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Abstract: 

This issue of JCC contains four articles that will assist readers in their work with offenders. They include a study of treatment motivation and recidivism rates for a specific group of repeat DUI offenders; a report on the varying structures and nature of adult probation across the United States; a discussion of the ways in which legislative changes can influence the operations of the criminal justice system; and an account of efforts toward national implementation of day reporting centers in Canada. Dr. Lisa Degiogio, senior research editor at Behavior Data Systems and assistant professor of counseling at Thomas University, Thomasville, Georgia, provides us with continuing research into recidivism predictors related to DUI offenders that can improve risk identification and assist in appropriate levels of positive interventions. She also notes that the research shows that repeat offenders with three or more convictions for DUI tend to have a greater level of motivation for treatment for their substance abuse. As with all ongoing research, there are limitations, acknowledged by the author, but this is an incentive to continue the research, especially by seeking additional information about engagement and completion of the court-imposed requirements. The U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics is conducting the Census of Adult Supervising Agencies with the purpose of describing the varying structures and nature of adult probation across and within states. This article describes this nationwide project and informs us of the scope of the effort. Hayley Crichton, an M.A. candidate, and Dr. Rose Ricciardelli, assistant professor at Memorial University of Newfoundland, give us an interesting analysis of recent legislative changes in Canadian Criminal Justice and the consequent impact on prisoners and parolees. The authors also focus on how policy changes have affected penal overcrowding, resources, and programming for incarcerated and paroled individuals. This is a timely piece, not only for Canadian readers, but for all who are interested in understanding how legislation and policy shifts are not neutral in their outcomes. In the constant search for alternatives to incarceration or even residential services for released offenders under supervision, there has been a renewed interest in day reporting centers as a means to provide enhanced services without compromising public safety. Sonya Spencer, executive director of the St. Leonard’s Society of Toronto, and Dr. Jeanine Anne Webber, program coordinator of the Criminal Justice Program at the School of Social and Community Services, Humber Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning, Toronto, have given us the results of a survey and review of efforts in Canada to work toward a national implementation of day reporting centers to meet the challenges facing released offenders. Russ Immarigeon, our book review editor, has provided thorough reviews of four recent books that present interesting and useful knowledge for correctional practitioners. Subjects contained in these books vary from a clear exposition of sentencing advocacy as related to death penalty mitigation practice to failures in evidence-based policymaking; issues relating to ethnicity, crime, and immigration; and the renewed interest in labeling theory and evidence that it can be empirically tested. These reviews and, if time permits, reading the books themselves, promise the reader a stimulating and informative experience.

Keywords: DUI prediction, DUI recidivism, drunk driving, BAC, recidivism, treatment motivation; Corrections policy, prison living, prisoner reintegration, parolees, legislative changes; Day reporting centers, DRCs, Canadian DRCs, parole supervision, community

Affiliations:  1: Journal Editor.