Corrections News

August 2008

Announcement: 

NIC has launched Your Role Responding to Sexual Abuse through the NIC E-Learning Center. 

This two hour program provides a comprehensive overview of the Federal Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) and is designed to increase your understanding of the dynamics of sexual abuse among male inmates, female inmates and between staff and inmates. You will learn how to effectively and appropriately respond when you first learn of an allegation of sexual abuse that may have occurred in your correctional facility. The interactive nature of the course’s “business cases” will enable you to practice and apply the skills you learn in a “real world” scenario.

The course is open to all adult and juvenile justice staff working in correctional settings. Its content has special relevance to institutional environments and addresses issues that have serious legal and public safety issues for staff at all levels.

To read more about, and register for the course, click on http://nicic.gov/Training/PREA. 

Form more information about PREA resources, contact:

Dee Halley, NIC Research and Evaluation Division

202.514.0374,

dhalley@bop.gov

Train the trainer opportunity available!!!

NIC, in conjuction with the Southern Region RTI Team is presenting:  Preparing Trainers to Deliver the NIC Program "Staff Supervision for Corrections Professionals".  The program will be in Fort Worth, Texas from September 15 - 19, 2008.  See attached flyer for full details regarding how to apply, costs,  lodging, etc. 

To learn more about the Southern Region Team and the Regional Training Initiative (RTI), please visit NIC's new RTI web portal and surf for more information at this link http://www.nicic.org/RegionalTraining 

Train the trainer opportunity available!!!

NIC, in conjuction with the Southern Region RTI Team is presenting:  Preparing Trainers to Deliver the NIC Program "Staff Supervision for Corrections Professionals".  The program will be in Fort Worth, Texas from September 15 - 19, 2008.  See attached flyer for full details regarding how to apply, costs, lodging, etc. 

To learn more about the Southern Region RTI Team and the Regional Training Initiative (RTI), please visit NIC's new RTI web portal and surf for more information at this link http://www.nicic.org/RegionalTraining 

Saying that "U.S. public policy has increasingly been conceived, debated and evaluated through the lenses of politics and ideology," the Urban Institute has released an updated brief, Beyond Ideology, Politics, and Guesswork: The Case for Evidence-Based Policy.  In just eight pages, the paper succinctly covers several public policy areas, including criminal justice and corrections.

DEADLINE: Applications must be received by 4:00 p.m. EDT, Friday, August 22, 2008

The National Institute of Corrections (NIC) is soliciting proposals from organizations, groups or individuals who would like to enter into a cooperative agreement with NIC to work with an advisory team of experts on gender-informed policy and practice to complete the design and initial testing of women offender policy and practice assessment protocol.

• Read the full announcement and apply at GRANTS.gov
• Read more about Cooperative Agreements with NIC

The National Institute of Corrections has a job opening for a:  

Training Technician (Aurora, CO): Under the general supervision of the Chief, and through collaboration with the Corrections Program Specialist, the incumbent performs the following duties:  Use employee development/training principles to develop training related materials. Use the computer and word processing and database software to develop documents and maintain inventory of equipment and supplies.

Read the full announcement here:

For the General Public - Apply before August 28, 2008

The Bureau of Justice statistics has recently released Characteristics of State Parole Supervising Agencies, 2006.  This report presents the midyear 2006 information and data collected from 52 state agencies that supervise an adult parole population of 660,959 and an adult probation population of 1,200,570.

The Council of State Governments Justice Center has unveiled "a first-of-its-kind interactive online tool for state and local government professionals working to make prison and jail reentry safer and more successful."  The tool is organized by topic areas, such as physical health, substance abuse, and mental health, each divided by timeframes, and includes descriptions of information to gather and links to assessment instruments.  CSG reports that this tool is part of a larger toolkit the Justice Center will release later this year.

The Bureau of Justice Statistics has released a Special Report, Sexual Violence Reported by Juvenile Correctional Authorities, 2005-06.  Of the more than 2,000 allegations of sexual violence reported each year, approximately one in five was substantiated, a rate higher than was found in adult prisons and jails.

