People sentenced to state prison after felony convictions serve an estimated average of two years-and nearly all are eventually released. ^[1]   The policy statements in this chapter make the point that a person's period of incarceration need not and should not be merely a period of incapacitation; rather, it should serve as a significant opportunity to prepare for re-entry. The time that a person spends in prison or jail should center on treatment, education, and training. As detailed in Chapter A, Admission to the Facility, institutional programming should be systematized so that it is based on information obtained during the intake phase and structured according to an individualized plan designed by an interdisciplinary team.

What is repeatedly demonstrated in the following research and program examples is that such an investment is not about coddling people in prison or jail; it is sound corrections policy. Treatment and services that are tailored to address each individual's criminogenic risk factors can improve recidivism rates and, ultimately, reduce public spending. In the immediate term, such programming can also protect individuals within the institution-both prisoners and staff-by keeping inmates safe, healthy, and focused. The policy statements in this chapter cover a variety of subject matter areas ranging from health care (Policy Statement 10, Physical Health Care; Policy Statement 11, Mental Health Care; and Policy Statement 12, Substance Abuse Treatment) to family responsibilities (Policy Statement 13, Children and Families) and victim-based and cognitive-behavioral programming (Policy Statement 14, Behaviors and Attitudes) to employment (Policy Statement 15, Education and Vocational Training and Policy Statement 16, Work Experience).

In all aspects of prison- and jail-based programming, corrections officials are urged to work with community-based partners to increase capacity and promote continuity of care after release. Such collaboration may be particularly important for the millions of people who are booked into jails each year. Although jail sentences are generally much shorter than prison sentences, some form of programming should be implemented during even brief stays, if only as an introduction to community-based services. ^[2]