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A collaborative effort between the Tennessee Board of Probation and Parole and the state Correction Department to improve the chances an inmate released on parole won’t be arrested again has saved the state $33 million within its first year, according to an article in the Tennessean.
The two departments launched the joint effort last year to save taxpayers money, reduce recidivism, preserve expensive prison beds for the most dangerous offenders and make communities safer.
One of these efforts is aimed at “technical parole violators”—probationers or parolees who may get in trouble for minor offenses such as driving on a suspended license or missing a counseling session. As part of the initiative, the state tries to identify factors that indicate whether offenders would be more likely to violate probation or parole—from substance abuse to mental health and medical issues. When the indicators show that an offender is at high risk, the state plans to offer help through a network of more than 20 social workers.
Correction Commissioner Gayle Ray and parole board Chairman Charles Traughber are extremely pleased with the results so far.
“This is the most excited that I’ve been since I’ve been involved in the criminal justice world, because we are starting to see results,” Ray said. “Had we not come up with this joint plan, there would have had to be early releases. We had no early releases. In addition … we’ve seen an actual reduction in recidivism.”
“If you get people to think different, they’ll act different,” Traughber added.
To read the article, click here.
For more information, visit Justice Fellowship’s Prisoner Reentry and Probation and Parole resource pages. |
