NCJ Number
95759
Date Published
1984
Length
51 pages
Annotation
This report provides overviews of Virginia prerelease and postrelease programs, Offender Aid and Restoration (OARS) and Virginia Community Re-entry System (VIRGINIA CARES), funded by the State for 1982-84. It also documents VIRGINIA CARES' impact on recidivism.
Abstract
OARS served jail prisoners released in metropolitan Richmond, while VIRGINIA CARES targeted felons released from State institutions in Fairfax, Richmond, Norfolk, and Roanoke. Both programs were designed to prepare inmates for release and provide services such as counseling, referrals, and employment assistance. In its first year, OARS interviewed 877 misdemeanants and 313 felons and informed them of its services. It held 30 prerelease orientation sessions and 44 family life sessions. In its first year, VIRGINIA CARES provided postrelease services to 515 ex-offenders, most of whom were black, male, and on parole. OARS encountered problems in gaining access to one particular jail, while VIRGINIA CARES' difficulties centered around the need for greater cooperation with the Department of Corrections, the definition of targeted clients, provision of unique services, and development of a client management system. VIRGINIA CARES' impact on recidivism was evaluated by comparing 177 of its clients paroled from July 1981 through December 1982 with a randomly selected but comparable group of 201 offenders paroled to localities served by VIRGINIA CARES. Four measures were analyzed: rearrest following parole, felony rearrest, new conviction after parole, and new felony conviction. While VIRGINIA CARES clients had fewer rearrests after parole and fewer felony rearrests than the controls, the difference was not statistically significant. Approximately 11.9 percent of the VIRGINIA CARES clients had a new conviction compared to 25.9 percent of the comparison group. Only 3.4 percent of the program participants had a new felony conviction compared to 11.9 percent of the control group. These differences were statistically significant, suggesting that prerelease services might have a positive impact on recidivism. Suggestions for further study, tables, program budget data, and four references are supplied.