Translating Research to Advance the Use of Effective Correctional Practices

Overview

CEPP is preparing a series of white papers for the Reentry Coalition of New Jersey to guide criminal justice policy development related to release decisions and returns to prison and to explore the impact of homelessness on incarceration.

Our Approach

The overarching goal of this project is to produce three white papers that translate research related to release decisions into effective correctional practices. To produce these publications, CEPP will:

• Conduct an extensive review of the available literature and identify evidence-based and promising practices across the following areas:
  • Classification and release decisions
  • Disciplinary practices in the community
  • The impact of incarceration on homelessness
• Prepare an executive summary highlighting recommendations for best practices
• Explore how closely policies from the state of New Jersey that were identified for this project align with best practices

The Impact

Too many people are in jails and prisons in the United States—roughly two million people or about 16 percent of the world’s incarcerated population. This mass incarceration has destructive racial, social, and economic consequences and fails to make our communities safer.

CEPP’s work with the Reentry Coalition of New Jersey aims to guide agencies in:

• Strengthening classification and release criteria
• Developing policies that help reduce reliance on technical violations and returns to prison that are unrelated to the commission of a new offense
• Facilitating the successful reintegration of people who are unhoused or face housing insecurity upon release

The white papers that CEPP is developing have the potential to uncover criminal justice policies that can lead us away from mass incarceration and toward more robust community well-being.