Virginia CURE

The information on the monthly Virginia Parole Board decisions has been updated for November and can be found in our “Data and Positions” sections.

The current update includes October 2011 data. Sixteen prisoners were granted parole in October or a grant rate of 5.4 per cent, out of a total of 296 decisions. The Virginia Parole Board Monthly Decisions can be accessed at www.vadoc.vpb. As always the numbers have been carefully checked.
(more…)

http://www.disastercenter.com/crime/uscrime.htm

Crime rates in Virginia and the United States have declined dramatically between 1990 and 2010 for both violent crime and property crime.

Violent crime rates per 100,000 residents in Virginia in 2010 are 29 per cent less than in 1970.

Property crime rates per 100,000 residents in Virginia in 2010 are 31 per cent less than in 1970.

Crime rates in Virginia for forcible rape, robbery and motor vehicle theft peaked in the early 1990’s. Burglary rates peaked in the 1980’s.

In the last nine years crime rates in Virginia for murder, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary and larceny/theft were at their lowest levels since the 1960’s.

A number of factors have been cited that influenced crime rates in Virginia and the United States from 1970-2010. The most important factors include:

Effective targeted initiatives by state and local police departments including focusing on “hot spots” and adjustments in public safety initiatives depending on need.

Protective defensive actions by citizens and private sector initiatives and investments to insure safe environments.

Growth in community based programs geared to improve the life of citizens, including opportunities for young adult males.

Changes in drug market patterns and lower addiction rates.

Reductions in the enforcement of laws relative to the use of drugs including marijuana.

Statutory changes through sentencing reform in many states.

Use of alternatives to incarceration for less serious criminal offences in many states.

Reduction of felonies to misdemeanours for minor offenses.

Improvements in the collection and reporting of criminal offenses in general and especially in the 1970’s and 1980’s.

For sexual offenses two trends are noted. Initially the number of crimes reported grew with increased awareness of the extent of misconduct and statutory additions to the list of actions that would be regarded as offenses. In more recent times persons are often reluctant to report sexual crimes. Sexual crimes predominantly involve acquaintances and family members and victims may be reluctant to report sexual offenses due to the police involvement. The increasingly punitive sentencing and restrictions placed on convicted offenders often provides a barrier to reporting incidents.

What is not clear is whether the increased reliance on incarceration in the past 40 years has had any impact on crime rates. Critics suggest that high crime areas may become destabilized because of criminal sanctions, the removal of males from the community, loss of income and parenting providers and a general unwillingness to form stable families which can increase crime as opposed to serving as a deterrent to controlling illegal activity.

It is not clear that there is any particular relationship between increasing the rate of incarceration of residents and lower crime rates.

Overall states that lowered incarceration rates between 2000 and 2009 had greater success in reducing violent crime rates than did states that increased incarceration rates.

Between 2000 and 2009 the average increase for the top 25 states (including Virginia) in the rate of sentencing was 70 prisoners per 100,000 residents and the average violent crime rate decreased by 60 incidents per 100,000 residents.

Between 2000 and 2009 the average change for the bottom 25 states in the rate of sentencing was a decrease of 30 sentenced prisoners per 100,000 residents and the average violent crime rate decreased by 87 per 100,000 residents.

Read More

Source: New York Times

Starting in the 1970s, lawmakers across the United States enacted punitive “lock ’em up” policies. The prison population more than quadrupled, and the United States became first in the world in both the total number of prisoners (about 2.3 million) and the rate of imprisonment (1 of every 100 adults is behind bars).

Now, budget pressures, court orders and a recognition of the social costs of incarceration have prompted America to reconsider some of these draconian laws. Incarceration rates may be topping out.

But most criminal justice advocates have been reluctant to talk about sex offender laws, much less reform them. The reluctance has deep roots. Sex crimes are seen as uniquely horrific.  Full Story

From: ACLU Virginia

ACLU and others lobbied for new rules to protect women during labor and delivery.

Richmond, VA – At a meeting this week with Delegate Patrick Hope and a broad array of advocates for women’s rights, reproductive freedom, prison reform, and health care, the Virginia Department of Corrections announced that it would be adopting new rules banning the use of restraints on female inmates during labor, delivery, and post-partum recovery.

The new policy will allow front-end handcuffs, but only during transport of inmates. Restraints may be used in other circumstances only when a determination is made that the inmate poses a danger to herself or others. Under any conditions, restraints must be removed if directed by medical staff.

Full Article at ACLUVA

Updated

From the Office of the Governor:

Department of Corrections to Close Mecklenburg Correctional Center

~ Closure Due to Pennsylvania’s Removal of 1,000 Prisoners from Virginia ~

Moving Virginia Offenders to Newer Green Rock Correctional Center Will Save $10,000 Per Inmate

RICHMOND – Following Pennsylvania’s decision to remove nearly 1,000 inmates currently housed under contract in Virginia, Governor Bob McDonnell has directed the Department of Corrections to close the Mecklenburg Correctional Center in Boydton. The removal of the out-of-state prisoners, along with the resulting loss of revenue (estimated at approximately $20 million a year), will require the consolidation of existing prison facilities in order to maximize the use of existing assets and avoid the state having to replace the revenue previously paid by Pennsylvania. The governor’s Chief of Staff, Martin Kent, and Secretary of Public Safety, Marla Graff Decker, attended the Mecklenburg County Board of Supervisors meeting Monday night to inform the members personally of the closing, while Department of Corrections leadership informed prison employees.
(more…)

Via Jim Webb
Republicans Filibuster Criminal Justice Reform

Senator Webb: “We have been here before. We will keep fighting.”

