Konopnicki: Evidence demands AZ re-visits Truth-in-Sentencing.

Great opinion piece from Bill Konopnicki in the Arizona Republic today...

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State can save money by reducing prison population

Bill Konopnicki  (March 3, 2012)

If in 2002 Arizonans were asked whether they'd like to move investments in our three great universities to prisons, they'd likely give a resounding "no!"

Yet that's exactly what we've done. In 2002, Arizona invested 40 percent more in universities than corrections. Ten years later the incarceration rate has risen, while universities have been severely cut, and the state is spending 40 percent more on prisons than universities.

Politicians harp on being "tough on crime," but we really need to be "smart on crime." States across the country are realizing they can improve public safety, enhance the likelihood of inmates reintegrating into society, and save money by reducing incarceration. We've already seen evidence of this in Arizona.

For the first time since we've kept prison statistics, Arizona has experienced a modest decline in its prison population. The reason has been evidence-based practices with our probation population, reducing those sent to prison. The Safe Communities Act of 2008, a bipartisan effort, sponsored by then State Sen. John Huppenthal, a Republican, gave county probation agencies incentives to reduce crime and violations rather than return offenders into state custody.

Under the law, offenders earn 20 days off their probation term for every month they meet all of their obligations, including payment of victim restitution if it was ordered. The Grand Canyon Institute's latest report "Reducing Incarceration Costs While Maintaining Public Safety," notes that in Maricopa County alone the drop in probation revocations to prison saved taxpayers $27 million annually over costs in 2008.

The Institute's report using classifications from a report written for the Arizona Prosecuting Attorneys' Advisory Council identifies that nearly 20 percent of our current prison population are nonviolent offenders at low risk for recidivism.

When I chaired an Arizona House Alternatives to Sentencing Workgroup in 2003, I called many prison wardens, and each one told me they could identify a couple hundred inmates who could be safely released. Our report estimates if low risk nonviolent offenders through good behavior and participation in education, vocational and treatment programs earned reduced prison time and moved into community supervision with appropriate follow up, the state of Arizona could save between $30 million and $73 million annually, depending on how eligibility was structured.

But to do that we have to revisit "Truth in Sentencing" for nonviolent offenders. Arizona is the only state that forces nonviolent offenders, regardless of risk, to serve at least 85 percent of their sentence behind bars. Mississippi was the only other state to also treat nonviolent offenders this way, and in 2001 and again in 2008, they changed paths and paroled thousands of nonviolent offenders, saving Mississippi about $200 million without impacting public safety.

The math is pretty simple. It costs $20,000 to incarcerate a nonviolent offender, but less than $4,500 to provide community supervision, often with electronic monitoring, and drug treatment and testing to the same person.

The alternative is continuing to build prisons. Gov. Jan Brewer proposed spending five times more on prison construction than on building schools this coming fiscal year.

Our prisons can be a revolving door. Last year, 19,055 people left the Arizona Department of Corrections and another 18,759 people replaced them. At least three in four have significant substance-abuse issues, yet last year only 1,810 received treatment. It's no wonder that repeat offenders make up seven out of every 10 inmates.

Arizona needs to adopt evidence-based practices that move us in a fiscally prudent manner that would enable our investments in universities to climb without imperiling public safety.

Former State Rep. Bill Konopnicki is a board member for the Grand Canyon Institute, a centrist think tank.

Morrison Institute: Mental illness and public safety in Arizona

Register today

First Contact: Mental Illness and Public Safety in Arizona
FRIDAY, Jan. 6, 2012

8:30 a.m

ASU Downtown Phoenix

Event sponsored by

Morrison Institute for Public Policy

and Center for Applied Behavioral Health Policy

Arizona State University

One year after an untreated mentally ill person allegedly shot 18 people at a Tucson grocery store, killing 6 and gravely wounding Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and others, we assemble experts to discuss the critical intersection between law enforcement and health care and to ponder what can be done in our communities to reduce the possibilities of future January 8ths. We will explore the proper balance between public safety and public health systems — focusing on the “first contact” between law enforcement officers (or other citizens) and individuals with mental illness who appear dangerous to themselves or others. We will consider Arizona’s current statutory/policy context and best practices in other states, while considering statutory and/or policy changes Arizona should pursue.

