NCJ Number
204132
Date Published
October 2003
Length
89 pages
Annotation
This report presents a process and preliminary impact evaluation of the Harlem Parole Reentry Court established in 2001 in New York City.
Abstract
The Harlem Parole Reentry Court was established in 2001 in New York City as a pilot demonstration project in East Harlem. It was developed by the New York State Division of Parole, the Center for Court Innovation, and the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services. The program’s purpose is to test the feasibility and effectiveness of a collaborative, community-based approach to managing prisoner reentry, with the goal of reducing recidivism and prison return rates. Key elements of the Reentry Court are: assessment and planning, active oversight, coordination of support services, graduated sanctions and incentives, and neighborhood focus. This report provides a process and preliminary evaluation of the Reentry Court covering the first 20 months of operations (June 2001 through January 2003). It evaluates the project implementation process, accomplishments, and lessons learned for those wishing to replicate the reentry court model. The report is divided into six sections: (1) defines the problems that the Reentry Court is designed to solve; (2) outlines a proposed solution to these problems; (3) the implementation of the Reentry Court model over the Court’s first 20 months; (4) examines the first 61 Reentry Court participants in terms of their demographics, criminal history, progress through the program, and key outcomes of interest; and (5) examines the Reentry Court’s preliminary impact on recidivism by comparing rates of return 1 year after release from prison among Reentry Court participants. Findings are based on observations of court operations, attendance at planning meetings, review of project records, interviews and discussions with key project staff and participants, analysis of data from the Reentry Court Management Information System and data retrieved from criminal justice system records. A number of lessons are highlighted about managing prisoner reentry into the community: (1) effective joint problem solving requires building the structures and relationships to sustain ongoing collaboration; (2) identifying eligible offenders as early as possible prior to release from prison is critical in reentry management; and (3) interventions designed to build offender motivation and readiness to change may be critical to offender success. Overall results of the preliminary impact of the Reentry Court show that reconviction rates were not significantly reduced. However, results indicate a significant reduction in convictions on non-drug related offenses. In addition, there was no reduction in overall return to prison after 1 year. Since the study ended, the Harlem Parole Reentry Court has undergone several programmatic changes. In the future, program participants are likely to spend less overall time under the supervision of the Reentry Court. This initial report suggests that there is need for continued study of the Reentry Court model to determine whether it works and what its impacts are across various ex-offender populations and which of its various components is most effective. Exhibits, references, and appendix