RD204 - Community Corrections Status Report - July 1, 2012 - June 30, 2013


Executive Summary:
This is a status report on the Statewide Community Based Corrections System as required by the 2013 Appropriations Act, Chapter 806, Item 385-A.

Prisoner Reentry services, expansion of Evidence Based Practices (EBP), and sex offender supervision and monitoring remain at the forefront of our activities. This year, however, has generated significant accomplishments including:

• Increased Sexually Violent Predator (SVP) conditional release supervision

• Ongoing partnerships to reduce outstanding absconder warrants and DNA samples

• Expanding use of an automated risk/needs assessment instrument (COMPAS)

• Continuing to increase the use of Evidence Based Practices (EBP)

• Increasing use of the Offender Management System (VirginiaCORIS)

• Recidivism rate for 2013 improved to 23.4%

• Expansion of the GPS Program has increased by 41% from the previous year

• Partnering with sentencing commission on immediate sanction program

• Expansion of VASAVOR program

• Expansion of the use of voice recognition telephonic monitoring for low risk cases in the community

• Update of Continuity of Operations Plans (COOP) for all units

• Continued use of the National Computerized Interstate Compact Offender Tracking System (ICOTS)

• Extensive collaboration with other agencies on the above issues

Workload continues to expand and we are confronted with offenders re-entering communities from prison with significant barriers to housing, jobs, and supportive services. Additionally, sex offenders, mentally disordered offenders, illegal aliens, and substance abusers require extensive and intensive services and monitoring.

Despite these major challenges, our central mission to “supervise and assist” offenders to live pro-socially and our fundamental “Balanced Approach” supervision principles have not changed.

We will continue to:

• Identify offenders’ risks and needs and give priority to those offenders who pose the greatest risk to public safety

• Develop and implement supervision plans that address identified risks and needs

• Exhaust every available evidence based service to respond to individual needs to reduce the risk of recidivism

• Quickly and assertively respond to compliance and non-compliance with proportionate incentives and sanctions

We will continue our efforts to seek adequate resources, emphasize “Evidence Based Practices” in our services, focus on “value added” activities, collaborate with other agencies, reduce barriers, enhance our offender management system, and incorporate newly validated methods to achieve our mission.

When an offender’s documented, habitual non-compliance or overt actions threaten public safety, we will act decisively exercising our arrest authority and advising the Court or Parole Board of recommended actions and sanctions.

Our work is important and vital to the public safety of the Commonwealth. We need to effectively manage caseloads while seeking to reduce recidivism.

Harold W. Clarke
Director