntary basis, probationers differ in their motivation for completing a diploma. Although they see the value of achieving a diploma, outside support or coercion keeps them attending the program. Although most probationers initially had strong aversive reactions to the concept, most of them eventually began to work hard toward accomplishing their goals. The study concluded that since probationers had strongly negative attitudes toward being forced to do anything, they should be given more choice in determining whether to pursue a high school diploma or a GED. The study also concluded that more structured classroom learning and more supportive services should be provided to help the probationers succeed. (KC)

An adult educator at an all-male maximum-security correctional center in Virginia conducted a research project to learn her students' attitudes toward the computers that had recently been introduced in their classroom. She used the following data collection tools and activities: a nine-question survey that was administered to the students in all four periods that she taught; opinion essays that students wrote on technology uses in the classroom; one-on-one interviews with five students with differing attitudes toward computers; interviews with one academic instructor and one vocational instructor at the correctional center; and a journal in which she noted her observations of the students for 2 months. Most students liked the computers because they made learning easy, provided instant feedback, and allowed students to experience the joy of independent learning and build bridges to the future. Although most students enjoyed using computers, they also felt limited because they had to use "canned" programs and because security restrictions made it impossible for them to use the Internet. Many students also requested more training on computers to increase their comfort with the machines. The teacher has since developed personalized goal sheets to give students who opt to use computers more direction in doing so. (MN)

An academic teacher at a maximum-security prison in Virginia conducted a study to determine how to improve instruction and motivate adult learners in a correctional facility. Data were collected through a survey that was distributed to 22 individuals and completed by 20 of them (2 academic teachers, 1 vocational instructor, 6 students, and 11 inmates who were presently or had previously worked as teacher aides/tutors). The survey was supplemented with interviews of the vocational instructor, two students, and three former tutors and by 3 weeks of classroom observations. Although the survey responses varied widely, most respondents stated clearly that teachers must care about students as individuals and show that they care about students and are interested in their welfare. Respondents also indicated with regularity that teachers should recognize and reward students for doing good work. Many respondents believed that teachers should be well-organized and know their subject area. Suggestions for improving instruction and student motivation included providing adequate numbers of computers in each classroom and ensuring that computer programs meet students' needs and instructional levels. Finally, respondents generally agreed that students themselves must posses a certain degree of self-motivation and be able to accept responsibility for their personal growth. (MN)

Using data from the National Corrections Reporting Program, this study examined trends in imprisoning drug offenders in the United States, focusing on the numbers of incarcerated drug offenders and the relationship between incarceration for drug use and rates of drug use. Overall, the increase in drug admissions to prison from 1986 to 1996 is astonishing. In 1996 there were nearly four times as many admissions as only 10 years before. Increases in incarceration for drug use far surpassed increases in commitments for other nonviolent and violent offenses. The growth in drug commitments has been disproportionately borne by blacks. Even in the states with a decrease in commitments for drug use, Hawaii and West Virginia, the decrease has been entirely attributable to a decrease in white incarceration. From 1986 to 1996, there has been a 291 percent increase in the rates at which young people were incarcerated because of drug involvement. Little connection has been found between drug incarceration rates and drug use. In spite of the massive increase in drug admissions to prison for young people, a recent study found that drug use among high school students increased in the 1990s, with twice as many high school students reporting the use of cocaine. Faced with the increasing numbers of people incarcerated for drug use and the human and economic costs they reflect, states are beginning to experiment with ways to address substance abuse without unnecessary imprisonment. Among these propositions are reform initiatives in Arizona and New York that provide substance abuse treatment to nonviolent offenders in place of incarceration. (Contains 11 graphs, 10 tables, and 39 endnotes.) (SLD)

This paper explores the schooling experiences of nine African American male inmates. The researcher conducted face-to-face interviews with inmates to obtain accounts of their schooling experiences, then grouped recurring topics into four themes. The themes included: their discomfort with being embarrassed or shamed in school; their feeling of being on the outside looking in; their need to feel cared about by teachers; and the fear they noticed others felt for them and that which they felt for others. The paper concludes with a list of things that teachers must never do, including: never forget that voice is important; never maintain low expectations; never purposely embarrass students; never exclude students from decision-making opportunities; never forget students' tendency to feel like outsiders; never show impatience; never socially promote because of disciplinary problems; never forget to help students set goals; never allow sleeping in class; and never forget that the school belongs to the students. (Contains 36 references.) (SM)

