NCJ Number
201672
Journal
Corrections Today Magazine Volume: 65 Issue: 5 Dated: August 2003 Pages: 86-88
Date Published
August 2003
Length
3 pages
Annotation
This article describes the Impact of Crime program that has been implemented by the Weld County Sheriff’s Office in Greeley, CO.
Abstract
The Impact of Crime program, a widely adopted program used in many correctional facilities across the country, confronts offenders with the consequences of their crimes for their victims. The program works by bringing volunteer crime victims into a facilitated classroom setting in order to speak about how crime has impacted their lives and the lives of their family members. The article discusses how the program is implemented in the Weld County Sheriff’s Office North Jail Complex, which is a 160-bed facility that houses inmates for an average of 10 to 15 days. Volunteer speakers are drawn from a victim speaker bureau and staff facilitators are trained in counseling methods in order to debrief speakers after the program about their feelings. Inmates are selected for the program mainly on the basis of availability to complete the intensive, 5 day course. Inmates who have completed the program generally report that their reasons for attending the program were initially to impress the judge, but after hearing victims speak, many inmates express empathy for the victims and remorse for their actions. The program is considered a success at making offenders aware of the impact their crimes have on individual victims, family members of victims, their own families, and themselves.