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North Carolina's
Criminal Justice Policy Brief
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Sec. Alvin Keiller - NC Secretary of Corrections and Member of Justice Reinvestment Task Force
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Justice Reinvestment:
Update on Recent Findings Presented to Working Group
On November 16th, a Justice Reinvestment Working Group meeting was held at which Council of State Governments (CSG) Justice Center Staff presented comparative findings of best practices across the country as well as an analysis of mental health, drug, and alcohol treatment systems in North Carolina. Justice Reinvestment is now nearing the end of their data gathering period and concrete proposals are expected by the time the legislature convenes in January.
The Justice Reinvestment Initiative was created in 2009, when North Carolina policymakers sought the technical assistance of the CSG Justice Center to develop a statewide policy framework that would address public safety and corrections issues more cost effectively.
The aim of the initiative is to provide North Carolina policymakers with in-depth analyses of criminal justice data to determine why the prison population is increasing and where opportunities lie to reduce costs and increase public safety. The working group, with members from both parties and all three branches of government, meets regularly to review and discuss findings. Proposed Overarching Goals
1. Focus on the offenders most likely to commit crime (Implement parole supervision only for those offenders deemed high risk--research has found that supervision can lead low risk offenders to have a greater chance of re-offending.
2. Invest in programs that work, and ensure that they are working well - The state of Washington was used as an example to demonstrate that intensive supervision paired with treatment was most effective in reducing recidivism, while drug treatment in the community and cognitive behavioral therapy were somewhat effective, and intensive supervision alone had no effect.)
3. Strengthen supervision and employ swift and certain sanctions - Georgia and Hawaii (HOPE program) were highlighted as a model that effectively uses randomized drug testing and swift responses to non-participation to increase the effectiveness of parole and probation.
4. Use place-based strategies - Assess the demographics of criminally active populations in terms of geographic dispersion and alter policing strategies to reflect the areas with the greatest representation.
See powerpoint for a more thorough summary of Marshall Clement's findings and recommendations.
Findings on Mental Health and Treatment
Also presenting at the working group meeting was Dr. Fred Osher,
the CSG Justice Center's Director of Health Systems and Services and a community psychiatrist.
In his analysis of mental health, alcohol, and drug addiction treatment systems in North Carolina, Dr. Osher noted that there is not sufficient treatment capacity in North Carolina. He also explained that drug and alcohol treatment matched with less intensive parole/ probation has proven most effective in reducing recidivism. By increasing the availability of substance abuse treatment programs and providing concrete incentives for offenders to utilize those services, North Carolina is likely to see lower rates of recidivism, according to Dr. Osher.
While Dr. Osher noted that there is not sufficient treatment capacity in NC, it's not yet clear how they would propose to remedy that problem when there is a $3.5 billion budget shortfall. Dr. Osher and Alexa Eggleston mentioned that since Day Reporting Centers and Resource Centers are generic categories, statewide data on program type alone is not sufficiently detailed to make clear exactly what kind of treatment is being provided. This information is readily available at the local level and we hope it will be compiled. Ms. Eggleston also cited national studies suggesting that TASC may benefit from some program adjustments to get the best possible outcomes.
See Dr. Osher's powerpoint to hear more about his findings and observations. Observations on the Findings
Those of us who work daily to make sure effective programs are available at the local level know that Dr. Osher is correct when he says there is not sufficient treatment capacity. What we don't want is to lose any of the slim resources that are currently available. Improving NC programs is always desirable, but it's not clear exactly what kind of adjustments or restructuring might be effective or make sense. The four over-arching goals proposed by Justice Reinvestment are evidence-based and generally make good sense as long as jail is not overused as a response. We'll stay tuned to see what the exact recommendations will be.
In the month of December, Justice Reinvestment plans to continue tailoring a policy framework specific to the needs of North Carolina, but as of yet, there is no concrete idea of how that might look. The working group will meet again in January, and a conference will follow at which the final recommendations will be presented. To find out more about the Justice Reinvestment Initiative in North Carolina, visit their webpage.
Thanks to Liz Welton, our intern, for her help in preparing this report.
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