A study examined the relationship between correctional industry work experience and the work ethic of the inmate workers assigned to certain Florida correctional industry programs. Inmate workers (n=369) assigned to three of PRIDE Enterprises's correctional industry programs were participants. These industries were selected for the study: printing, vehicle refurbishing, and textiles. The Multidimensional Work Ethic Profile (MWEP) (Miller, 1997), the survey instrument, was a 65-item Likert scale questionnaire with responses from strongly disagree to strongly agree. Findings indicated that, compared with the Miller (1997) and Blumental (1999) studies, the only known studies of work ethic that used the MWEP, the inmates scored very high. The factor analysis showed five dimensions emerged: Morality/Ethics, Hard Work, Centrality of Work, Leisure, and Independence. Regression analysis showed no statistically significant relationship between the length of time a worker was assigned to an industry and his composite work ethic score. Neither did other independent variables affect the non-relationship between time in the industry and work ethic scores. Results did not support a common perception that the inmate population is unmotivated, amoral, self-centered, and lacking the discipline to withstand the rigors of regular employment. (Contains 13 references.) (YLB)

This report presents methodology and findings from the Uniform Facility Data Set (UFDS) 1997 Survey of Correctional Facilities, which surveyed about 7,600 adult and juvenile correctional facilities to identify those that provide on-site substance abuse treatment to their inmates or residents. The survey assesses substance abuse treatment provided within the nation's Federal prisons, state prisons, jails, and public and private juvenile facilities. The report has eight sections and three appendixes. Following the introduction, Sections 2 and 3 present the background and reasons for conducting the UFDS 1997 Survey of Correctional Facilities; the survey methodology; the development and the pilot testing of the survey instrument; the data collection and response rate; and the terminology and definitions used in the report. The main findings from the survey are presented in sections 4 through 8. Section 4 includes an enumeration of facilities providing supplemental non-treatment substance abuse services by facility type (Federal prison, state prison, jail, or juvenile facility), the number of facilities providing treatment by treatment setting (specialty substance abuse treatment unit, treatment in the general inmate population, or treatment in hospital inpatient/psychiatric units), and the number of facilities providing treatment by type of counseling (individual counseling, group counseling, or family counseling). Sections 5 through 8 focus on more detailed data for Federal prisons, state prisons, jails, and juvenile facilities, respectively. (Contains 30 tables and 3 appendixes.) (GCP)

This report presents data on all individuals under age 18 in state prisons, whether under the original jurisdiction of the juvenile or adult criminal system. Most of the data are from the National Corrections Reporting Program. On December 31, 1997, less than 1% of inmates in state prisons were under age 18, a proportion that has remained stable since the mid-1980s. The number of offenders under age 18, however, has more than doubled, from 3,400 in 1985 to 7,400 in 1997. In 1997, 61% of those persons admitted to state prison under age 18 had been convicted of a violent offense, compared to 52% in 1985. States vary in their housing and program assignments for inmates under age 18. Eight states offer segregated incarceration assignments that provide specialized educational, vocational, and life skills training for offenders under age 18. (Contains 10 tables, 1 figure, and 10 references.) (SLD)

This bulletin is designed to shed light on successful strategies for reintegrating youth from juvenile justice system settings into the educational mainstream and to guide youth-serving professionals toward promising programs, practices, and resources. The Intensive Aftercare Program, funded by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention in 1988, serves serious, habitual offenders who are not likely to return to mainstream educational systems. Nevertheless, the theoretical approaches identified by this model are suitable for the reintegration of juvenile offenders into transitional educational settings. In particular, the model's emphasis on ongoing services and supervision while youth are incarcerated and when they return to their communities also applies to their transition from confinement to school settings. Both effective programs within correctional institutions and transitional support on leaving confinement are necessary. New Jersey's Gateway Academy is an example of a program that manages transitions for students returning to mainstream education. Transitional educational placement in alternative schools can offer environments that gradually reduce the level of supervision and support youths were accustomed to receiving while incarcerated. Arizona's Pathfinder Project provides this type of transitional placement. Many students do not have programs like these available to them, but their re-entry into the educational system can be smoothed with pre-release information sharing and visits, counseling, and curricular and disciplinary policies that support the reintegration of the student into the school system. Establishing partnerships between juvenile probation departments and schools is another innovative approach to effective intervention with young offenders. The Allentown School District, Pennsylvania, provides an example of a school-based probation program. Foremost among all of the strategies for helping delinquent youth re-enter the education mainstream is open communication among agencies and other entities involved in helping these students. (Contains 23 endnotes.) (SLD)