Arizona State University Downtown Phoenix Campus

Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication

555 N. Central Avenue, Auditorium 128

Phoenix, Arizona

Registration/Information

• Event admission: No charge, but registration is required.
• Parking: $5 pay lot on Fillmore Street just east of Central Avenue.

Maricopa County Probation: Evidence-based practice works

For all the hassles and gripes I've heard about probation in Maricopa County, I must say that Chief Barbara Broderick is on the ball and has made a world of difference here. The following post is taken from the White House's Office of National Drug Control Policy website. I personally believe most drugs should be legalized and users decriminalized, but until then, I think people like Chief Broderick are doing what they can to mitigate harm of criminalization and help addicts recover in the community, instead of return to prison.

If the rest of the criminal justice system could get on board with evidence-based practice and sentencing guidelines, we'd likely see a drastic reduction in our incarceration rates and far more people with substance abuse issues making it successfully in the community.

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Maricopa County Works to Break the Cycle of Drugs, Crime, and Incarceration

Posted by Barbara Broderick
November 22, 2011 at 12:47 PM EST

The 2011 National Drug Control Strategy recognizes that many individuals who use drugs become involved in the criminal justice system. This is also the case in Maricopa County, Arizona. The most recent Arizona Arrestee Reporting Information Network (AARIN) Annual Adult Report, which provides data on arrestees in Maricopa County, indicates that in the 30 days prior to arrest 56% used marijuana, methamphetamine, cocaine, or heroin.

Many of the principles identified in the Strategy that are intended to break the drugs and crime cycle are being implemented in Maricopa County by the Maricopa County Adult Probation Department. Below are some accomplishments and ongoing projects focused on assisting offenders.

• Evidence-Based Practices (EBP) - The department is committed to using evidence-based practices (EBP) in its supervision strategies and has translated EBP into practical approaches that probation officers can incorporate into their daily supervision practices, such as using validated risk and needs assessments and reassessments to develop probationer case plans. Individuals with drug abuse disorders are referred to drug court or other relevant treatment programs.
  

• Reentry - In January 2010, through a federal stimulus grant, the department implemented a Prison Reentry Unit, changing the way released offenders are supervised. A key priority is ensuring these offenders report to the probation department following their release from the Arizona Department of Corrections. In the first year, over 1200 offenders received services from the unit. The rate of offenders failing to report to probation following release from prison dropped from 23% to 2.3% with the grant. In addition, the rate of petitions to terminate probation and return the offender to the Department of Corrections (called “petitions to revoke”) filed in the first twelve months after release dropped from 10.1% to 4.9% with the program, and the rate of new felony arrests dropped from 13.8% to 10.8% with the program.

• Earned Time Credit (ETC) - Effective January 1, 2009, the State of Arizona implemented Earned Time Credit (ETC), providing eligible offenders the opportunity to earn 20 days of credit for every 30 days they comply with their court-ordered financial obligations, community restitution hours and are making progress towards their case plan goals. In the short-term, it is anticipated that this legislation will reduce the length of time on probation while increasing the likelihood of successful completion of probation. In the long term, we expect that the likelihood of recidivism will be reduced following termination from probation.
  

• Probation Outcomes - While evaluations of the effectiveness of these initiatives are ongoing, we have seen positive results. Crime reduction is a key goal in the department’s strategic plan and is measured through three main results: successful completion of probation, termination of probation and returning to the Department of Corrections, and new felony sentences. From FY2008 to FY2011, the percentage of offenders successfully completing probation increased from 66% to 80.3%; the percentage of offenders returned to the Department of Corrections decreased from 28% to 18.4%, and the percentage of offenders with new felony sentences decreased from 8.0% to 4.9%. How does this affect public safety? In FY2011, an additional 1,340 offenders successfully completed probation, 1,601 fewer offenders were returned to the Department of Corrections, and 885 fewer offenders were sentenced for new felony offenses.

These results are encouraging. It suggests that offenders can be effectively supervised in the community without negatively affecting public safety. And we can break the cycle of drugs, crime and incarceration.

Barbara Broderick is Chief Probation Officer at the Maricopa County Adult Probation Department