NCJ Number
92298
Date Published
1983
Length
21 pages
Annotation
This evaluation of Iowa's statewide community-based corrections program summarizes findings and recommendations from the management analysis as well as the sentencing and recidivism analysis.
Abstract
The management analysis found that Iowa's community-based corrections program has problems in the organization of the Iowa Department of Social Services staff, which is responsible for the statewide administration of the program; program and fiscal monitoring; accreditation rulemaking; allocation of State appropriated funds; clarity of program policy; and implementation of legislative intent for local involvement. Recommendations derived from the management analysis are intended to strengthen the organization, management, and accountability of the community-based corrections program while maintaining the intent of the legislature as expressed in Chapter 905, Code of Iowa. The sentencing and recidivism analysis found that the recidivism risk of a group of offenders can be accurately assessed with existing tools and that the corrections program to which an offender is sentenced does not affect recidivism rates for some types of offenders but does affect recidivism rates for others. Recommendations derived from the sentencing and recidivism analysis are intended to increase the use of recidivism risk assessment in the sentencing of convicted felons and serious misdemeanants by requiring this information to be provided to judges and conducting ongoing monitoring to validate and modify the recidivism risk assessment tool. The appendix contains the response to the evaluation rendered by the Department of Social Services. For other volumes of the evaluation report, see NCJ 92299 and 92300.