DEADLINE: Applications must be received by 4:00 p.m. EDT, Friday, August 15, 2008

The National Institute of Corrections, Jails Division, is seeking applications for the development of a document that provides jail practitioners with a guide on developing and implementing programs and activities for jail inmates, as part of an overall strategy to manage inmate behavior.

• Read the full announcement and apply at GRANTS.gov
• Read more about Cooperative Agreements with NIC

DEADLINE: All applications are due by 4:00 pm EDT on August 21, 2008.

Through this twelve month cooperative agreement, the National Institute of Corrections will build on work started in 2002 to implement system wide evidence based policy and practices (EBP). This award will complete work already started in Maricopa County, Arizona, and Orange County, California, to enable them to sustain their rates of ongoing progress in terms of measured recidivism outcomes and other productivity indicators through time. Measured progress must be made in all organizational and system alignment areas indicated in the strategic plans already developed by both sites.

• Read the full announcement and apply at GRANTS.gov
• Read more about Cooperative Agreements with NIC

The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention has published a Fact Sheet summarizing the findings from the 2006 National Youth Gang Survey. Information on the "number of gangs, gang members, and gang-related crime" are provided. Survey data was collected from police departments that serve larger cities, suburban counties, smaller cities, and rural counties.

UPDATE 08/01/2008: Questions & Answers From July 30th conference call.

Deadline: Applications must be received by 4:00 p.m. EDT on August 20, 2008. 

The National Institute of Corrections (NIC) is soliciting proposals from organizations, groups or individuals who would like to enter into a cooperative agreement with NIC to develop a series of five papers related to parole with a primary audience of parole board members, parole staff, governors, appointing authorities, and related criminal justice agencies. The five papers will be developed over an eighteen month time. The initial paper will address core competencies for parole board members and executive parole staff in paroling authorities. Additional topics for this series will be determined by NIC and the vendor.

Project Goal: The overall goal of the initial paper is the development of a document on core competencies for parole board members and executive staff. This document will address the following:

• Describe the competencies needed to be a parole board member, parole chair and executive parole staff;
  
• Clarify how the competencies relate to the role of parole with other stakeholders within the criminal justice
  systems;
  
• Describe the organizational structures within the parole office that support the development and operation of
  competencies;
  
• Examine how competencies promote the use of EBP in parole and revocation decision making;
  
• Illustrate how governors, appointing authorities, and parole boards can use the competencies to make selection
  and hiring decisions.

The core competencies must conform to the principles presented in the documents "Comprehensive Framework for Paroling Authorities in an Era of Evidence-Based Practices", the "Correctional Leadership Competencies for the 21st Century for Executives and Senior-Level Leaders", and the "Correctional Leadership Competencies for the 21st Century for Manager and Supervisor Levels". These documents can be found at the following links:

• http://nicic.org/Downloads/PDF/Library/022906.pdf (NIC Accession no. 022906),
• http://www.nicic.org/pubs/2005/020474.pdf (NIC Accession no. 020474) and
• http://nicic.org/Downloads/PDF/Library/020475.pdf (NIC Accession no. 020475).

For complete information about this solicitation and how to apply, please visit the announcement posted on Grants.gov. Visit the NIC Cooperative Agreements webpage for more information about these types of solicitations.

Questions and Answers: 08/01/2008

Q: Do you have ideas, even in general terms, about the focus of the other 4 papers?

A:  For the next paper  paper, we are interested in writing about Parole Boards' using EBP  As a close example, see Judge Roger Warren's paper on NIC's website, on EBP and State Judiciaries.  (Exact title not given on phone call, but it is: "Evidence-Based Practice to Reduce Recidivism: Implications for State Judiciaries")

Q: Relationship of this solicitation to the one asking for a curriculum for Core Competencies

A: After the proposal is awarded, there may be a relationship.  This relationship would come through Carla Smalls who is the project manager for both.

Q: Do any of the papers relate to post release supervision?  i.e., may not be "parole."

