Pennsylvania Legislators Consider Policy Options to Avert Prison Growth, Improve Outcomes for People with Mental Illness

Pennsylvania Legislators Consider Policy Options to Avert Prison Growth, Improve Outcomes for People with Mental Illness

State Republican and Democratic leaders in the Pennsylvania General Assembly recently requested analyses from the Council of State Governments Justice Center to determine why the prison population is growing and to develop cost-effective strategies to manage this growth.

On Monday, June 4, the House and Senate Judiciary Committees held a rare joint hearing at which Dr. Tony Fabelo (senior research consultant to the Justice Center) and Dr. Fred Osher (the Justice Center’s director of health systems and services policy) presented analyses of the factors driving the growth of Pennsylvania’s prison population. The experts also outlined several policy options that could have an immediate impact on the growth.

Among the factors contributing to the state’s prison growth, Dr. Fabelo cited county jail overcrowding, limited in-prison program capacity, high rates of revocation among people under community supervision, and the underutilization of state-based diversion strategies, such as the State Intermediate Punishment program.

To meet the challenges presented by this burgeoning prison population, the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections (PDOC) proposes a $700 million expansion plan, which includes the construction of three new prisons. During the hearing, however, Dr. Fabelo pointed out that even if the General Assembly approves the PDOC expansion plans, the Department will still be short approximately 9,279 beds by 2013.

Using data gathered in cooperation with various state agencies, Dr. Fabelo recommended several policy options that, if adopted, could reduce this capacity shortfall. These recommendations include:

increasing the utilization of state diversion programs,
expanding capacity of intermediate sanction facilities for parole violators, and
establishing “risk reduction credits,” which would accelerate parole eligibility for people in prison who successfully complete educational, vocational, and substance abuse treatment programs while they are incarcerated.

Dr. Osher also presented the findings of three fiscal impact studies of collaborative criminal justice/mental health diversion programs. The studies, commissioned by the Pennsylvania General Assembly in 2003, were intended to inform the development of a statewide strategy that would address the growing number of people with mental illnesses coming into contact with the criminal justice system. The studies found that diversion programs can increase public safety, help people with mental illnesses succeed in the community, and save taxpayers money. In light of the study findings, Dr. Osher recommended that the Pennsylvania General Assembly provide a small amount of funding for a statewide competitive grant program to promote and replicate such programs across the state. Officials from the PDOC, the Board of Probation and Parole, and the Department of Public Welfare testified in support of this grant program.

The Council of State Governments Justice Center provides technical assistance to Pennsylvania policymakers with the support of the U.S. Department of Justice Bureau of Justice Assistance, The Pew Charitable Trusts’ Public Safety Performance Project, and the National Institute of Corrections.

For more information on the projected growth of Pennsylvania’s prison population, strategies to manage this growth, and copies of the presentation and testimonies given at the June 4 hearing, please visit the Justice Reinvestment project website.

> Back to top

Senate Judiciary Committee Mark-up Scheduled for Second Chance Act

The Senate Judiciary Committee has scheduled the mark-up for S. 1060, the Second Chance Act, for Thursday, June 28, 2007. The bill is the first piece of comprehensive legislation designed to reduce recidivism, increase public safety, and help ensure the safe and successful return of prisoners to the community.

The House of Representatives is expected to vote on the Second Chance Act of 2007, H.R. 1593, when the members of Congress return after the Fourth of July recess.

The Second Chance Act authorizes up to $65 million dollars in grants to state and local governments to develop initiatives to address the various obstacles faced by individuals returning to their communities from prison or jail and a $15 million reentry program for community and faith-based organizations to deliver mentoring and transitional services for people returning from prison or jail.

For more information on the Second Chance Act, please click here or email scainfo@csg.org.

