Recidivism rates falling

Note: This is 2009.

4-10-2009 Indiana:

Rehab programs contribute to decrease in repeat offenders

Changing the thinking patterns of criminal offenders is one key to keeping them from reoffending, prison officials say.

From looking at the number of repeat offenders in state prisons, it must be working, as the recidivism rate over the past three years has declined, the Indiana Department of Correction reported.

Officials at the IDOC have studied and monitored Indiana’s recidivism rates for four years and found the overall recidivism rate has gone down for the third consecutive year, falling to 37.4 percent.

DOC officials attribute the improving recidivism numbers to their focus on the successful re-entry of offenders.

At the Miami Correctional Facility, offenders are offered multiple programs aimed at rehabilitation, said public information officer Ann Hubbard.

Hubbard said the DOC tries to make its prisons more than just a place to house criminals. If they choose, inmates can work on issues such as substance abuse and anger management. They can take classes on fatherhood and on character and faith development.

Indiana’s Recidivism Rates Decline for Third Consecutive Year

March 2009:

The Indiana Department of Correction (IDOC) has been studying and monitoring Indiana’s recidivism rates for the past four years. Now, researchers have found that the overall recidivism rate has declined for the third consecutive year to 37.4%.

The IDOC defines recidivism as an offender’s return to incarceration within 3 years of their release date from a state correctional institution. An offender is included in this study when they are released via one of the following avenues: Community Transition Program (CTP), Probation, Parole, or Discharge. Once released, an offender is verified as a recidivist if they return to the institutional custody of the IDOC for a new conviction or a technical violation of postincarceration supervision.

For offenders released in 2005, only 37.4% have returned to prison by 2008, which is lower than the 2007 recidivism rate of 37.8%. Rates for 2005 and 2006 were 39.2% and 38.6%, respectively. During those four years, the demographics of the offenders studied remained consistent.

In addition, one statistic regarding a class of offenders shows a great deal of promise. The recidivism rate for sex offenders returning on a new sex offense was 1.05%, one of the lowest in the nation. In a time when sex offenders continue to face additional post-release requirements that often result in their return to prison for violating technical rules such as registration and residency restrictions, the instances of sex offenders returning to prison due to the commitment of a new sex crime is extremely low.

These improving recidivism numbers demonstrate that the IDOC’s focus on the successful reentry of offenders in recent years is beginning to pay off. Indeed, all IDOC staff members across the state have worked hard to prepare offenders for their release back into their communities and give them the tools to succeed. ..continued... by Indiana DOC Full Study HERE

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All Indiana recidivism studies by the IDOC

Liberty Healthcare: Sex offenders in Indiana less likely to be re-incarcerated

1-31-2011 Indiana:

Liberty Healthcare Corporation: “Indiana had the foresight to implement and maintain a program that manages a very difficult population”

Press Availability

WHO: Dr. Adam Deming, Executive Director, Indiana Sex Offender Management and Monitoring Program managed by Liberty Behavioral Health Corporation for Indiana Department of Correction.

SUBJECT: How the State of Indiana treated over 7,000 sex offenders and reduced recidivism and costs of incarceration.

WHEN: January 31, 2011.

WHERE: American Correctional Association Winter Conference, San Antonio, Texas. Dr. Deming is available via telephone (317) 508-9178 during the conference.

BACKGROUND: According to state data, sex offenders in Indiana are significantly less likely to be re-incarcerated compared to national figures.

Only 17, or 1.7 percent, of 997 sex offenders released from prison in 2006 were convicted for a new sex crime within three years, a state recidivism analysis conducted in 2010 showed.

By comparison, a 2003 Department of Justice study found that 3.5 percent of the over 9,700 released sex offenders surveyed in 15 states had been convicted for a new sex crime within three years.

Credit for the success in keeping sex offender recidivism low is being given to the public/private partnership between the State of Indiana and Liberty Behavioral Health Corporation, which oversees the Indiana Sex Offender Management and Monitoring Program (INSOMM).

The program and the partnership will be discussed during a presentation being given by Liberty's Dr. Adam Deming, Executive Director of the INSOMM Program, and by Edwin Buss, former Commissioner of the Indiana Department of Correction, during the American Correctional Association's Winter Conference in San Antonio, Texas, on Monday, January 31.

"Since 1999, Liberty has been a true partner with the Indiana Department of Correction in our efforts to assess, treat, and manage our sex offender population," said Buss, who has been newly appointed to oversee Florida's correctional system. "The Liberty staff work collaboratively with our facility staff and our parole agents in the community to help keep Indiana communities safe. That collaboration has enabled us to reduce sex offender recidivism rates, and deliver fantastic programming outcomes."

