The National Reentry Resource Center, an arm of the Council on State Governments that provides education, training, and technical assistance to states, tribes, territories, local governments, service providers, non-profit organizations, and corrections institutions working on prisoner reentry, named the BI Incorporated New Jersey Day Reporting Centers (which the state calls Community Resource Centers) as one of 11 “branded” programs that others should look to for guidance.
From the National Reentry Resource Center:
At times, particularly innovative or successful reentry programs gain national attention based on their design features and their potential impact on reducing recidivism. These programs are typically well-funded and provide multiple services to address the variety of challenges people face when exiting correctional facilities. Given the high-profile nature of these programs, other jurisdictions tend to consider them models for replication, and as such, they are often the subject of rigorous, highly publicized evaluation. These types of well-known programs often cultivate a brand name in the field of reentry.
The Resource Center identified and evaluated 11 brand name reentry programs. All of these programs seek to reduce recidivism and employ a range of treatment, according to the center. The New Jersey State Parole Board Day Reporting Center model followed the state’s adoption of an evidence-based approach to parole supervision. New Jersey officials tapped BI to help parole officers monitor high-risk parolees who were likely to fail conditions of parole and return to prison at high expense to Garden State taxpayers. The Board selected BI to establish four CRCs in Atlantic City, Elizabeth, Perth Amboy and Neptune City. The CRCs use evidence-based practices to target client risks and needs, including proven components like community-based treatment, cognitive behavioral therapy, and educational and vocational elements. BI also provides electronic monitoring technologies and services, including wireless and GPS monitoring systems.
BI has supported the New Jersey Parole Board for more than a decade, and the two programs have enhanced the ability of the Board to manage parolees in a cost-effective manner. More than 6,500 clients have been enrolled in one of the four CRCs statewide, and many participants are employed while in the program and upon completion. Only a small percentage of the thousands of drug tests administered have been positive, demonstrating the success of the CRC’s intensive supervision approach in reducing drug use among parolees. In addition, parolees’ LSI-R assessment scores are measurably lower upon program exit.