A GUIDE FOR GOVERNORS:
UNDERSTANDING YOUR STATE CORRECTIONS SYSTEM Effectively running a state corrections system involves many obstacles. Corrections administrators oversee a unique and challenging population of people, but traditionally receive little money to invest in necessary programs and improvements, struggle to fill vacant positions in their systems, and are often the target of protests and negative media coverage. According to the Correctional Leaders Association (formerly the Association of State Correctional Administrators), an average state corrections leader is in office for no longer than 28 months. This constant turnover in leadership leaves little opportunity for corrections administrators to develop strategic plans for improvements and implement them consistently. But a strong and collaborative relationship between corrections administrators and the governor’s office has made significant differences in some states and can lead to real change. Through discussions with some of the nation’s most tenured corrections officials, the Correctional Leaders Association and The Council of State Governments Justice Center compiled this document to help you get a successful start with your corrections administrator.
5 QUESTIONS
GOVERNORS SHOULD ASK THEIR CORRECTIONS ADMINISTRATORS 1
What are your goals for the corrections system? How do you measure success?
2
What improvements and innovations have been implemented within your department during the last five years?
3
What are your biggest challenges, and what are the biggest corrections-related risks for our administration?
4
How has the legislature helped or hindered success in the corrections department? Who have you identified as key champions in the legislature? Who are the detractors?
5
How can the governor’s office support the mission of the corrections department and champion reform?
TAKING THE PULSE
OF YOUR CORRECTIONS SYSTEM Leaders in the criminal justice field have widely embraced the use of data to inform policy improvements over the last two decades. And while some states’ systems still struggle to collect all necessary data, there are key metrics governors can track to determine the health of their state corrections system and monitor trends. Those metrics cut across three core areas: corrections populations, the system’s capacity to manage those populations, and the outcomes of people when they return to the community.
CORRECTIONS POPULATIONS
Over the last five years, how many people have been in your state’s prisons, on probation, and on parole? How are those populations projected to change over the next five years? • • • • • •
What are the key reasons for recent or projected growth in these populations? How many people are on supervision for more than two years? What share of prison admissions and population are people who have violated conditions of supervision? How much does this population cost the state annually? If your state has discretionary parole, what share of the prison population is currently parole eligible? What is the prevalence of specialty populations in the corrections system, including people with mental illnesses, transgender people, juveniles sentenced as adults, etc.? How often is restrictive housing used?
CORRECTIONS CAPACITY
To what extent is your system able to accommodate the current and projected populations? • • • •
What is the ratio of prison staff to incarcerated people in each state correctional facility by security level? What is the current staff vacancy rate and turnover rate in each state correctional facility? What is the average caseload size of probation and parole officers? How much does the state spend on each person on probation and parole annually?
REENTRY OUTCOMES
How are people faring when they return to the community from incarceration? • • • •
How many people on probation or parole supervision are revoked to prison on a monthly basis? How many of those revocations are for new crimes versus technical violations? How many people on probation or parole supervision are arrested each month for serious or violent crimes? What proportion of total arrests for these crimes do people on probation or parole represent? What is the employment rate of people on probation or parole supervision? What is the homelessness rate of people on probation or parole supervision?