The Transition from Prison to Community (TPC) Initiative is the state-wide initiative to transition inmates back to the community from incarceration at the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (DOCR) in a safe, effective manner. In 2004, the National Institution of Corrections selected North Dakota as one of eight states to receive a technical assistance grant for participation in the initiative.
TPC has an oversight committee, the Transition Leadership Team. Membership consists of state, local, and private department leaders of stakeholder agencies who have an interest in public safety. This team reviews TPC actions on a state-wide level. They have chartered the Transition Steering Committee to work on issues that impede successful inmate transition.
TPC consists of three tenants:
North Dakota utilizes a "Recidivism Reduction" philosophy in managing the offender population. This means our practices are based on evidence that is consistent with recidivism reduction. Reducing recidivism (offenders returning to incarceration within 3 years of release due to a new crime), leads to reducing the commission of new crimes…LESS CRIME = FEWER VICTMS = SAFER COMMUNITIES.
Since the goal is recidivism reduction, we must first assess the criminogenic risk and needs of offenders, and then apply evidence-based programming to reduce that risk. "Criminogenic risks" are characteristics producing or tending to produce crime or criminal activity. The criminogenic risk assessment the NDDOCR utilizes is the Level of Services Inventory-Revised (LSI-R). The LSI-R consists of ten criminogenic risk domains that are both static (do not change) and dynamic (may change over time):
Utilizing the information from the LSI-R, case plans are developed for every inmate, and higher-risk offenders on parole and probation to target the greatest criminogenic risk areas in an effort to reduce that risk. The DOCR offers programs in its facilities and referrals to stakeholder agencies in the community (such as drug and alcohol treatment, education and vocational training, anger management, family counseling, sex offender treatment, etc…) that target criminogenic risk. If the offender successfully completes the programming, the criminogenic risk is reduced, therefore reducing the person's likelihood of returning to prison.
The Transition from Prison to Community Initiative is committed to identifying barriers to successful inmate transition and enhancing evidence-based services for all offenders supervised by or sentenced to the custody of the DOCR. The overarching goal is to improve public safety and reduce crime while efficiently utilizing taxpayer resources to make safer communities in North Dakota!
