The National Institute of Corrections (NIC), part of the U.S. Department of Justice, has recently awarded a three-year, $1 million cooperative agreement to the Boston-based Crime and Justice Institute (CJI), a division of Community Resources for Justice, Inc. The two agencies will work closely to select two or three states for fully implementing what’s now known to work in reducing crime.

In the 1970s the nation tried rehabilitating criminals. Then we got “tough on crime,” handing out long sentences and withholding parole. But of the 600,000+ inmates being released annually to chiefly low-income, urban neighborhoods, two-thirds are being re-arrested within three years. So, what DOES work to prevent offenders from committing new crimes?

Decades of solid research now reveal a clear but evolving “recipe” of community-based supervision and treatment of offenders that truly works to change behavior patterns. But implementing the right steps in the right sequence can mean major changes in the way state corrections agencies do business and interact with the courts, human service providers and others. Three-quarters of those in the criminal justice system are already under some form of community supervision—that is, not incarcerated--but in most states the community corrections “recipe” usually lacks some key ingredient.

Said NIC’s Director of Community Corrections, George Keiser, “We’re absolutely convinced it’s not just about awareness [of what works]. So, we will deliberately invest a significant amount of resources over a significant amount of time…to actually see the application take place. We believe CJI’s people and the team they’ve assembled have the knowledge, ability, skill and attitude that blend the knowledge with the practical application. We think this is some of the most important work in the field of corrections that’s been done in our lifetime, so we’re excited.”

To carry out the sweeping organizational changes that success will entail, NIC and CJI will help forge multi-faceted and long term collaborations involving the states’ correctional agencies, policymakers and community human service providers. They’ll provide coaching and mentoring as well as technical and organizational assistance for the various teams of key stakeholders as they implement a more effective management of offenders in the community.

Said CJI Executive Director Elyse Clawson, “This agreement is about helping states use limited financial resources to effectively reduce crime and protect their citizens.”

If you’d like more information or to schedule an interview with Elyse Clawson, call Kate Goodrich at 617-482-2520 or email Elyse at eclawson@crjustice.org