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Adult Transition Reform Case Study

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The Short-Term Goals improving methods for re-entry (Illinois State commission on Criminal Justice and Sentencing refor-2015):
• Creating a Commission that will provide the legislative body and governor office with steps and policy to improve correction reform, and re-entry improvement (this has already took place in 2010).
• Increase the use of risk-and-needs assessment: Expand the use of risk-assessment tools by IDOC, the Prisoner Review Board, Community Re-entry programs, and Summit of Hope events, so that rehabilitative resources, such as drug and mental health treatment, are targeted at those offenders who would benefit the most from them. Also look into combine them, for one good assessment for re-entry.
Mid-Term Goals improving methods …show more content…

The state should change how it uses its four Adult Transition Centers so that higher-risk offenders, not just low- risk offenders, can benefit from the programs prior to release, and the state needs to review on creating new Adult Transition Centers and not prisons.
• Enhance rehabilitative programming in Illinois prisons: Improve access to education; vocational training and substance abuse programs to help offenders successfully adapt to life after prison, this is essential to lower the rate of recidivism.
• Remove burdensome occupational licensing barriers: Remove unnecessary barriers keeping ex-offenders from obtaining professional licenses. There are too many state barriers that keep ex-offenders from getting contract license like forktruck driving, Semidrivers, Nurse ad, and etc. Many ex-offenders have the skills and passion to do these jobs, just need the barrier out of the …show more content…

This process often wastes resources because short prison stays do not last long enough for offenders to benefit from drug treatment and other rehabilitative programs. Moreover, housing low-risk inmates with high-risk inmates reduces the likelihood that low-level offenders rehabilitate and avoid crime after release. This will save the State of Illinois Billions of dollars which could be used to services, which could make a new taxpayer.
• Discourage prison for low-risk offenders: For low-risk offenders, incarceration often isn’t a cost-effective use of public resources. Work with judges explains at sentencing why incarceration, rather than an alternative such as probation, is appropriate when a low-level offender hasn’t been on probation previously, and has no history of violent crime.
• Expand eligibility for programming credits: Giving inmates the chance to earn time off their sentences by participating in rehabilitative programs encourages good conduct in prison, and increases the likelihood that they’ll succeed after release. All inmates should be eligible and encouraged to join these programs, and receive certificates, and skills that might assist them with work in the

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