Describes the Diversion and Drug Treatment program, known as "Drug Court," in Miami (Florida) in which nonviolent drug offenders have prosecution of their cases deferred while they participate in a court-ordered drug-rehabilitation program. Those who successfully complete the program have their cases dismissed. Whereas typical recidivism…

Evaluations of programs effective in improving ex-offenders' educational scores, helping them find permanent jobs, and reducing recidivism are reviewed. There is evidence that full-time, relatively well-paid employment can help reduce recidivism, thereby reducing costs of incarceration. Assessments are limited but promising; replicating selected…

Since 1993, the Delaware Department of Correction has offered a Life Skills Program in its four state prisons. Each year, as many as 300 inmates (of the 5,000 housed inmates) enroll in the program, and nearly 85 percent of them graduate. The 4-month program has three major components: academics, violence reduction, and applied life skills. The…

Since 1976, the Correctional Clearinghouse (CCH), which is a unit of the Washington State Employment Security Department, has been committed to preparing offenders for the workplace and finding employment. The CCH's principal service delivery strategies are as follows: (1) providing direct services (teaching job readiness courses in prisons and…

Texas's Project RIO (Re-Integration of Offenders), which was developed in cooperation with the National Institute of Justice, National Institute of Corrections, and U.S. Department of Education's Office of Correctional Education, began in 1985 as a two-city pilot program to place parolees in jobs. Project RIO has since expanded steadily and now…

The Safer Foundation in Chicago, Illinois, is the largest community-based provider of employment services for ex-offenders in the United States. Established in 1972, Safer has a professional staff of nearly 200 in 6 locations. Safer runs a private school, called the PACE (Programmed Activities for Correctional Education) Institute, at the Cook…