Georgia Corrections System Assessment

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Georgia Corrections System Assessment

• August 25, 2011
• Len Engel- Managing Associate for Policy
• Crime and Justice Institute at CRJ

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Agenda

• Evidence-Based Practices
• Key Questions
• How the system is structured
• Components of System Assessment
• GDC Prisons
• GDC Probation
• Pardons and Paroles
• Accountability Courts

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Evidence-based Practices

• Practices proven to reduce the risk of
  reoffending
• Use of a validated risk and needs assessment tool
  to identify and target risk and need factors
  associated with criminal behavior
• Use a supervision strategy that matches the risk
  level of offenders and focus supervision
  resources on higher risk offenders
• Target interventions (EBP programs and services)
  to the crime-causing needs of offenders and
  direct assessed offenders to programs and
  services that address these needs
• Collect data and information to track offender
  outcomes and ensure that what is in place is
  working

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Key Questions

• Are Georgias laws, policies and practices
  focused on reducing recidivism and improving
  public safety?
• Is Georgia focusing its resources on moderate and
  high risk offenders?
• Is Georgia targeting programs to offender needs?
• Is Georgia evaluating the outcomes of their
  programs?

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How the system is structured
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GA Corrections Costs- Per Day
The Pew Charitable Trusts Prepared by Applied
Research Services
Source Department of Corrections, Board of
Pardons Paroles, Office of Planning and Budget
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1. GDC Prisons OverviewMission, Population, and
Staff

• Mission statement
• The Georgia Department of Corrections protects
  and serves the public as a professional
  organization by effectively managing offenders
  while helping to provide a safe and secure
  environment for the citizens of Georgia.
• Inmate population 53,120 (this number doesnt
  include the jail backlog awaiting prison beds,
  currently at 3,374)
• 13,800 minimum security
• 29,288 medium security
• 8,507 close security
• 1,525 no classification
• Staff 12,299 total GDC staff (not just prisons)

Source GDC Inmate count by sec level and
institution as of 7-20-11
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1. GDC Prisons Overview Prison Admissions by
Type of Admission
The Pew Charitable Trusts Prepared by Applied
Research Services July 2011
Source Georgia Department of Corrections
9
1. GDC Prisons Overview 2010 Prison Admissions
The Pew Charitable Trusts Prepared by Applied
Research Services July 2011
10
1. GDC Prisons OverviewTypes of Facilities

• 31 state prisons 3 for women
• 3 main security levels Close Security, Medium
  Security, Minimum Security
• 3 Pre-Release Centers (PRC)
• Secure environment for offenders with 5 years or
  less to serve
• 13 Transitional Centers
• Approx 2,700 beds provides work release average
  9-12 months length of stay
• One Boot Camp for 256 state prison males
• Board of Pardons and Paroles chooses who will
  attend from prison population
• 3-4 month program those who complete
  successfully released on parole
• Contracted facilities
• 23 county prisons interagency agreements to
  lease over 5,000 beds in county prisons to hold
  state offenders
• 2 Private Prisons 5,376 offenders

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1. GDC Prisons OverviewCustody Population and
Utilization 7/1/11
Offenders (In a Bed)
Operational Capacity
State Prisons Pre-Release Centers Inmate Boot
Camps Parole Revocation Centers Transitional
Centers Probation Detention Centers Probation
Boot Camps Probation RSAT Centers County
Prisons Private Prisons
38,483 644 218 419 2,624 2,259 100 768 5,031 5,873
107 101 95 91 101 98 98 98 99 98
Source Georgia Department of Corrections ARS
July 2011
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1. GDC Prisons Overview Historical Prison
Population And Baseline Projection
59,684
8 projected growth in 5 years
2011
2016
2000
2005
The Pew Charitable Trusts Prepared by Applied
Research Services
13
1. GDC Prisons Overview Revised
Intake/Diagnostic Process
Diagnostic Process for Typical Offender (no
special MH or medical needs/issues approx.
75-80 of incoming inmates)
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5

• Reception
• Medical Screen
• Blood work
• MH Screen
• Orientation
• Bed Assignment

