NCJ Number
234595
Date Published
June 2011
Length
22 pages
Annotation
This case study of Santa Clara County's Parolee Reentry Court explains its rationale and describes its operation, personnel, and impact on parolee recidivism.
Abstract
Parolee Reentry Court is a spinoff of the drug court model, one of the major successes of the collaborative court movement nationwide. Collaborative courts emphasize a team approach to criminal justice instead of the traditional adversarial system. The court's judge is the leader of a team that consists of attorneys, psychologists, medical doctors, parole agents, and probation officers. The team's role is to develop plans and responses that will help parolees stay off drugs and out of prison. Special court sessions are held for military veterans, the mentally ill, and drug abusers. The judge, Stephen Manley, created the Parolee Reentry Court 3 years ago. In its first 3 years, Santa Clara County's Parolee Reentry Court has had a success rate of approximately 80 percent, with 20 percent re-incarcerated by the State. Judge Manley stated that "Our 80 percent completion rate is a result of sticking with people over time. I talk about managing people rather than sentencing them. I have a simple view: You need to motivate people to change." When Governor Brown presented his 2011-12 budget in January, he included what he characterized as "a vast and historic" plan to restructure public safety in California. A major element of this plan is the realignment of parole from State control to the counties. As part of this realignment, the Governor intends to shift the responsibility for parole violations to local jurisdictions, with judges making all parole revocation decisions. This description of the Santa Clara County Parolee Reentry Court includes detailed descriptions of the role of each team member.