Of the many responsibilities U.S. governors have related to a state’s criminal justice system, one of the more important is appointing members and chairs of paroling authorities. Though paroling authorities vary in size and responsibilities, collectively they are responsible for deciding whether and when to release approximately 125,000 inmates on an annual basis.
Of the more than 2.3 million people incarcerated in correctional facilities across the United States, more than 90 percent will eventually return to their communities. Employment is a key aspect of successful reentry, but simply placing people in jobs is not the ultimate solution for preventing reoffending. An integrated approach is needed to ensure that criminal justice and workforce development systems utilize their available resources in ways that reduce recidivism and improve the employability of their shared population.
On May 10, 2017 from 2:00 - 3:30 p.m. ET, the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) Smart Policing Initiative (SPI) will present a webinar on "New Findings in SPI." Since SPI began in 2009, over 50 SPI projects have been funded to test and evaluate evidence-based policing tactics and strategies. This webinar will feature four SPI sites - Boston, Massachusetts; Cambridge, Massachusetts; Los Angeles, California; and Rochester, New York - that recently completed their evaluation research.
Thousands of youth are arrested each year, beginning a gateway for many into the juvenile justice system. Throughout the country, mentoring programs are providing system-involved youth with the opportunity to be connected to a mentor in their own community to stop the cycle. Join this webinar as representatives from the following organizations share how they engage system-involved youth through mentoring and how they are expanding: