New Hampshire Legislative Report Criticizes Prisoner Work Release Controls        

by Derek Gilna       

State legislatures nationwide, confronted with tight budgetary constraints, have demanded more efficiency out of the programs they fund, and New Hampshire is no exception.  The Office of the New Hampshire Budget Assistant recently announced the results of a new audit criticizing the controls in effect to monitor the state prison system’s work release program.

Four transitional residential facilities in Concord and Manchester were examined in the audit, which noted that state prison officials had failed to institute performance-based controls to properly monitor whether the programs were performing their principal duty of reducing recidivism. As a result, the audit said, it was unable to determine whether or not the state’s financial resources were being used wisely.

Recently, many nonprofit organizations, including the non-partisan Pew Institute, have examined operating efficiencies in the nation’s prisons, and one area of focus has been the efficiency of work-release programs.  Work release programs have been shown to be effective in reducing recidivism when properly administered and when prisoners have an opportunity to develop skills that will assist them in gaining and maintaining employment after their release from custody.

The New Hampshire Department of Corrections (DOC) agreed with the report’s finding, but asserted that additional staff would have to be added to meet the goals set by the legislature.

One of those goals is to prioritize the usage of resources by prisoners who would be most likely to benefit from the work release program, rather than merely relying on the initial risks assessments carried out by the New Hampshire DOC.

Another goal is to devise a system where the DOC can collect information on types of jobs, hours worked, and wages earned. Additionally, the prison case manager would be tasked with monitoring continuity of care and the oversight of released prisoners. Also, it was suggested that medical costs for those in transitional housing be reviewed to make sure that prisoners did not receive duplicative care from prison medical staff and private physicians, which would have the additional benefit of restricting access to forbidden medications.

Yet another goal is to provide sex offender treatment to both genders on an equal basis based upon clinical needs, although the DOC said that additional funding would be necessary to comply. Finally, it was noted that the legislature itself could assist reentry by lessening restrictions on ex-offenders entering certain professions, making it easier for released offenders to earn an honest living, while helping save valuable state resources.

Sources: “Audit faults NH’s prison work-release program,” by Norma Love, Associated Press, November 27, 2013; http://www.gencourt.state.hn.us.