Chapter 8

The Future of Corrections

The Necessity of Collaboration with the Community

To ensure public safety is the desired outcome of the criminal justice system's intervention in
rehabilitating offenders. For this reason, criminal justice practitioners must find and must continuously
develop the most effective ways in which this goal may be achieved.
New approaches of offender correction and rehabilitation will definitely produce different effects
on the components of the justice system. Current policies encourage these components to consider
the impact of their individual duties and responsibilities in the delivery of justice. Community-based
correction is a critical lynch pin in these efforts, responsible for effectively managing offenders while
on probation, parole or conditional pardon with parole conditions. As with other components within the
justice system, collaborating and partnership with other components and with community (internal
and external partners) has become increasingly critical to the accomplishment of community
corrections' mission of enhancing public safety by effectively rehabilitating offenders in the
community.
If the primary goal of community corrections is to achieve public safety through reduced
recidivism by effectively managing offenders within the community, then community corrections
agencies must reach out to collaborative partners. As more comprehensive approaches to
supervising offenders are implemented in the field, enhanced collaboration is required to provide the
assistance and additional resources necessary to promote offender success. For example, with the
increased understanding and implementation of integrated case management systems around the
country, communication among criminal justice professionals and community partners is more
important than ever. Such new approaches to community supervision require strong partnerships with
the community (including the victim and offender).
Collaboration with institutional partners is also critically important, working with correctional
officers and institutional case managers to prepare an offender for re-entry into the community. The
issues facing offenders upon release are numerous and often confounding lack of housing, drug
addiction, limited employment options, limited education. To succeed, these needs must be
considered and a plan put in place before the offender is released. Such barriers to successful
reintegration must be addressed through partnerships with other practitioners, service providers, and
community agencies.

Concept of Collaborative Justice with the Community and other Service

providers
Community corrections professionals cannot possibly, and should not expect to address the
complex needs of offenders independently. Other professionals must be involved to provide valuable
information, resources, and perspectives that will help the offender to succeed in the community.
Collaboration goes beyond sharing of resources and exchanging information; collaboration requires
that community corrections officers, court officials, and community partners work closely with each to
achieve outcomes that would not be possible without the collaboration. Working with other criminal
justice professionals and community partners can result in supervision plans that address offenders
needs more effectively, resulting in lower court caseloads and reduced violations and crime rate
within the community. It is only through collaboration with public, private, and community-based
service providers that community corrections can promote safer communities.
With whom should community corrections professionals collaborate?
The selection of collaborative partners is just as critical as the commitment to collaboration
itself. Collaborative partners should include those who have the authority to influence the outcome of
the problem at hand and have a demonstrated investment in doing 50. In a community-based
corrections collaboration,
1. law enforcement,
2. Counsel of the accused, prosecutors,
3. judges, court personnel, and others are important stakeholders in the success of offenders
in the community.
Law enforcement is an important partner to community corrections in supervision efforts,
providing support to monitoring and enforcement activities. Prosecutors and counsel of the accused
assist by crafting effective sentencing strategies, and judges, through the imposition of conditions as
part of their sentencing decisions, provide the structure and tools that community corrections needs to
manage offenders successfully and promote offender success in the community.
4. Community and service - providers play key roles in addressing effectively the complex
social, behavioral, and health issues that offenders face.
5. Public and private treatment providers - including substance abuse and mental health
practitioners, victims rights organizations, and victim advocates can also provide valuable
resources and perspectives for supervising offenders.
6. Government agencies - providing housing resources workforce training, educational
assistance, and veterans' benefits are also important partners in finding solutions to the
complex problems facing offenders in the community.
7. Community and faith-based partners - (including willing employers, and local colleges and
schools) can provide numerous resources. But still the most important stakeholders are the
offender and his or her family.

Time Line of Sentencing Philosophies and Practices

Retributive Justice (Past)
Restorative Justice (Present)
Collaborative Justice (Future)
Retributive justice Restorative Justice Collaborative Justice
 Retributive Justice  Sometimes called  Collaborative justice
also known as REPARATIVE is a unique and
PUNITIVE JUSTICE is an promising approach
JUSTICE is a approach to justice to criminal justice
theory of justice that that focuses on the that seeks to work
consider needs of the victims toward the more
punishment. If and the offenders, effective resolution
proportionate, to be as well as the of these problems.
the best response to involved community, Rather than relying
crime. instead of satisfying on single agencies
 When an offender abstract legal to solve their
breaks the law, principles or respective
she/he thereby punishing the problems, it
 forfeits or suspends offender. recognizes that
his/her right to  Victims take an many criminal
something of equal active role in the justice problems are
value, and justice process, while systematic and
requires that this offenders are require a
forfeit be enacted. encouraged to take coordinated and
 Retribution is responsibility for collaborative
directed only at their actions, "to response to the
wrongs, has repair the harm most pressing
inherent limits, is they've done by issues facing our
not personal apologizing justice system
involves no returning stolen today.
pleasure at the money, or  Collaborative justice
suffering of others community service". partnerships-and
and employ  Restorative justice the ability to share
procedural that fosters dialogue information, develop
standards. between victim and common goals, and
offender shows the create compatible
highest rates of internal policies to
victim satisfaction support those goals
and offender have significant
accountability. potential to
positively impact
crime, increase
public confidence,
and reduce costs
throughout the
justice system.
 Criminal justice
professionals join
forces to analyze
problems and
create responsive
solutions, and
judges, court
administrators,
prosecutors,
defense attorneys,
probation and
parole
representatives,
corrections
personnel, victim
advocates, law
enforcement
officers, and public
and private
treatment providers
reach out to one
another to forge
partnerships that
will enable them to
 address complex
medical, social,
fiscal, and
behavioral problems
that pose significant
threats to the safety
and well-being of
our communities

Challenges of Collaborative Justice

The successful implementation of a collaborative justice approach often faces many
challenges, including:
 The adversarial nature of the legal system;
 The competition for scarce resources;
 The political pressure faced by elected officials;
 The creation or existence of agencies that have overlapping, duplicative responsibilities; and
 The creation or existence of agencies that have missions that are incongruous.

