NCJ Number
217191
Journal
Corrections Compendium Volume: 31 Issue: 6 Dated: November/December 2006 Pages: 6,7,22,23
Date Published
November 2006
Length
4 pages
Annotation
This paper presents the results of an analysis examining the New Jersey Halfway House Program walk-away data for the years 1997 through 2004.
Abstract
The results of the analysis indicate that during the past 7 years the walk-away rate was indeed decreasing at the approximate rate of 0.4 percent per year. Also, the likelihood of offender walk-away occurrence as compared with the base year of 2003 decreased approximately 8.0 percent annually over the period. Central to the New Jersey Department of Corrections reintegration strategy, as well as a key component of the continuum-of-care treatment approach for drug and alcohol addicted offenders is prerelease participation of qualified inmates in residential community-release programs or halfway houses. The halfway house offers an opportunity to transition from the prison setting to the community. However, the department is fully aware that inmates with community access have opportunities to walk away from community-based halfway house facilities. It is the department’s responsibility to minimize this occurrence in order to ensure public safety. To understand walk-away trends and measure the impact of implemented policy on walk-away outcomes, an analysis was conducted to examine the halfway house walk-away data for the years January 1997 through June 2004. The goal of the analysis was to identify and quantitatively approximate the annual increase or decrease in walk-away rates during that time, measure the impact of policy initiatives designed to address walk-away prevalence, and determine if there existed a seasonal effect related to walk-away rates. This paper presents the results of this analysis. Figures, tables and references