Recidivism Reduced By Act 122

The Pennsylvania Department of Corrections has received recognition from the United States Department of Justice’s National Reentry Resource Center for programs aimed at reducing new crimes by those released from the prison system, reports State Rep. Jim Cox (R-129)

The programs were spawned by Act 122 of 2012.

The legislation requires the Department of Corrections to  assess each offender’s needs for successful reintegration, including developing a plan and implementing that plan, and providing the offender with access to community organizations which are available to provide assistance, specifically for finding housing and employment, Cox said..

The Justice Department had specific praise for the the Recidivism Risk Reduction Incentive (RRRI) program which offers eligible, non-violent offenders the chance to reduce their minimum sentences if they complete recommended programs and practice good conduct and remain misconduct free during their incarceration. The reduction provided is a percentage off their minimum sentence that is based upon the sentence length.

The Justice Department also credited the reduction in recidivism to performance incentives that reward private operators of halfway houses who hold down recidivism, specifically by revoking contracts for those that fail to accomplish this. Those measures alone are credited with reducing recidivism by 16 percent among residents of the halfway houses.

A fully report can be found here as a pdf file.
Recidivism Reduced By Act 122

Recidivism Reduced By Act 122

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