• Educational Testing
• Orientation Videos
• COMPAS/TCUDS

• Physical Exam
• Dental

Medical Profile Entered

• Parole PHS
• Final Interview

Day 6
Inmate Ready for Transfer Assignment

• Security Classifica-tion Approval
• Re-Entry Plan
• Diagnostic Director Review

Eliminated 2 days of idle time
Source ARS GDCP Time-In-Motion and Simulation
Study June 2011
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1. GDC Prisons OverviewReentry

• Reentry planning process
• Reentry Case Plan is initiated at entry and
  Reentry Checklist includes exit preparation for 2
  years prior to release
• Case planning, housing/residence plan, and
  employment support are addressed by prison staff
  at intervals of 24 months, 12 months and 1 month
  of their parole or release date
• Reentry plan determined according to COMPAS and
  TCUDS results
• Results determine programming needs (Educational,
  Vocational, SA, CBT)
• Also determine Parole /probation requirements and
  eligibility
• Also influenced by in-facility behavior
• Transitional dormitories within state prisons for
  offenders not eligible for transition centers (or
  no space in centers)
• Within 12 months of maximum release date, inmates
  are isolated from the rest of the prison
  population and receive intensive training and
  work to focus on reentry skills

Source GDC Reentry Standard Operating Procedures

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1. GDC Prisons OverviewProgramming

• Programs offered in facilities
• Motivation for change pre-requisite for
  participation in other programs
• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy programs MRT, T4C,
  D.E.T.O.U.R., Reentry Skill Building (Life
  Skills)
• Substance Abuse programs Matrix Early Recovery
  Skills, Matrix Relapse Prevention, PSATC/RSATC,
  Substance Abuse Aftercare Services
• Education programs Literacy/Remedial Reading,
  Adult Edu, GED, ESL (English as a Second
  Language)
• Employment programs Voc training, TOPPSTEP, On
  The Job Training, Live Work Projects, Offender
  Career Centers, Work Release (Transitional
  Centers), Braille
• Other programs including Mental Health
  treatment, sex offender treatment and faith based
  dormitories (in some facilities), In House
  Transitional Centers

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1. GDC Prisons OverviewCoastal State Prison

• Coastal State Prison Intensive Reentry Program
  targeted at non-violent offenders with substance
  abuse issues
• For admission, sentence length must be less than
  24 months
• Current offense cannot be for burglary, drug
  trafficking, methamphetamine manufacture No
  violent felony charges, No sex offenses, No major
  medical/mental health issues, No pending charges
  or active warrants
• No recidivists sentenced under habitual offender
  law
• One referral per inmate for life
• Programming/Groups
• D.E.T.O.U.R. (unique to Coastal), Dignity
  Encouragement Truthfulness Optimism Uniqueness
  Respect
• GED, ABE, Literacy/Remedial Reading, Release
  Orientation, Victim Impact, Family Violence,,
  Motivation for Change, AA Support Group

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1. GDC Prisons OverviewData and Collaboration

• Data collection and information sharing
• Commissioner is briefed weekly (if not daily) on
  populations/trends
• Monthly rollup meetings to advise Executive Staff
  of current numbers and trends quarterly meetings
  to address the data from a long-term perspective
• COMPSTAT process where weekly, monthly and
  quarterly meetings are held at different levels
  of the organization to address numbers and trends
  and responses
• Multi-agency programs
• TOPPSTEP involves GDC, Parole, and Labor
  Departments
• THOR (transitional housing directory)
  administered by parole but made available to
  GDC/Probation
• Reentry partnership housing is a combined effort
  between parole, GDC and Dept. of Community
  Affairs (Parole provides funding)
• Probation and Parole, as part of GAs justice
  reinvestment initiative, have indentified
  operation areas that could be combined in the
  future

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1. GDC Prisons Findings

• Many offenders serving sentences for non-violent
  offenses with no priors
• Low-risk offenders in prison are mixed with
  moderate and high risk offenders
• Over 50 of prison population are drug and
  property offenders
• The validity of Compas results may be
  questionable due to the manner in which they are
  conducted
• While many programs are being offered, program
  outcomes are not being evaluated across the board
• Programs like TOPSTEP and DETOUR are only offered
  to a percentage of population (those being
  paroled, not those maxing out only those at
  Coastal)
• Programs in prison and in the community have
  significant wait lists