Working with the state, Liberty provides sex-offender treatment and management services with the primary goal being making communities safer by reducing sex offender recidivism. After an assessment is made, clinicians provide treatment that targets specific risk-factors and needs of each offender in the program. By providing the right amount of treatment based on risk levels, the program is able to keep costs contained and avoid the additional high costs associated with re-incarceration.

"Indiana had the foresight to implement and maintain a program that manages a very difficult population," said Deming. "As a result the state has benefited greatly in fewer victims of sexual violence."

In addition to participating in treatment specific to sex offenders, inmates are required to attend sex offender re-entry programs including classes on sex offender registration and parole requirements. They also receive guidance on dealing with housing and employment issues. Liberty has provided these services to more than 3,000 Indiana parolees in the last three years. ..Source.. by Liberty Healthcare Corporation

SEX OFFENDERS

September 2009:

Indiana Program Has Low Recidivism Rate

The Indiana Sex Offender Management and Monitoring (INSOMM) Program reports a low recidivism rate (2.43%) for sex offenders who received treatment through the program and then was convicted of a new sex crime upon release.
Indiana Department of Correction (IDOC) started the INSOMM Program in 1999 and uses it to not only treat sex offenders but also to track and report their recidivism rates upon release.

In his report at the ACA conference, Dr. Deming (Tel: 371/951-1984, ext. 121, Email: ademing@LibertyHealth.com) reported that IDOC data, released since his article was written, show the latest recidivism rates to be even lower (1%) for INSOMM-treated sex offenders who commit a new sex crime. Deming is director of the program, which is managed by Liberty Behavioral Health Corporation under a private contract.

In the Sex Offender Law Report article, Deming and his colleagues note the in-consistency of recidivism definitions and state methodologies for collecting and reporting recidivism rates. Standardization, they say, is “paramount in the effort to decrease rates of sexual violence” and in making an accurate appraisal of treatment and management practices.

For the remainder of this paper: by Prison Fellowship

Recidivism rates falling

4-10-2009 Indiana:

Rehab programs contribute to decrease in repeat offenders

Changing the thinking patterns of criminal offenders is one key to keeping them from reoffending, prison officials say.

From looking at the number of repeat offenders in state prisons, it must be working, as the recidivism rate over the past three years has declined, the Indiana Department of Correction reported.

Officials at the IDOC have studied and monitored Indiana’s recidivism rates for four years and found the overall recidivism rate has gone down for the third consecutive year, falling to 37.4 percent.

DOC officials attribute the improving recidivism numbers to their focus on the successful re-entry of offenders.

At the Miami Correctional Facility, offenders are offered multiple programs aimed at rehabilitation, said public information officer Ann Hubbard.

Hubbard said the DOC tries to make its prisons more than just a place to house criminals. If they choose, inmates can work on issues such as substance abuse and anger management. They can take classes on fatherhood and on character and faith development.

“You can see a change in men who get involved in these programs,” Hubbard said. “They change their way of thinking. They realize there is more to life than just themselves, and they realize what they’ve done to other people.”

To ensure an offender leads a lawful life once released, DOC tries to instill the tools needed for success outside prison walls. Hubbard believes that approach is good for all Indiana communities.

“We have to do something,” she said. “These people in here, most are going to get out, and if we don’t do something to better their lives and improve the quality of their lives, they’re certainly not going to improve the quality of our lives when they get out.”

The IDOC defines recidivism as an offender’s return to incarceration within three years of their date of release from a state correctional institution. An offender is included in this study when he is released via one of the following avenues — Community Transition Program, probation, parole or discharge.

Once released, an offender is verified as a recidivist if he returns to the institutional custody of the IDOC for a new conviction or a technical violation of post-incarceration supervision.

For offenders released in 2005, only 37.4 percent had returned to prison by 2008, which is lower than the 2007 recidivism rate of 37.8 percent, according to the IDOC.

Rates for 2005 and 2006 were 39.2 percent and 38.6 percent, respectively. During those four years, the demographics of the offenders studied remained consistent.

In addition, one statistic regarding a class of offenders stands out — the recidivism rate for sex offenders returning on a new sex offense was 1.05 percent, one of the lowest in the nation.

In a time when sex offenders continue to face additional post-release requirements that often result in their return to prison, the instances of sex offenders returning to prison due to the commitment of a new sex crime is extremely low, said IDOC’s chief communications officer Doug Garrison.

