Police Make 10 Million Arrests a Year, but That Doesn’t Mean They’re Solving Crimes

The intercept has an interesting article on police arrests. In the article the Vera Institute has a new arrest day a tool the looks very interesting. I have a like to it in the post right before this post.

Too many arrests? Is it the police fault or the persons breaking the law?

Amid aggressive enforcement of minor offenses, most victims don’t report crimes to police and fewer than 25 percent of reported crimes are solved by arrest.
— Read on theintercept.com/2019/01/31/arrests-policing-vera-institute-of-justice/

Investing in Futures Economic and Fiscal Benefits of Postsecondary Education in Prison

Secondary Education for prisoners to reduce recidivism

“But the study says that research shows that giving inmates access to post-secondary education is critical to reducing mass incarceration, lowering recidivism rates and ensuring public safety.”

www.georgetownpoverty.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/GCPI-ESOI-Investing-in-Futures-Report-FINAL-20190116.pdf

Crime, Mental Health, & Recidivism

This is one of the topics discussed in the CRJ-302 class.

Oregon Board Says Those Found Criminally Insane Rarely Commit New Crimes. The Numbers Say Otherwise.

The Psychiatric Security Review Board questioned how many people it discharged from state custody returned to crime. But it did not share its findings or change policies even as former clients killed or raped.

See the series on mental health / crime / recidivism HERE

Examining Parole Revocation Patterns

In the state of Utah, a revocation to prison from parole can occur in two instances, (1) if the offender failed to comply with their supervision conditions and (2) if the offender was convicted of a new crime while on parole. It should be emphasized that changes in revocation rates through time may not speak to changes in offender behavior but rather the nature and enforcement of criminal justice policies and practices. Additionally, it may not be reflective of general health trends and other dynamic social phenomena. With this in mind, this study examines revocation patterns through the lens of Utah’s current criminal justice policies using a one-year follow-up time.

justice.utah.gov/JRI/Documents/Parole_Revocation_Patterns_Final.pdf

Formerly Incarcerated Continue to be Imprisoned by Low Education: Study

Getting Back on Course: Educational exclusion and attainment among formerly incarcerated people

Throughout their lives, people who serve time in prison are held back from educational opportunities, making it nearly impossible to earn the credentials they need to succeed after release. Using data from the National Former Prisoner Survey, this report reveals that formerly incarcerated people are often relegated to the lowest rungs of the educational ladder; more than half hold only a high school diploma or GED, and a quarter hold no credential at all. While incarcerated, and even after release from prison, we find that people rarely get the chance to make up for the educational opportunities from which they’ve been excluded — opportunities that impact their chances of reentry success.

https://www.prisonpolicy.org/reports/education.html

National Inventory of the Collateral Consequences of Conviction

Here is a new and useful resource that illustrates the types of collateral consequences that follow a person after being convicted of a crime.

What are collateral consequences?

Collateral consequences are legal and regulatory restrictions that limit or prohibit people convicted of crimes from accessing employment, business and occupational licensing, housing, voting, education, and other rights, benefits, and opportunities.

Some collateral consequences serve a legitimate public safety or regulatory function, such as keeping firearms out of the hands of people convicted of violent offenses, prohibiting people convicted of assault or physical abuse from working with children or the elderly, or barring people convicted of fraud from positions of public trust. Others are directly related to a particular crime, such as registration requirements for sex offenders or driver’s license restrictions for people convicted of serious traffic offenses. But some collateral consequences apply without regard to the relationship between the crime and opportunity being restricted, such as the revocation of a business license after conviction of any felony.

National Inventory of the Collateral Consequences of Conviction
— Read on niccc.csgjusticecenter.org/

The Biased Algorithm: Evidence of Disparate Impact on Hispanics by Melissa Hamilton :: SSRN

This report discusses using algorithmic assessments for predicting recidivism. This is an example of the prediction problem and possible biases in the use of assessments.

Algorithmic risk assessment holds the promise of reducing mass incarceration while remaining conscious of public safety. Yet presumptions of transparent and fai
— Read on papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm