Prison Alternatives: Crowded Federal Prisons Can Transfer More Inmates to Halfway Houses
GGD-92-5
Published: Nov 14, 1991. Publicly Released: Nov 14, 1991.
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Highlights
Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the Bureau of Prisons' (BOP) halfway house program, focusing on: (1) BOP use of halfway houses; (2) the criteria used to place inmates in halfway houses; and (3) whether halfway houses are a suitable alternative to prison for certain offenders.
Recommendations
Recommendations for Executive Action
| Agency Affected | Recommendation | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Department of Justice | The Attorney General should require the Director, BOP, to clarify its national policy on halfway house placements by providing better definitions of vague criteria, such as "history of violence" and "use of a weapon" that are used in making placement decisions. |
Community Corrections Center Utilization and Transfer Procedure Program statement was issued April 30, 1993, and incorporates recommendation.
|
| Department of Justice | The Attorney General should require the Director, BOP, to ensure that suitable inmates are identified for the halfway house program by adapting procedures that have proven successful at prisons with high referral rates, such as holding discussions with inmates and staff on program benefits, requiring that denials be justified in writing, and reviewing denials and approvals of halfway house placements. |
BOP's Program Statement on CCC Utilization and Transfer procedure issued in April 1993 incorporates this recommendation.
|
| Department of Justice | The Attorney General should require the Director, BOP, to ensure that wardens start the placement process in a timely manner, in accordance with the BOP nine-month policy, so that inmates receive the full benefit of halfway house placement. |
According to BOP, the audit guidelines used in program and operational reviews of the unit management function in their institutions clearly and aggressively address the timeliness issue.
|
| Department of Justice | The Attorney General should require the Director, BOP, to issue policy guidelines defining the circumstances in which inmates could refuse to accept a halfway house placement. |
The CCC Utilization and Transfer Program Statement incorporates this recommendation.
|
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Topics
Correctional facilitiesCorrectional personnelDetention facilitiesEligibility criteriaHalfway housesOffender rehabilitationPrisonersRehabilitation counselingRehabilitation programsVocational rehabilitation