Performance Details
Department of Corrections
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Mission
We provide secure confinement, reformative programs, and a process of supervised community reintegration to enhance the safety of our communities. AS 44.28.020
Core Services
- Secure Confinement
- Supervised Release
- Reformative Programs
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Core Services | |||||||||
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ResultsPerformance Detail
| A: Result - Enhance community safety by providing secure confinement and successful re-entry of released prisoners. |
Target #2: Decrease the number of special incident reports.
Number of Special Incident Report Level Assaults
Analysis of results and challenges: During 2011 there was an increase of 40 reported Special Incident Assaults. This was an increase from 66 reported in 2010 to 106 reported for 2011. This increase was anticipated due to clarification provided in May 2010 which defined the types of assaults for reporting purposes. This change in reporting resulted in additional assaults being reported for 2011. The increased reporting is primarily associated with inmate on inmate lower level assaults such as pushing, shoving, or other incidents that may not have required medical attention, but created a situation that could lead to a more serious assault. Tracking and monitoring of these reports assist in identifying if the assault was a result of operational situations that lends itself to these types of offender behaviors or if the Department’s training is adequate for Correctional Officers given these types of situations. Tracking the Serious Incident Reports (SIRs) within the correctional facilities allows the department the opportunity to review operating and training procedures to see in detail how specific situations are handled by staff. In an effort to enhance the staff’s ability to address these types of situations, the department is in the process of updating and enhancing the current Field Training Officer Program through the National Institute of Corrections. This process allows the Department to better ensure the safety of staff and offenders while incarcerated. |
Target #3: Increase the percent of probationers and parolees who satisfy their court ordered conditions of release.
Percentage of Probationers and Parolees Who Successfully Satisfy Court Ordered Conditions of Release
Analysis of results and challenges: Probationers and parolees who are unsuccessful in satisfying their court or parole ordered conditions of release are returned to incarceration increasing the offender population and the cost of incarceration. Increasing the number of successful discharges improves recidivism rates, allowing for increased public safety while decreasing victimization and costs to the state. Proactively supervising probationers and parolees will enhance their successful re-entry in the community increasing the number of successful discharges. Proactive supervision targets proven supervision methods that are known to decrease the likelihood of failure in the community or causing future harm through assessing risk to reoffend, employing motivational interviewing techniques and tailoring supervision strategies to address criminogenic needs (i.e., housing, treatment, criminal attitudes, pro-social activities, etc). Best practices consistently show that these needs must be addressed to improve recidivism rates, increase public safety and ultimately decrease repeated victimization. However, identifying available or limited community resources for probationers and parolees create significant challenges in areas such as housing, employment, substance abuse treatment, mental health counseling, etc. |
Target #4: Reduce criminal recidivism. For this purpose recidivism is defined as any person convicted of a felony offense who is incarcerated as a result of a new sentence, including parole or probation adjudications within three years of release.
Offenders Returning to Incarceration Within 3 Years of Release
Analysis of results and challenges: The Department is experiencing a declining recidivism rate of the offenders released from FY2006 to FY2009. This rate is based on the number of offenders released back into the communities that were convicted of a felony offense and have been re-incarcerated as a result of a new sentence, parole or probation revocation within three years. The Criminal Justice Working Group formed the Alaska Prisoner Re-Entry Task Force to address reintegration of Alaskan offenders back into their communities and to reduce recidivism. This Task Force formulated a Five Year Strategic Re-Entry Plan approved by the Governor in FY2011. The Department is implementing this plan which places a stronger focus on successful prisoner reentry. This involves providing expanded institutional and community-based services and achieving collaborative efforts between the state and community partners to increase prisoner community support such as programs, housing, jobs, etc, which assists with offender re-integration. This approach is aimed at turning former offenders into productive and law-abiding community members. The strategy is built on documented evidence shown to improve reintegration-related outcomes. Reintegration begins upon admission to prison and continues through incarceration, release, community supervision and ultimately the unsupervised and successful reintegration into the community. The State of Alaska recognizes that the successful reentry of prisoners is a critical component of the State’s public protection and corrections mission. Failure—which often means homelessness, unemployment, returning to or falling into addiction, often a new crime and a new victim, and ultimately re-incarceration—results in a costly waste of public resources and diminished public goodwill. The burden of this failure has a significant impact on the State’s budget, Alaska communities, and those former offenders and their families struggling to succeed in society. The Department will continue its efforts for successful prisoner reentry to reduce criminal recidivism and report new information accordingly. |
| A1: Core Service - Offenders are safely and securely confined. |
Target #1: Maintain 100% of Correctional Officer positions filled. Average of Filled Correctional Officer Positions
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| A2: Core Service - Probationers are successfully reintegrated into communities. |
Target #1: Maintain 95% of Probation Officer positions filled. Average of Filled Probation Officer Positions
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| A3: Core Service - Increase behavioral interventions and referrals to reformative programs. |
Target #1: Increase the number of offenders who receive a General Education Development diploma while incarcerated.