Garrison added that sex offenders often wind up back in prison for violating technical rules such as registration and residency restrictions, but he said instances of them returning to prison for committing a new sex crime were extremely low.

These improving recidivism numbers demonstrate the IDOC’s focus on the successful re-entry of offenders in recent years is beginning to pay off.

“Even though conventional wisdom would have us believe that recidivism is inevitable, I firmly believe that the hard work and dedication of IDOC staff has proven that the successful re-entry of offenders is more than possible,” said IDOC Commissioner Edwin G. Buss. “The third consecutive decline in Indiana’s recidivism rate is good for all, offenders, IDOC staff members, and Indiana taxpayers alike.”

Hubbard acknowledged that some inmates will end up back in prison because they never had intentions of stopping their criminal behavior. Because of that and other factors, she said, the recidivism rate will never reach zero.

“You’re always going to have your bad apples,” she said. ..Source.. by MIKE FLETCHER

IN- Recidivism Rates Compared, 2005 – 2007

2008 Indiana:

Abstract:
Recidivism Rates Compared, 2005 – 2007, is the first comprehensive report published by the Indiana Department of Correction that details the recidivism rates of offenders released from incarceration in Indiana. This report presents recidivism rates for offenders released from the custody of the Indiana Department of Correction for the time period 2002 through 2004. This report defines recidivism as a return to incarceration in the Indiana Department of Correction within three years of the offenders release date. For example, offenders released in calendar year 2004, who returned to prison for either a new conviction or technical violation during 2004, 2005, 2006, or 2007, but within three years of release, would be counted in the recidivism rate for 2007.

Across the United States, definitions of recidivism vary, making comparisons on a state or national level difficult to ascertain. There has been no national standard created that would unify the definition of recidivism throughout. Therefore, the Indiana Department of Correction has relied on its own definition, further detailed on page five, which happens to be in line with the definition used by the Association of State Correctional Administrators.

Over time, the Research and Planning Division of the Indiana Department of Correction will continue to track recidivism rates for offenders released each year and subsequently produce and publish a report that details the results of each recidivism study.

Methodology:
The Indiana Department of Correction defines Recidivism as an offender’s return to incarceration within three (3) years of their release date from a state correctional institution.

An offender is included in this study when they are released via one of the following avenues: Community Transition Program (CTP), Probation, Parole, or Discharged.

Once released, an offender is verified as a Recidivist if they return to the institutional custody of the Indiana Department of Correction for a new conviction or a technical violation of post-incarceration supervision. In instances where offenders have multiple releases within the same year, the earliest release date is used to determine the offender’s recidivism status. Therefore, the statistics listed throughout this report reflect the number of unique releases per year.

Findings:
In 2007, recidivism rates decreased for the second consecutive year, resulting in 37.8% of offenders being re-committed to the Indiana Department of Correction (IDOC) within 3 years of their release date. Rates for 2005 and 2006 were 39.2% and 38.6% respectively. Male offenders had a higher recidivism rate when compared to female offenders across all three years. 38.6% of male offenders released in 2004 returned to IDOC, versus 32.6% of female releases. On average throughout all 3 years, 46% of African American offenders returned to the Department of Correction, a higher rate than any other race.

Nearly 50% of all offenders released in 2002, 2003, or 2004 for a Weapons related crime as their most serious offense, returned to incarceration within three years of release. Offenders released in 2002, 2003, or 2004 with a Class C Felony as their most serious offense were most likely to return to incarceration within three years of release.

Offenders who recidivate are returned to IDOC for the commission of a new crime at a slightly higher rate than those returned for a technical violation of post-release supervision.

Overall, offenders identified as a sex offender who were released in 2002, 2003, or 2004, returned to IDOC at a higher rate than all other offenders.

While technically a true statement, certain facts not taken into consideration make this VERY MISLEADING:

A) Recidivism is defined as including "technical violations" which are not crimes but mere violations of simple rules such as drinking, failure to report when required, walking where one is not allowed (sex offenders), and other similiar technical factors;

B) Sex offenders have a higher rate of technical violations (see page-21) than any other crime type. This is due to all the new community oriented rules placed on all sex offenders whether they are applicable to that person or not.

Finally, given the 75% technical violation rate, and subtracting that, sex offenders have the lowest rate of recidivism next to murderers. Nothing like trying to confuse the public which is common with DOC's nationally.

For the rest of this report: Prepared by: Aaron Garner, Research Analyst, IDOC