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2. GDC Probation OverviewProbation Population

• Probation is the most frequently used sentencing
  option in Georgia.
• Approximately 63 of State Adult Offenders are on
  probation
• Probation often follows incarceration
• About 2,000 offenders currently being supervised
  by both probation and parole
• 17 of probation population have mental health
  needs
• Average GA probation sentence length is 6.8
  years while nationally its estimated at 3 years
  2 months
• Currently 41,899 active probationers (30) with
  4.1-5 years probation sentence
• Currently 30,157 active probationers (22) with
  9.1-10 years probation sentence

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2. GDC Probation OverviewProbation Caseloads
and Supervision

• Ratio of probationers to probation officers is
  200 to 1
• Currently 812 Probation Officers in the field
  hand they handle a blended caseload
• 209,616 on probation
• Multiple Probation Supervision Levels (currently
  High, Std, Specialized, Admin/Unsupervised ,
  Warrant) based on offender characteristics
• Active Supervision 106,365 (Standard 78,166,
  approximately 25,000 identified as high risk
  based on assessment)
• Administrative 28,346
• Unsupervised 22,290
• 33,807 came off probation in 2010
• 39,417 were admitted to probation in 2010

Numbers from R. Henry with GDC
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2. GDC Probation Overview of Prison Releases
with Probation to Follow
The Pew Charitable Trusts Prepared by Applied
Research Services
Source Georgia Department of Corrections
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2. GDC Probation OverviewProbation Options

• Residential Substance Abuse Treatment Centers
  (RSAT)
• Six month residential treatment facilities for
  probationers with severe substance abuse problems
• Three facilities 2 male (600 beds available), 1
  female (200 beds available)
• 500 male offenders are in a jail bed awaiting
  transfer to an RSAT and 250 female offenders are
  backed up in jail
• Can be sentenced to a RSAT by a judge or sent for
  violation of probation or parole
• Offer cognitive-behavioral substance abuse
  treatment with mental health component
• Probation Boot Camp for 100 males
• Can be sentenced directly by court or sent for
  revocation
• Ages 17-30 with no previous adult incarceration
• Military regime work during the day, risk
  reduction programming at night

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2. GDC Probation OverviewProbation Options
Continued

• Probation Detention Center (PDC)
• Sentencing option or as result of revocation
• About 2,315 beds
• 808 in jails waiting for PDC beds (8/19/11)
• 9 minimum security facilities, 1 for women
• Intended to be a 60-120 day program
• Judges are sentencing inmates to PDCs for as long
  as 4 years
• Average length of stay for those departed in FY11
  was 183 days
• Unpaid work details and programming
• Drug assessment conducted and may be referred to
  treatment services (AA, NA, other treatment
  methods)

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2. GDC Probation OverviewProbation Options
Continued

• Probation Reporting Contact Center (PRCC) -
  compliance reports from standard, lowest risk
  level probationers
• PRCCs Interactive Voice Response technology
  (IVR), an automated telephone reception and case
  note documentation system
• Support staff member assigned to the
  PRCCCustomer Service Representatives (a.k.a.
  PRCC call handlers). Information documented
  into Probation Operations case notes data
  management system and immediately made
  electronically available to the supervising
  probation officer.
• There are about 13,000 probationers reporting
  through the PRCC and this is expected to double
  by the end of the year.
• Caseloads are 500-1
• Moves a large volume of low-risk probationers
  into a low supervision caseload and reserves POs
  for higher risk probationers.

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2. GDC Probation OverviewProbation Options
Continued

• Day Reporting Centers (DRC)- 13 centers, 80-120
  offenders served per center (future expansion
  planned as funding allows)
• Non-residential, alternative sanction for felony
  offenders with a history of non-compliant
  behavior related to substance abuse
• Sentenced by the courts or sent due to a
  supervision violation (probationers and parolees)
• Provide Substance abuse (in three phases),
  Cognitive (criminal thinking), Education,
  Employment
• Components include
• Drug treatment (daily testing), Surveillance
  Officer oversight (nightly curfew), Community
  partnerships, Family / social bonds restored,
  Mandatory employment, mental health counseling
• Aimed at medium-high risk
• Low risk offenders are 16.7-39.3 of admissions
  depending on site

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2. GDC Probation OverviewProbation Options
Continued

• 2004 Probation Management Act established the
  Probation Options Management Program (POM)
• Administrative process to sanction probation
  violators without returning to the judge. GDC
  can modify the probationers current supervision
  as long as the sanctions are equal to or less
  restrictive than the maximum non-prison sanction
  set by the sentencing judge.
• Typically used for technical violations and
  low-level misdemeanor offenses
• Probationers can appeal to the judge, however few
  do and most waive the administrative hearing (83
  during the pilot project)
• Current stats
• 18,527 offenders under POM
• Statewide average is 147 new cases per week being
  placed under POM
• 104 judges in 34 judicial circuits

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2. GDC Probation OverviewProbation Options
Continued

• Evaluation of POM pilot program in 2005
• POM participants spend significantly less time in
  jail than non-POM probationers (6-10 days in jail
  for the 4 POM judicial circuits vs. 28-34 days in
  jail for the comparison districts)
• Reduced time in court for offenders and probation
  officers
• Reduced time between first violation and sanction
  (swiftness) though still between 25 and 83 days
  (reduced from 111-229 days in comparison
  circuits)
• Offenders under POM received more proportionate
  and graduated sanctions
• Probation also uses a matrix of graduated
  sanctions to address less severe non-compliant
  behavior

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2. GDC Probation Findings

• Limited use of assessment tools in making
  diversion decisions
• RSAT do judges use a validated needs
  assessment?
• Boot camps what is the target risk population?
• Probation Detention Centers (PDC) longer terms
  than intended (6-12 months), creating backlog in
  jails, and mixing risk levels
• Programs targeting moderate and higher risk
  offenders are admitting low-risk offenders
• Probation sentence lengths are much higher than
  the national average
• Extremely high caseloads
• Administrative and unsupervised cases still
  require Probation Officers time, and therefore
  they arent able to focus on high risk offenders
• Delay between violation and POM sanction (between
  22 and 83 days)

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3. Pardons and Paroles OverviewMission, Board,
and Communication

• Parole Board Mission Statement
• To enhance public safety by making informed
  parole decisions and successfully transitioning
  offenders back into the community
• Georgia Parole Board
• Five member Parole Board appointed by the
  Governor and confirmed by State Senate for a
  seven year term
• Parole Board members individually consider
  eligible inmates parole release cases rather than
  by joint meeting
• Final parole decisions are determined by
  individual votes of three parole board members
• Communication with DOC and Probation has
  increased significantly in the last couple years.
  Parole staff now has access to the DOC database
  SCRIBE and DOC will have access to Parole
  database CMS this month.
• Case Management System (CMS) produces reports to
  various levels of staff

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3. Pardons and Paroles OverviewParole
Population and Staff

• Parole Field Supervision Data
• Parole Supervision Population
• 26,836 under parole supervision in-state
  (8/13/11)
• At least 2,000 parolees are also on probation
  (Split-sentencing)
• Parole Population Trends
• 67 (36,640 out of 54,459) of the total inmate
  population are parole eligible
• 2 decrease of parole eligible inmates since 2009
  and 29 decrease since 1995
• Staff (ratio)
• FY10 300 parole officers
• FY10 average caseload 81 blended High and
  Standard cases

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3. Pardons and Paroles Overview Prison Releases
by Release Type
The percentage of inmates paroled has decreased
over the past 20 years
Max-Out Parole
The Pew Charitable Trusts Prepared by Applied
Research Services
Source Georgia Department of Corrections
32
3. Pardons and Paroles OverviewApprovals,
Denials, and Revocations

• Decision-making approvals, denials, etc.
• FY11 80 (29,393 out of 36,640) of parole
  eligible inmate population reviewed for parole
  consideration
• FY10 10,511 releases to parole, 1,645 releases
  to supervised reprieve, 1,076 releases to
  conditional transfer, and 694 releases to
  commutation
• Parole revocations
• TOTAL PAROLE REVOCATIONS 2,594 (down from 3,092
  in FY09)
• 10 of revocations were a result of technical
  violations (273)
• 90 of revocations due to new criminal offenses
  (2,321)
• 11,189 arrest warrants issued by Parole Board