A: Not supervision.  Rather, we are focusing on the decision to grant release or not and on the decision to revoke or not.  None of the 5 papers (i.e., this one or the other 4) focus on offender supervision.

Q: Should the papers be tied to reentry?

A: They could, in the sense that parole boards are part of the reentry process.  But, the focus is on parole board decision making.   This is a more static process than the entire reentry process.

Q: There are 3 previously done papers listed in the solicitation.  One is the Framework for Parole Authorities.  Competencies are listed in that paper.  Are we to refer to these when we write our paper?

A: Yes - On this paper and the other 2.  In the Framework Document, competencies are related to Parole Board members.  These 3 papers are guides for this work.

Q: My question is similar to the first question.  Solicitation indicated that the first paper should be no more than 50 pages.  The other 4 papers are supposed to be prototypical.  What does that mean?  Same length?  Same style?  Should they go together as a series?

A: All the papers should be no more than 50 pages.  We want similar style, and we do see them as a Set of concepts and information that are helpful to Parole Board members and executive staff who do administrative work for boards.

Q: Do you want a budget for all 5 papers?

A: For all 5.

Q: How will the topics be selected for other 4 papers?  Do you expect a process to identify the topics?  Does the writer pick?  Are you interested in new and emerging ideas?

A: NIC and the awardee will work jointly to come up with additional papers.  We will want new ideas.  Or, we could shape an existing idea for Parole Board members.

Q: The budget is negotiable.  Do you have a ballpark figure?

A: No.  We will look at all aspects, and the proposals will be weighed.

Q: Suggestions for new ideas?  Should we address capacity to get this done?  What is the gist of the 15 pages?  And, are the citations and bios on top of the 15 pages?

A: All information must fit within the 15 pages.  Your focus should be the Competency paper as a prototype.  Then, the other papers will follow this prototype as you write the proposal.

Q: Sometimes, people get so many points for prior experience, project design, etc.  Is there a formula?

A: Yes, but NIC will not reveal this.

No, not the Ghostbusters, the NIC Information Center. Our experienced corrections specialists will prepare a custom response and get it to you FAST. Need information for an early morning meeting and it’s after business hours? NO PROBLEM. Our website document library contains over 5,000 down loadable publications covering hundreds of topics.

Send an email, call us at 800-877-1461, or do your own research using our on line digital library. Our web accessible material is organized into eleven major headings to make it easy for you to locate what you need. Categories include Administration, Facilities, Funding, Justice System, Miscellaneous, Offender Management, Offender Services, Personnel, Reentry, Special Offenders, and Statistics & Research. 

Help is just a phone call (or click) away!

A free, live satellite videoconference and webcast dealing with MRSA and HIV will occur on Wednesday, October 22, 2008. The prevalence of these infections within the offender population make this broadcast an essential training tool for health and corrections professionals in crafting management strategies to deal with this pressing public health issue. For further details and registration information, please click here. 

New in the Urban Institute's Returning Home series of reports examining the challenges of prisoner reentry is a research brief focusing on the impact of parole supervision.  Returning Home on Parole: Former Prisoners' Experiences in Illinois, Ohio, and Texas includes findings regarding the usefulness of parole officers in the transition process, the relationships between parole supervision and employment and substance use, the effect of supervision on reincarceration, and who benefits more from supervision.

The Northeast Region of the NIC Regional Training Initiative (RTI) presents:

THINKING for a CHANGE (T4C) facilitator training

This is a 32 hour advanced level training program that will prepare participants to facilitate offender groups utilizing the Thinking for a Change program.

Thinking for a Change (T4C) is an integrated, cognitive behavior change program designed for offenders and delivered in small group settings.  It includes cognitive restructuring, and the development of social and problem solving skills over 22 basic lessons with the capacity for unlimited continuing lessons to meet the particular needs of each group of participants.

Target: Probation Officers &/or Counselors responsible for leading offender groups in the Thinking for Change program

When: Sept. 8-Sept. 11, 2008  (9:00 am - 4:30 pm)

Where: Delaware Department of Correction, Administration Building, 245 McKee Rd. , Dover, DE 19904

Registration: fill out the NIC form A application and fax or email to Beth Reidy at: Fax- 302-739-5751 or email elizabeth.reidy@state.de.us 

Lodging and meals are the responsibility of the participants.