The success of a collaborative team relies upon the desire and willingness of each participant
to dedicate themselves and their time to the collaborative process; to set aside individual agency
agendas in pursuit of a shared and larger goal; and to recognize that collaborative justice is a long
term process, requiring the establishment and maintenance of solid collaborative partnerships with
other agencies and community stakeholders The long-term benefits of the collaborative approach
including a shared ownership of responsibility for, and success in solving justice system problems-will
undoubtedly make the investment worthwhile.

Organizations and Associations Related to Community Corrections

The International Community Corrections Association (ICCA)
In 1964, the International Community Corrections Association (formerly known as the
International Halfway House Association and, later, in 1989 as the International Association of
Residential and Community Alternatives) held out first meeting in Chicago, IL with 30 people in
attendance. Today, after more than 45 years, the ICCA represents more than 250 private agencies
operating over 1,500 residential and community alternative programs, in addition to 1,000 individual
members nationally and abroad. Its members offer a variety of programs and services which include:
 Community-based corrections centers
 Community corrections programs
 Education/Vocational services
 Drug testing and treatment
 Tutoring services
 Day reporting treatment
 Crisis Intervention
 Family/Individual counseling
 Victim services
 Community service supervision
 Bail supervision
 Home detention/electronic monitoring
 Neighborhood outreach
 Residential treatment
 Aftercare
 Transitional housing
The International Community Corrections Association, as a private, non-profit, membership
organization, acts as the representative voice for residential and other community corrections
programs. As such, it expects of its members compassion, belief in the dignity and worth of human
beings, respect for individual difference and a commitment to quality care for its clients. It requires
of its members the professional background, research and expertise necessary to ensure
performance of effective quality services delivered with integrity and competence. ICCA affirms
that its primary goal is the successful re-integration of the client into the community.
ICCA has been an affiliate of the American Correctional Association (ACA) since 1975; an
affiliate of the United Nations Alliance of Non-Governmental Organizations in Criminal Justice
since 1982; the American Probation and Parole Association, the International Corrections and
Prison Association and the National Juvenile Justice Delinquency Prevention Coalition. In
addition, ICCA liaises with several other national and international community corrections
organizations.

American Probation and Parole Association (APPA)

Is an international organization that provides education and training for community
connections practitioners and supervisors. APPA establishes standards in all areas of community
supervision, including restitution, electronic monitoring, pretrial, conditional early release and
issues related to prisons. APPA is only one of several organizations that serve a similar purpose
for community corrections advocacy. Other organizations are as follows:
1. American Correction Association
2. National Association of Pretrial Services Agencies (NAPSA)
3. International Association of Reentry (IAR)

Involvement of Non-Government Organization (NGOs)

It cannot be denied that Non-Government Organization or private sector will play an
important role in the success of rehabilitating offenders in the community, The NGO's can provide
job opportunities to the clients of community-based correction. We must understand that
opportunities available for those clients are a great help for their rehabilitation.
Significance of Research in Corrections
Making of research is a making of the future. Hence, the future of correction will be based
on how much studies are conducted to develop the current policies in correction. What is lacking
today in the Philippine Corrections is research. Although there are foreign researches available,
but applicability of these in our local setting is a question.
Evidence-based Practices (EBP)
Involves using current best practices or intervention for which there is consistent and solid
scientific evidence of success. Integrating into everyday practice the correctional programs and
techniques that have been shown to be the most effective with offender using evaluation results
from systematically evaluated research studies, EBP is not based on intuition, speculations or
tradition, rather EBP is grounded in empirical data and research in studying what works. The idea
behind EBP in corrections is that agencies use only the most successful programs.

Corrections Research Priorities

On March 12, 2009 the U.S Department of Justice, Office of the Justice Programs-National
Institute of Justice has identified high-priority research, development and evaluation needs of
corrections professionals. Those high-priority goals include:
 Create knowledge and develop technologies on how prisons, jails and community corrections
can be better managed to provide safe, secure and cost-effective operations.
 Create knowledge on how best to assess and manage special offender populations in prisons,
jails and in the community.
 Develop effective treatment/intervention strategies that enhance public safety by maximizing
the successful reentry of offenders into communities.
 Research the causes of prison sexual assault and factors that may deter the reporting of such
assaults and evaluate strategies, practices and policies designed to prevent it
 Develop assured means to continuously and accurately monitor the location and status of
corrections officers and personnel as well as inmates and detainees.
 Develop improved means to detect, locate and defeat the use of unauthorized wireless
communications devices.
 Develop improved, unobtrusive means to accurately detect a broad spectrum of contraband to
preclude its introduction into correctional environments.
 Optimizing the way in which corrections agencies employ new technologies, such as smart
sensors, wireless mobile networks and knowledge management, in response operations.
 Develop improved information and data systems that link an individual's records and citations
across various criminal justice databases from the time of entry into the criminal justice
system.
 Develop devices providing multilingual speech translation capabilities for public safety
application including voice and speech-to-text/text-to-speech.
 These priorities inform decisions about the scope of future work and the dissemination of NIJ-
sponsored knowledge and technologies. At the same time, NIJ maintains the flexibility to
respond to emerging needs and to consider the merits of individual projects that may
contribute to other worthwhile goals.