ABSTRACT
There are currently 18 Alternative to Incarceration Center (AIC) locations serving all areas of the state of Connecticut. The overarching goal of Connecticut’s AIC program is to provide a comprehensive service delivery system that incorporates research-driven practices targeting offender behavioral change so as to lead to reductions in recidivism; assist the state to reduce
The Michigan Prisoner Reentry Initiative has helped cut down on the number of repeat criminal offenses, inmates in prison, and the general crime rate. The success couldn’t come at a better time, when the state’s budget is squeezed by declining tax revenue. A spokesman for the Michigan Department of Corrections said MPRI is at least partially responsible for a 29 percent relative rate reduction in the number of prisoners returning to the state’s prisons. About 20,000 inmates have gone through the program since its inception in 2005, and the number of those returning to prison has been reduced by 1597. In addition, through the first 6 months of 2009, felony court dispositions were down 6.3 percent-a total of 1634. The crime rate declined 16 percent in the first half of 2008, the latest period for which figures are available. Prison intake decreased eight percent during the first seven months of 2009 compared to the same period in 2008. Michigan’s Governor Granholm announced that she plans to close three prisons and five prison camps to save $118 million annually. This is in addition to two prisons and one prison camp that have already been closed. The key to MPRI’s success appears to be the network of services it offers through partnerships with other agencies. According to a study of MPRI released in 2008, the percentage of parolees returning to prison within 2 years dropped from 48 percent to 36 percent since the program was launched. Sixty percent of parolees now go through the program. “Michigan has shown exceptional leadership in the area of prisoner re-entry,” said Amy Solomon, senior research associate for the Washington, DC-based Urban Institute. “From the start, the Michigan Prisoner Re-Entry Initiative has drawn on the best ideas from research and practice with a clear mission to protect the public and create better citizens. The MPRI also deserves high marks for reaching out to community partners and national experts alike for feedback along the way.” According to the Vera Institute, high rates of failure among people on probation and parole are a significant driver of prison populations and costs in most states. A 2004 study by the National Governors Association said that of prisoners who are released nationally, 67 percent will be rearrested and 52 percent will be reincarcerated within 3 years. The MPRI study said more than 90 percent of prisoners eventually return to the community, either on parole or after serving their complete sentences. Last year, nearly 12,500 prisoners were released.