Lodging is available at: Dover Downs Hotel, 1131 North DuPont Highway, Dover, DE 19901, 1-800-711-5882; When making reservations ask for the group rate for Delaware Department of Correction.

For transportation reservations, see the link below provided by Delaware Express.

http://delexpress.hudsonltd.net/res?USERIDENTRY=193953&LOGON=GO

If further info is needed contact Beth Reidy @ 302-857-5289 or Louise Layton @ 302-857-5291.

The Northeast Region of the NIC Regional Training Initiative (RTI) presents:

THINKING for a CHANGE (T4C) facilitator training

This is a 32 hour advanced level training program that will prepare participants to facilitate offender groups utilizing the Thinking for a Change program.

Thinking for a Change (T4C) is an integrated, cognitive behavior change program designed for offenders and delivered in small group settings.  It includes cognitive restructuring, and the development of social and problem solving skills over 22 basic lessons with the capacity for unlimited continuing lessons to meet the particular needs of each group of participants.

Target: Probation Officers &/or Counselors responsible for leading offender groups in the Thinking for Change program

When: Sept. 8-Sept. 11, 2008  (9:00 am - 4:30 pm)

Where: Delaware Department of Correction, Administration Building, 245 McKee Rd. , Dover, DE 19904

Registration: fill out the NIC form A application and fax or email to Beth Reidy at: Fax- 302-739-5751 or email elizabeth.reidy@state.de.us 

Lodging and meals are the responsibility of the participants.

Lodging is available at: Dover Downs Hotel, 1131 North DuPont Highway, Dover, DE 19901, 1-800-711-5882; When making reservations ask for the group rate for Delaware Department of Correction.

For transportation reservations, see the link below provided by Delaware Express.

http://delexpress.hudsonltd.net/res?USERIDENTRY=193953&LOGON=GO

If further info is needed contact Beth Reidy @ 302-857-5289 or Louise Layton @ 302-857-5291.

The Northeast Region of the NIC Regional Training Initiative (RTI) presents:

THINKING for a CHANGE (T4C) facilitator training

This is a 32 hour advanced level training program that will prepare participants to facilitate offender groups utilizing the Thinking for a Change program.

Thinking for a Change (T4C) is an integrated, cognitive behavior change program designed for offenders and delivered in small group settings.  It includes cognitive restructuring, and the development of social and problem solving skills over 22 basic lessons with the capacity for unlimited continuing lessons to meet the particular needs of each group of participants.

Target: Probation Officers &/or Counselors responsible for leading offender groups in the Thinking for Change program

When: Sept. 8-Sept. 11, 2008  (9:00 am - 4:30 pm)

Where: Delaware Department of Correction, Administration Building, 245 McKee Rd. , Dover, DE 19904

Registration: fill out the NIC form A application and fax or email to Beth Reidy at: Fax- 302-739-5751 or email elizabeth.reidy@state.de.us 

Lodging and meals are the responsibility of the participants.

Lodging is available at: Dover Downs Hotel, 1131 North DuPont Highway, Dover, DE 19901, 1-800-711-5882; When making reservations ask for the group rate for Delaware Department of Correction.

For transportation reservations, see the link below provided by Delaware Express.

http://delexpress.hudsonltd.net/res?USERIDENTRY=193953&LOGON=GO

If further info is needed contact Beth Reidy @ 302-857-5289 or Louise Layton @ 302-857-5291.

Information collected by The National Conference of State Legislatures from legislative fiscal directors indicates more states are experiencing budget problems. While state revenue streams weren't expected to keep pace with the previous fiscal year, the extent of the decline was not anticipated. Though some states have realized higher than expected tax collections, many more are seeking ways to bring revenue and expenditures into balance. Proposed measures to reduce budget gaps include: workforce reductions, hiring freezes, and tapping into state rainy day funds.