Washington, DC—Senator Jim Webb issued the following statement today after Senate Republicans blocked passage of legislation to establish a bipartisan National Criminal Justice Commission. Over the last three years, Senator Webb’s legislation has won support from more than 100 organizations, including the National Sheriffs’ Association, the International Association of Chiefs of Police, the U.S. Conference of Mayors, the Fraternal Order of Police, the Sentencing Project, the NAACP, the ACLU and Prison Fellowship.

“Today Senate Republicans blocked an important opportunity to make our criminal justice system more fair and effective. Their inflammatory arguments defy reasonable explanation and were contradicted by the plain language of our legislation. To suggest, for example, that the non-binding recommendations of a bipartisan commission threaten the Constitution is absurd.

“But we have been here before: In 2007, our soldiers and Marines were being deployed again and again, resulting in rising mental health problems and falling retention rates. On two occasions, I offered legislation requiring active-duty troops to have equal time at home as on deployment. On both occasions, Republican Senators blocked this sensible, time-honored policy. We did not back down. We kept fighting and we changed the debate. Today proper dwell-time rotations are a top priority at the highest levels of the Defense Department.

“Likewise, over the last five years we have put the issue of criminal justice reform on the national agenda and changed the tone of the debate. When I first raised the issue in 2006, it was believed to be political suicide. But after years of building the case for reform, we have earned the trust and support of advocates across the philosophical and political spectrum. We will not back down. We will keep fighting for a comprehensive review of the justice system, with the help of the thousands of sheriffs, police, mayors and justice advocates who have joined us in pressing for reform.”

The National Criminal Justice Commission Act would create a blue-ribbon, bipartisan commission of experts charged with undertaking an 18-month top-to-bottom review of the nation’s criminal justice system and offering concrete recommendations for reform. It was first introduced March 26, 2009, and was approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee on January 21, 2010, with 39 bipartisan cosponsors. On July 28, 2010, it passed the U.S. House of Representatives, with the support of Rep. Bill Delahunt (D-MA) and Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX), now Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee. At the end of last year, the legislation was incorporated in the Omnibus Appropriations Act, which was blocked for unrelated procedural reasons. Senator Webb reintroduced his bill on February 8, 2011. It was blocked by Republicans in the Senate today by a vote of 57-43 (60 votes required for passage).

Full Article at Senator Jim Webb’s site

Via St. Luke

The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee passed the Second Chance Reauthorization Act of 2011 (S.1231), a bipartisan proposal that addresses barriers faced by those exiting the prison system, by a vote of 10 to 8. The bill, sponsored by Senators Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and Rob Portman (R-OH,) would provide resources to state and local governments, and community-based organizations to assist with reintegrating ex-offenders back into communities.

If passed, the bill would:

• a.. Extend the original grant program authorized under the Second Chance Act for five years
• b.. Provide incentives for inmates to participate in recidivism reduction programs
• c.. Require periodic audits of grantees
• d.. Enhance accountability measures for grantees by requiring periodic audits, Prohibiting funds from being held in offshore accounts, and transparency around compensation for nonprofit executives

Executive Summary
The Secretary of Public Safety’s Office, the Virginia Criminal Sentencing Commission, the Virginia Parole Board, the Department of Corrections, and the Department of Planning and Budget produced a report in November, 2010, on the feasibility of utilizing a risk assessment instrument in parole determinations.

The following is the executive summary of that report. The link to the full report is http://leg2.state.va.us/DLS/h&sdocs.nsf/5c7ff392dd0ce64d85256ec400674ecb/e4089c018b6d60458525772e006b8f24?OpenDocument.

Executive Summary
Pursuant to Item 370, Paragraph E, of the 2010 Appropriation Act (Chapter 874, 2010 Acts of Assembly), the Secretary of Public Safety’s Office, in consultation with the Virginia Criminal Sentencing Commission, the Virginia Parole Board, the Department of Corrections, and the Department of Planning and Budget, respectfully submits the following finding on the feasibility of utilizing a risk assessment instrument in parole determinations.

Additional information is always desirable and helpful to decision makers or to those making recommendations to the decision makers such as the Parole Board. Risk assessment instruments can be a factor to be considered along with many other factors in determining whether an inmate is suitable for discretionary parole. Risk assessment instruments are not designed to replace professional judgment, but to assist in making virtuous parole determinations.

In considering the feasibility of utilizing a risk assessment instrument, a variety of possibilities were reviewed to determine what might be available or could be developed, the time frame required and the potential cost to the Commonwealth. Consideration was given to whether validation studies have been done and whether or not a particular instrument would be appropriate for Virginia’s parole-eligible population. Consideration was also given to the cost.

The Department of Corrections (DOC) has been working with a vendor called Northpointe, Inc. for four years to develop and implement a risk and needs assessment evaluations on all incarcerated inmates including those who are parole eligible beginning in January 2011. The Correctional Offender Management Profiling for Alternative Sanctions (COMPAS) program will assess key risk and need factors in adult correctional populations and provide decision support for justice professionals.

As inmates are evaluated using COMPAS, the risk assessment scales will become available to the parole examiners and to the Parole Board and will be considered as a factor in the recommendation and decision-making process. Over time, the results will be analyzed and evaluated to determine the validity of the instrument to Virginia’s parole eligible population and whether modifications can and should be made. The potential cost of any such changes will have to be evaluated. Considering the investment that has been made, using COMPAS to provide risk assessment information appears to be the most cost effective way to proceed at the present time. Should the results of the evaluation indicate that the COMPAS Risk Assessment Instrument is not appropriate for the Virginia parole eligible population, other options will be explored.