C-ROB Biannual Report - July 15, 2007

BOARD WILL UTILIZE THE WORK PRODUCT OF THE EXPERT PANEL ON RECIDIVISM REDUCTION

California Penal Code section 6141 specifically requires the board to use the work products developed for the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation as a result of the provisions of the 2006 Budget Act, including Provision 18 of Item 5225-001-0001. This provision of the 2006 Budget Act states the following:

Of the funds appropriated in this item, $900,000 shall be used to contract with correctional program experts to complete comprehensive evaluations of all adult prison and parole programs designed to reduce recidivism, including education, rehabilitation and treatment, and parole programs, for both male and female inmates and parolees. This evaluation shall include an inventory of existing programs, including program capacity, as well as an assessment of whether each of these programs is likely to have a significant impact on recidivism for those participants. This evaluation shall also include an estimate of the number of inmates or parolees not currently participating in these programs who would be likely to benefit from participation. The Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation shall submit to the chairpersons and vice chairpersons of the committees in both houses of the Legislature that consider the state budget and to the Legislative Analyst’s Office a report detailing the findings of the evaluation by June 30, 2007.

 

In compliance with this provision of the 2006 Budget Act, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation established the “Expert Panel on Recidivism Reduction.” This panel, comprised of nationwide practitioners, consultants, and researchers, is charged with evaluating the department's approach to providing inmate programming and treatment. The panel will make recommendations on programs that show promise and should be expanded, as well as on programs that are ineffective and should be discontinued. Through these efforts, the department states that it hopes to propose a balanced, cost-effective, and evidence-based approach to increasing programming levels within adult institutions. The panel held its first meeting in December 2006 and is comprised of the following:

• Marisela Montes, Chief Deputy Secretary, Adult Programs (Chair)
• Joan Petersilia, Ph.D. Director, Center for Evidence-Based Corrections, UC, Irvine (Co-chair)
• James F. Austin, Ph.D. of JFA Associates
• Jeffery A. Beard, Ph.D., Director, Pennsylvania Department of Corrections
• Barbara Bloom, Ph.D., Professor Criminal Justice, California State University, Sonoma
• Mark Carey of the Mark Carey Group
• Elyse Clawson, Executive Director, Crime and Justice Institute
• James H. Gomez, Director (Ret.) California Department of Corrections
• Marty Horn, Commissioner, Department of Corrections, New York City
• Kermit Humphries, Reentry Specialist, National Institute of Corrections
• Steve Ickes, Deputy Director, Arizona Department of Corrections
• Michael Jacobson, Ph.D., President, VERA Institute of Justice
• Barry Krisberg, Ph.D., President, National Council on Crime and Delinquency
• Joe Lehman, Secretary (Ret.) Washington State Department of Corrections
• Mimi Silbert, Ph.D., President and CEO, Delancey Street Foundation
• Faye Taxman, Ph.D., Professor at Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs
• Reggie Wilkinson, Ed.D., Director (Ret.) Ohio Department of Corrections
  

The scope of the panel’s work includes the following two goals:

Goal 1: To complete comprehensive evaluations of all adult prison and parole programs designed to reduce recidivism, including education, rehabilitation and treatment, and parole programs, for both male and female inmates and parolees. This evaluation includes:

• An inventory of existing programs, including program capacity, as well as an assessment of whether each of these programs is likely to have a significant impact on recidivism for those participants.
• An estimate of the number of inmates or parolees not currently participating in these programs who would be likely to benefit from participation.
  

Goal 2: To design a program model for evidence-based offender rehabilitation that will greatly improve the parole success of California’s adult offenders.