Number of Offenders Who Receive General Education Development While Incarcerated
Analysis of results and challenges: The Department of Corrections has increased the number of offenders receiving their GED while incarcerated by 120 from FY2003 to FY2012. Each institution provides offenders with education coordinators and the necessary materials to complete the GED tests. Offenders have the opportunity to obtain a GED diploma, however, in most cases this program is voluntary and/or the time an offender has to serve may be insufficient to complete all five tests. In FY2007, the Department identified one position to proctor all GED tests in the South-Central Region. This change was required by the Department of Labor and Workforce Development allowing education coordinators more time to focus on delivery of education services and not on proctoring tests. It was anticipated that this change would increase the number of offenders who receive their GED diploma while incarcerated. With the added effort and attention, the Department continues to increase the number of GEDs obtained by offenders while incarcerated. |
Target #2: Increase the number of inmates who successfully complete an institutional educational or vocational program.
Analysis of results and challenges: Prior to FY2012, the Department was unable to accurately track the number of unique individuals who have completed one of the Educational or Vocational Education programs available within the institutions. The Department continues to expand and refine data collection to effectively reflect our efforts. |
Target #3: Increase the number of individuals who complete an institutional or community based substance abuse treatment program.
Number of Offenders Completing an Institutional or Community-Based Substance Abuse Treatment Program
Analysis of results and challenges: The assessment and referral services provide informational orientation to offenders for substance abuse treatment options within DOC institutions and in the community. The assessments provide comprehensive referrals that best meet the offenders substance abuse treatment needs. These services are currently provided in Anchorage and Palmer. Aftercare Services are a vital piece to the continuum of care necessary to reduce recidivism. These services are based on the outpatient treatment criteria and are designed to compliment the treatment that the offender has previously received. Length of the program and the program requirements are based upon individual needs but generally are 90 to 120 days. These services are currently provided in Anchorage and Fairbanks. The Residential Substance Abuse Treatment (RSAT) Program is based on the residential/intensive inpatient treatment criteria. The services provided use a cognitive behavioral approach. These programs are comprehensive and intensive; they are designed to intervene and treat substance use disorders using a therapeutic community model. Inmates in these programs are expected to participate for a minimum of six months. These programs are currently provided in Hiland Mountain Correctional Center and at the out of state facility located in Hudson Colorado. The Life Success Substance Abuse Treatment (LSSAT) programs are based on the intensive outpatient treatment criteria also using a cognitive behavioral approach. These programs are comprehensive and intensive and participating inmates are required to participate for a minimum of three months. LSSAT programs are currently provided in Anchorage, Fairbanks, Juneau, Seward, Palmer, Kenai, Bethel and Nome. While the focus for FY12 has been on increasing the effectiveness of the programs (thus making the standards for program completion harder to meet) we have also demonstrated an increase in the number of individuals who have participated in and completed programs. In FY12 we continue to be challenged by the lack of qualified substance abuse treatment providers. DOC is in collaboration with the Department of Health and Social Services, Division of Behavioral Health, to identify community-based provider solutions. |
Target #4: Increase the number of sex offender probationers who complete a sex offender management program and who receive polygraph testing while on probation.
Number of Polygraphed Sex Offender Probationers
Analysis of results and challenges: During FY2012 the Department of Corrections continued implementation of the Sex Offender Management Program. From July 1, 2011 to June 30, 2012 a total of 421 convicted sex offenders on community supervision participated in a total of 719 polygraph exams. Of the 421 sex offenders on community supervision who participated in the program, zero (0) were convicted of a new sexual crime. There were two (2) sex offenders who did have new convictions (one misdemeanor and one felony) for violent non-sex crimes and five (5) sex offenders who had new convictions for other crimes, including driving while intoxicated, failure to register as a sex offender and violation of a protective order. There were also 73 petitions to revoke probation filed against participants in the program. This includes 15 petitions involving an underlying sexual breach (near minors, viewing pornography, etc). The remaining 58 petitions to revoke probation were for substance abuse or general condition violations of probation/parole. This data indicates the success of this program in assisting probation officers with intervening prior to the commission of new sexual offenses. During FY2012, the use of polygraph examinations was conducted statewide in all Probation/Parole Offices that supervise sex offenders. As it is for many community-based programs and services, Alaska’s geography will continue to be a major challenge in statewide program operations. |
Target #5: Increase the number of inmates who successfully complete an institutional faith-based re-habilitative program.
Number of Offenders Completing an Institutional Faith-Based Rehabilitative Program
Analysis of results and challenges: The Transformational Living Community (TLC) is an intensive 12-18 month faith-based residential therapeutic community program within the prison setting focusing on the issues of addiction and life-controlling problems that led to criminal behavior. This program is currently located in three facilities: Palmer Correctional Center, Hiland Mountain Correctional Center and the out of state contract facility in Hudson, Colorado. The ALPHA Re-Entry Initiative is located in the Wildwood Correctional Center and services offenders with 6 months or more to serve. This program is coordinated through the Alaska Correctional Ministries to provide a faith-based community support preparing offenders for release into the community and providing after-care services and support. The Department continues to work with our partners in the faith-based community to provide services to our inmates. In FY12, several challenges led to an increased commitment to modify and strengthen the institutional faith-based rehabilitative program system. |
Current as of December 13, 2012