NCJ Number
82252
Date Published
Unknown
Length
25 pages
Annotation
The program of the Minnesota Restitution Center is described and assessed, and suggestions for improvement are offered.
Abstract
The major component of the center's program, which is designed for property offenders, is the restitution contract negotated between the victim and the offender. Clients are property offenders who have been sentenced to a maximum security institution and then paroled to residence at the center. The center supervises the client in the community, where he is employed to support himself and his family and make restitution to the victims of his offense. The program involves progressive phases of independence for the client, moving from complete residence at the center to residence in the community and twice weekly group sessions at the center. A total of 33 men or 37.9 percent of those who have been paroled to the program thus far have been returned to the institution for parole violations. Only 8 percent of these have been reinstitutionalized because of new felony offenses. At the end of the 3-year period examined, 55.3 percent of the clients remain in the community, making the program 4.7 percent short of its goal of maintaining 60 percent of the clients in the community. During the study period, $34,704.25 in restitution was negotiated between program clients and their victims. As of July 31, 1975, 43 percent of the amount has been lost because of program termination for various reasons. Recommendations for improving the program's effectiveness include expanding the number of clients that can be supervised and providing specialized programs for clients with alcohol-related problems. Appended are a sample restitution contract, a table showing the status of those paroled to the center, and a bibliography of 11 listings.