This document, in both English and French, is a guide to planning and conducting mock job fairs for inmates at federal correctional institutions. The following topics are discussed: understanding the nature and purpose of job fairs; planning a job fair; establishing a time and date; gaining approval for the fair; contacting area employers; scheduling employer interviews with inmates; conducting the fair; and conducting effective close-out activities. The guide's 13 appendixes provide sample letters, interview schedules, and evaluation forms for use in planning and conducting job fairs. (MN)

People with cognitive, intellectual, or developmental disabilities are a small but increasing portion of offenders in the criminal justice system. People with developmental disabilities are estimated to comprise 2-3% of the general population, but 4-10% of the prison population, and an even higher percentage of those in juvenile facilities and in jails. Officials believe the problem is likely to worsen, as the prevalence of cognitive disabilities in the general California population is increasing. This report features the findings of a California Policy Research Center-funded study on this topic. The study was an exploratory effort to understand the nature and extent of the problems people with disabilities face in the criminal justice system, and what legislation and programs the state is formulating to address them. Research methods included use of personal interviews and existing data to explore the particular problems, their prevalence, and possible remedies. Findings indicate that California has few programs or policies to accommodate the special needs of people with developmental disabilities, who often lack access to the legal protections that exist for others. Findings lead to the conclusion that the justice system often fails individuals with developmental disabilities, usually because it fails to identify or accommodate their uniqueness. Finally, suggestions are offered concerning how to better accommodate people with cognitive disabilities in the justice system. (Contains 87 references and 6 tables.) (GCP)

The Florida Department of Corrections (DC) offers a variety of academic and vocational programs to a limited number of inmates. Funding is discretionary and provided through state general revenue, nine federal grants, and the Inmate Welfare Trust Fund. Profiles of typical Florida inmates indicate almost 75 percent of the inmate population test at a ninth-grade level or below and at or below basic literacy skills. Academic and vocational training for Florida inmates has yielded these positive results: a "return on investment" to taxpayers of $1.66 for every dollar spent; and fewer major discipline reports, higher earnings after release, more employment and staying off public assistance after release, and less recidivation. Educational services are also provided through Florida's five privatized correctional facilities and public education system. For Fiscal Year (FY) 1998-99, the DC served 32,187 inmates in academic, vocational, or special education programs at a cost of $28,407,704. For FY 1999-2000, $34,679,542 were appropriated. Innovative approaches such as distance learning show promise. Recommendations that support the DC's mission of preparing offenders for re-entry and release into society include: expand the use of the Corrections Distance Learning Network and target additional vocational programs toward DC youthful offender institutions. (21 endnotes) (YLB)

This guide presents a focused, structured method of facilitating ex-offender employment. Section 1 takes classic marketing techniques and adapts them to the needs of the particular situation, placing ex-offenders in meaningful employment. The set of specific requirements for creating a workable marketing plan is condensed to six basic steps that are outlined in a generic fashion. The six components of a marketing plan are to: establish an objective; identify needs of the target market; evaluate how the product can meet the needs of the target market; market penetration strategy; post-sales follow-up; and assess marketing plan and results. Section 2 guides the reader through the above six steps necessary to creating a basic marketing plan and the specific needs of such a plan designed to enhance employment prospects in the home building industry for ex-offenders. Section 3 discusses things to include in a marketing plan as tools that can be used in developing and implementing the plan: stakeholders group; budgets; and flowcharts and timetables. Section 4 examines assistance aside from direct financial support that can be important adjuncts to the operation of ex-offender placement programs: work experience programs, donation programs (for tools), and mentoring programs. Section 5 addresses how public relations can play a major part in almost every aspect of a placement program. A list of 21 organizational resources is appended. (YLB)

Since 1976, the Correctional Clearinghouse (CCH), which is a unit of the Washington State Employment Security Department, has been committed to preparing offenders for the workplace and finding employment. The CCH's principal service delivery strategies are as follows: (1) providing direct services (teaching job readiness courses in prisons and contracting with community-based organizations to provide job search assistance to ex-offenders); (2) brokering services available from other agencies (helping a community college and state agency establish a for-credit college program integrating job search assistance with substance abuse treatment for ex-offenders in recovery); and (3) coordinating activities across agencies (arranging for inmates to produce and distribute the statewide computerized Case Management Resource Directory). CCH's continuum of services to prisoners, which begins with employability assessment during incarceration and ends with job placement and ongoing assistance after employment, has proved highly successful. In 1997-1998, at least 3,080 inmates completed a CCH employment or training activity in 5 of Washington's 15 correctional institutions. Of the 1,312 ex-offenders who received job search assistance through the CCH in 1996-1997, 776 were placed in jobs and 68% were still in those jobs after 45 days. (Seven sources of assistance in replicating the CCH model are listed.) (MN)