MINUTES OF THE SENTENCING RESEARCH COMMITTEE 1/23/06 Present: Lew Feldstein, Cathy Green, Chris Johnson, Chris Keating, Dale Kuehne, Mark Putney. Not present were Janine Gawryl, Dave Kidder, Bill Knowles, Judge Robert Lynn, Judge Tina Nadeau and Marge Webster. Guests Present: Greg Crompton (NH State Prison) and Randy Hawkes (Public Defender - Strafford County) Greg Crompton - New Hampshire State Prison Administrator Programming at New Hampshire State Prison: Summit House - ceased in 2001 (residential drug treatment facility) Sex Offender Treatment - currently without a director who will be hired shortly. Level One Program - 6 month program 30-35 inmates in this Intensive - 14 to 16 month - 5 inmates 300 inmates currently on the waiting list Summit House was designed as a one year residential program. It got backlogged, lack of funds and was eliminated. Substance abuse services now in existence Level 1 - education Level 2 - 6 to 9 months, 2 to 3 times per week - not therapeutic Concord Prison Population 400 plus over capacity - 1350 to 1380 inmates 68-70 open staff positions can’t hire into Berlin 525 inmates (where it should be - at capacity) Governor just established a committee to look to expanding Berlin facility Women’s Prison At capacity 100-105 - but very run down and inadequate Laconia Only 250 there now Electronic Monitoring/ Halfway House AHC - only 25 people on AHC Huge log jam - waiting to get to halfway house, 80-100 inmates Had 3 half-way houses 2 in Concord 1 in Manchester Now only two because one has been re-designated for women. Not enough community programming and alternatives. $24,000 to 25,000 per inmate per year to incarcerate. Seventy-five percent of inmates are in C3 and a substantial number could be moved out of the prison if we had alternatives. Need more minimum beds, halfway house. Eighty percent who came need substance abuse treatment. No therapeutic settings available. Propose two types: Education - level 1 & 2 Therapeutic type community Semi-Adequate Sex Offender Treatment Program now in existence. Women’s Prison Sex offenders - no treatment Some drug and alcohol education component, no treatment. Lot of inadequacy with females, need new facility. At New Hampshire State prison, no longer have college courses because of security staffing levels - until level staffing increases, can’t re-institute. No college courses other than correspondence courses. Seventy-five percent of the 900 inmates - C3 beds, 20% could be somewhere else. Sex offenders numbers have increased dramatically in the last ten years, 500 plus in Concord. Judges have serious concerns about lack of programs available. The number one problem is lack of programs for male and female inmates 40% recidivism, mostly parole violations 100 inmates per month coming into State prison Effort to Release Older Inmates Policy to release older low risk, low level offenders. Early parole statute - never once utilized Parole Violations New Halfwayback program - Parolee with technical violation - Halfway back to County if Halfway house - 60-90 days set back Laconia - 28 day program for technical violation Randy Hawkes, Public Defender from Strafford County Three years ago, Strafford County instituted a Criminal Justice Council. All Stakeholders involved to look at construction of new facility and alternatives to incarceration Drug Court - just instituted National figures - recidivism cut in half from 50% to 28%. Goal is 15% recidivism. - grant 450k over three years - Governor’s Council gave 150k over 3 years - Southern New Hampshire Services will get the 150K to service 50 people at any time to get an intake evaluation & treatment Drug Court will take non-violent offenders, no DWI’s, no domestic violence related crimes. Person enters guilty plea, successfully complete program, annulled. Cost $25 per week. Drug Court - County Attorney has absolute veto - 12 month program - 1st three months very intensive - $25 per week - Can get it down to $0 when negative drug tests Pretrial Release Personal recognizance upon acceptance into Strafford County Pretrial Release Program. Get release within a day or next day Working very well, exceptional effort by all participants in the county. Strafford is a model other counties could replicate.