This report from the Sentencing Project highlights 55 reforms in 29 states and documents a growing trend to reform sentencing policies and scale back the use of imprisonment without compromising public safety. The report provides an overview of recent policy reforms in the areas of sentencing, probation and parole, collateral consequences, and juvenile justice. To download the report, click here.

This report includes new data Human Rights Watch developed from a variety of federal and state sources that document dramatic increases in the number of older US prisoners. To download this report, click here.

The first issue of this two-part series, by the Addiction Technology Transfer Center Network, explored key differences between treating adolescents and adults, and ways in which clinical interventions and service delivery should be redesigned to meet adolescents' unique needs. This issue highlights specific evidence-based screening, assessment and treatment strategies. To read the report, click here.

Across the country, professionals in the criminal justice and victim service systems are working to improve the collection of crime victim restitution. This online toolkit, developed by the National Center for Victims of Crime, is designed to build on the experience of those professionals, to capture practical and immediately useful resources for other practitioners. To view the toolkit, please click here.

On January 5, 2012, the National Institute of Corrections (NIC) released a new report on youth in the adult criminal justice system, "You're An Adult Now: Youth in the Adult Criminal Justice Systems," authored by Jason Ziedenberg. The report addresses the information gap in how adult corrections systems are managing the youth offenders in adult jails, adult prisons and community corrections. To download the report, click here.

The goal of this publication is to provide relevant and practical information for public child welfare agencies and social workers when working with incarcerated parents and their children, including a chapter on immigration. This primer, published by the Annie e. Casey Foundation, also outlines the many compelling reasons why child welfare agencies should develop programs and policies specifically to address the needs of this subset of children in the child welfare system. To download this publication, click here.

Presents statistics on the number of offenders under the supervision of adult correctional authorities in the United States at yearend 2010. Persons supervised by adult correctional authorities include those in the community under the authority of probation or parole agencies that supervise adults and those incarcerated in state or federal prisons or local jails. The report provides the change in the total correctional population, by correctional status, during 2010. It also examines the impact of the changes in the community supervision and incarcerated populations during the year on the change observed in the total correctional population.

The severe economic climate facing the states has fueled a growing recognition of the need for cost-saving alternatives to incarceration. This paper seeks to contribute to this momentum for state-level reform by identifying policies that reduce the employment barriers faced by people with criminal records.

This report, by the Legal Action Center, examines the prevalence of opiate addiction in the criminal justice system, its devastating consequences, and the widespread denial of access to one of its most effective forms of treatment: medication assisted treatment (“MAT”). The report then analyzes the circumstances in which the denial of MAT violates Federal anti-discrimination laws and the United States Constitution.

A growing number of juvenile justice experts are suggesting a new, potentially more effective approach to reducing recidivism: first identify a youth’s risk of re-offending; then match services to his or her specific risk factors and responsiveness to specific types of interventions. This study examined the implementation of risk/needs assessment tools in six juvenile probation offices in two states, and what effects it had on the practices of the probation officers. The researchers found that probation officers using these tools did take risk factors into account in their recommendations for individual youths, leading them to seek the least restrictive but still appropriate disposition for each youth. In most of the sites, this led to lower levels of supervision for low-risk youths and more intensive services for high-risk youths. Thus far, the decreased use of resources has not resulted in increased re-offending.

This brief is one in a series describing new knowledge and innovations emerging from Models for Change, a multi-state juvenile justice initiative. Models for Change is accelerating movement toward a more effective, fair, and developmentally sound juvenile justice system by creating replicable models that protect community safety, use resources wisely, and improve outcomes for youths. The briefs are intended to inform professionals in juvenile justice and related fields, and to contribute to a new national wave of juvenile justice reform. Other briefs in this series are available at http://www.modelsforchange.net/publications/listing.html?tags=Knowledge+Briefs.

This report has two purposes: (1) to educate the DC community about the effects of a criminal record on obtaining employment, and (2) to inform DC policy makers and business leaders about specific policy recommendations intended to promote better employment outcomes for previously incarcerated persons while reflecting employer and public safety considerations.

Visitation to inmates reduces recidivism by more than 25% in many cases, according to a report released by the Minnesota Department of Corrections. Visits from siblings, in-laws, fathers, and clergy were the most beneficial in reducing the risk of recidivism, whereas visits from ex-spouses significantly increased the risk. The findings suggest that revising prison visitation policies to make them more ‘visitor friendly’ could yield public safety benefits by helping offenders establish a continuum of social support from prison to the community. To download this report, click here.

Across the country, professionals in the criminal justice and victim service systems are working to improve the collection of crime victim restitution. This online toolkit, developed by the National Center for Victims of Crime, is designed to build on the experience of those professionals, to capture practical and immediately useful resources for other practitioners. To visit the homepage for the toolkit, click here.

This publication from the Defender Association of Philadelphia provides a comprehensive reference guide to the various juvenile sex offender registration systems employed in the United States, highlights the gaps in our knowledge about child and adolescent sexual offending behavior, and provides a straightforward reference guide during this time of great flux as jurisdictions wrestle with compliance with the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act. To download this publication, click here.