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3. Pardons and Paroles OverviewPED, TPM, and PIC

• Inmates eligible for Parole have a Parole
  Eligibility Date (PED) set at 33 of their
  sentence
• Prior to the PED, the Parole Board examines the
  specific circumstances of the case and, using a
  crime severity level and risk to reoffend grid,
  assigns a Tentative Parole Month (TPM)
• Inmates are able to lower the TPM by earning
  Performance Incentive Credits (PIC) for
  participation and satisfactory progress in
  education/treatment programs, work, and good
  behavior

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3. Pardons and Paroles OverviewReentry Housing

• Reentry Partnership Housing Program (RPH)
• 40 approved RPH facilities providing housing to
  parolees with no residential options considered
  problem residence inmates
• In 2010, 199 parolees were placed in RPH
  facilities increasing the total parole population
  in RPHs from 644 to 678 with a total of 992
  parolees being placed in an RPH facility since
  its beginning in 2006

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3. Pardons and Paroles Overview Residential
Programs

• Transitional Housing for Offender Reentry (THOR)
• 134 THOR residences throughout Georgia providing
  community-based residential and/or substance
  abuse options for inmates released on parole.
• THOR facilities are targeted to parolees with
  unaddressed criminogenic needs and/or who are
  homeless or nearly homeless.
• Parole Board must approve parolees admission into
  THOR facility
• 1) Structured Housing (assessments optional)
• 26 facilities for inmates who meet prison release
  requirements, but do not have available housing.
• Structured housing does not provide treatment
  and/or counseling.
• 2) Standard Recovery Residence (assessments
  recommended)
• 60 facilities providing one or more substance
  abuse counseling services per week.
• 3) Intensive Recovery Residence (assessments
  required)
• 48 facilities providing 5 or more hours of
  intensive substance abuse counseling provided by
  certified substance abuse counselors or licensed
  professionals

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3. Pardons and Paroles Overview Substance Abuse
Programs

• Outpatient Parolee Substance Abuse Recovery
  Services
• 6 week program, available in every parole
  district, requiring weekly group sessions and a
  minimum of 2 negative drug tests
• FY 2010 2,394 motivation assessment and planning
  (MAP) group sessions, and 7,924 recovery group
  sessions
• FY2011 133 successful completions, and 94
  non-completers
• No program waitlist-once capacity of 10 is
  reached, an additional program is added
• The Substance Abuse Aftercare Services (SAAS)
• 6 month program targeting high risk, high needs
  offenders who have completed an intensive
  substance abuse services program
• These programs include Day Reporting Centers,
  Residential Substance Abuse Treatment, and/or
  approved community programs lasting a minimum of
  17 weeks of length

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3. Pardons and Paroles Overview Programs

• Cognitive Skills Programming
• Moral Reconation Therapy (MRT)
• 12 step Cognitive-Behavioral Treatment Program
  for criminal offenders, substance abusers, and
  others with anti-social personalities
• MRT takes an average of six months to complete
• Approximately 700 individuals enrolled with a
  monthly completion rate of roughly 70 individuals
  
• Those that do not complete the program are as a
  result of several factors (i.e. new arrest with
  parole revocation, new employment in conflict
  with programming time, successful discharge from
  supervision)
• Sex Offender Programming
• Parole mandated, all sex offenders are required
  to attend sex offender therapy and submit to
  polygraph exams
• 762 sex offender cases currently under
  supervision
• No waitlist for therapist or polygrapher
  services these providers are located throughout
  the state

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3. Pardons and Paroles Findings

• Inmates eligible for parole who are sentenced to
  two years or less are not eligible for PIC-
  Performance Incentive Credits
• Cognitive Skills Programming, such as MRT, is not
  offered in all Parole offices due to staff
  shortages/high caseloads
• There is no incentive for offenders to comply
  with the conditions of their supervision and
  participate in programs while on parole (similar
  to PIC while in prison)
• Judges, prosecutors, and victims dont have all
  the information regarding how much time the
  offender is likely to serve based on parole
  decisions

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4. Accountability Courts OverviewMission and
Different Courts