> Back to top

House of Representatives Includes $10 Million for Mentally Ill Offender Treatment and Crime Reduction Program in 2008 Appropriations Bill

On June 11, the U.S. House of Representatives Commerce, Justice, Science subcommittee marked up its 2008 appropriations bill. In the bill, the House reserved $10 million for mental health courts and adult and juvenile criminal justice and mental health collaboration program grants authorized by the Mentally Ill Offender Treatment and Crime Reduction Act.

Representatives William Delahunt (D-MA), Jim Ramstad (R-MN), and Patrick Kennedy (D-RI) worked closely with their colleagues to ensure continued funding for the program in fiscal year 2008 (FY08). Other key supporters included Representatives Grace Napolitano (D-CA), Sue Myrick (R-NC), and James Langevin (D-RI).

The grant program, called the Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program, is administered by the U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance, and provides support to states to improve collaboration among criminal justice and mental health agencies. The program received $5 million in FY06 and FY07.

Two other criminal justice programs included in the House appropriations bill are the Justice Assistance Grant program, which is slated to receive $600 million (an $80 million increase compared to FY07), and the Community Oriented Policing Services program, which is funded at $725 million (an $183 increase compared to FY07). The bill also included $40 million in appropriations for the Drug Courts program and $10 million for the Residential Substance Abuse Treatment program. The full text of the bill and committee report will not be made public until after the full committee mark-up.

The Senate Commerce, Justice, Science Subcommittee will consider its FY08 appropriations bill later this summer. For more information on FY08 appropriations, click here.

> Back to top

Upcoming Events

American Probation and Parole Association
32nd Annual Training Institute
July 8-11, 2007
Philadelphia, PA
http://www.appa-net.org/institutes/2007_philadelphia/attend/

State Associations of Addiction Services 2007 National Conference
July 8-11, 2007
Chicago, IL
http://www.saasnet.org

U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs: 2007 National Symposium on Sex Offender Management and Accountability
July 25-27, 2007
Indianapolis, IN
http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/smart/symposium.htm

> Back to top

Funding Opportunities

Sentencing & Incarceration Alternatives Grants

The mission of the Open Society Institute’s Sentencing & Incarceration Alternatives Project is to reduce the scale of incarceration in the United States. The Project supports advocates, researchers, and practitioners advancing campaigns, research initiatives, and policies that seek to reduce the length of criminal sentences, promote alternatives to incarceration that emphasize rehabilitation and treatment, limit prison growth, and address other issues related to incarceration.

Application Deadline: Rolling

For more information on this funding opportunity and its eligibility requirements, click here.

> Back to top

Recent Media Coverage of Reentry Issues

6/20/2007 – “Parole policy change pushed” (Sacramento Bee)

6/20/2007 – “Calaveras officials back regional reentry prison” (Stockton Record (CA))
People nearing the end of their prison terms and preparing to return to the community in San Joaquin, Calaveras, and Amador counties might someday find themselves in a single regional rehabilitation prison.
6/18/2007 – “Crowded prisons, ex-inmates finding hope in job programs” (Seattle Times)
As prison overcrowding forces the state to examine ways of releasing individuals early, reentry programs are becoming increasingly important to prevent recidivism, say officials with the state Department of Corrections.
6/18/2007 - "Many sex offenders end up at shelters" (Boston Globe)

6/18/2007 - "States seek alternatives to more prisons" (Stateline.org)

Click here to see more collected reentry news from the Reentry Policy Council.

> Back to top

Recent Published Resources on Reentry Issues

Prison and Jail Inmates at Midyear 2006 (U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics)
Returning Home: Exploring the Challenges and Successes of Recently Released Texas Prisoners (Urban Institute)
Women in the Criminal Justice System (The Sentencing Project)
Building an Offender Reentry Program: A Guide for Law Enforcement (International Association of Chiefs of Police/U.S. Dept. of Justice Bureau of Justice Assistance)
Ready4Work In Brief: Update on Outcomes; Reentry May Be Critical for States, Cities (Public/Private Ventures)

To suggest additional resources for inclusion in the RPC newsletter, please email editors@reentrypolicy.org.

> Back to top