• These courts promote personal responsibility by
  holding the participant accountable for his/her
  actions and behaviors.
• Team approach that functions within the existing
  court structure. The judge, defender, prosecutor,
  law enforcement, treatment provider, coordinator
  and others all work together to create a balance
  of authority, supervision, support, and
  encouragement for each participant.
• 72 Drug courts 33 adult felony drug courts (1
  felony drug DUI court, 1 felony drug mental
  health court), 18 DUI courts, 12 juvenile drug
  courts, 9 family dependency treatment courts,)
• 13 Mental health courts
• 3 Veterans courts
• 4 Child Support Problem Solving courts

Source Georgia Accountability Courts
40
4. Accountability Courts Overview Drug Courts

• Drug courts use sanctions and incentives
• Each drug court is operated independently
  Standing Committee on Drug Courts set 10 key
  components
• No standard operating practices or procedures for
  management of courts
• No comprehensive data management or collection
  system
• Length of program usually 12, 18, or 24 months
• Sobriety required for graduation usually 6 or 12
  months
• Of 29 adult felony drug courts
• 2,183 active participants (as of 1/1/11)
• Range from 13-285 participants per drug court
• 4,078 graduates (as of 1/1/11)

Data not available for 4 drug courts
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4. Accountability Courts Overview Drug Courts
Continued

• Pre-trial diversion
• Not asked to plead innocent or guilty
• Enter immediately into the intervention program,
  including regular meetings with the judge
• If they successfully complete the program,
  charges against them may be dismissed. If they
  fail to complete the program, they will be
  prosecuted on the original charge
• Post-plea sentencing
• Defendant enters a plea, but the judge agrees to
  defer imposing a sentence until an intervention
  program is completed
• Upon successful completion, the judge may vacate
  the plea, and ask the DA to dismiss the case
• Post-adjudication
• Judge imposes a sentence but agrees to suspend it
  until completion of the intervention program

Source Administrative Office of the Courts
42
4. Accountability Courts Overview Drug Courts
Study

• Department of Audits 2010 Study Adult Felony
  Drug Court
• 7 of drug court participants re-convicted in 2
  years
• (29 for similar incarcerated offenders)
• Average 13.54/day cost for drug court
• Cost for 2,000 participants was ½ of traditional
• sentencing options
• (18 vs. 36 million)

Source Georgia Department of Audits and
Accounts Performance Audit Operations,,
September 2010
43
4. Accountability Courts Findings

• Accountability courts arent using a validated
  risk-needs assessment to ensure that only
  moderate to high-need offenders are admitted
• Accountability courts are systemized with basic
  standards and are run individually with no
  central oversight
• There arent systemic standards requiring
  decision-making that only allow certain offenders
  bound for prison to go to a drug court
• There is no requirement that Accountability
  Courts collect admission, implementation and
  outcome data that would allow assessment of how
  effective they are at improving public safety

44
Summary of System Assessment

• Key Questions Are Georgias laws, policies and
  practices focused on reducing recidivism and
  improving public safety?
• Is Georgia focusing its resources on moderate and
  high risk offenders?
• Inconsistently and not systemically
• A validated risk-needs assessment tool is not
  used when sentencing someone to RSAT, PDC or
  other program nor is one used in drug courts to
  determine who has a substance abuse problem
  warranting significant resources
• The majority of the prison population are serving
  sentences for non-violent offenses, and
  probation caseloads are high therefore POs cant
  focus on moderate and high risk offenders
• While many community-based programs target
  moderate and high risk offenders they have a
  significant percentage of low risk offenders
  mixing risk levels has been shown to negatively
  affect the low risk population

45
Summary of System Assessment

• Key Questions Are Georgias laws, policies and
  practices focused on reducing recidivism and
  improving public safety?
• Is Georgia targeting programs to offender needs?
• Risk-needs assessment are not conducted for all
  programs, and when they are conducted it is
  unclear if they are implemented with fidelity and
  if the results are evaluated and targeted to the
  extent that they need to be in order to be
  effective
• Is Georgia evaluating the outcomes of their
  programs?
• There have been some evaluations of programs, but
  not that link programs elements to reducing
  recidivism. Thus whether these programs are
  improving public safety is largely unknown.
• The evaluations that have been conducted
  indicated the need for changes in various
  practices