Corrections_Today_September_October_2021_Vol.83_No.5

nEWS&vIEWS

5 B. A. Jackson, et al., “Promising Practices from the Institutional Corrections System’s COVID-19 Response: Managing Safety and Security on the Inside,” Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation, 2021, https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_briefs/ RBA108-3.html. 6 For more information, see https://www.cdc.gov/ coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/health-equity/ race-ethnicity.html and https://www.cdc.gov/ coronavirus/2019-ncov/need-extra-precautions/ people-with-medical-conditions.html. 7 One panelist described how extra space in their facility was used to create a pretrial diversion unit to assist individuals prior to release and a mental health unit for persons with mental health needs who can function in social environments (i.e., those who do not require single housing). 8 The questions listed here are from the RAND report. For additional questions raised during the workshops, see https://www.rand.org/pubs/ research_briefs/RBA108-3.html. 9 B. A. Jackson et al., “Promising Practices from the Institutional Corrections System’s COVID-19 Response.” 10 Other critical adaptations were made by community corrections agencies. For more information, see https://www.rand.org/pubs/ research_briefs/RBA108-4.html. 12 The questions listed here are from the RAND report. For information on additional questions raised during the stakeholder meeting, see https:// www.rand.org/pubs/research_briefs/RBA108-4. html. 13 See Minton, Zeng, and Maruschak, “Impact of COVID-19 on the Local Jail Population, January-June 2020.” 14 See Minton, Zeng, and Maruschak, “Impact of COVID-19 on the Local Jail Population, January-June 2020.” 15 The 841 jails accounted for about 69% (376,500) of the total inmate population and nearly 68% (160,500) of all staff employed in local jails at midyear 2020. BJS did not estimate the number of inmate or staff deaths for jails from COVID-19 for jails that did not respond to the survey or for jails that were not selected to participate in the Annual Survey of Jails. See page 10 of BJS’s report, “Impact of COVID-19 on the Local Jail Population, January-June 2020,” for more information. 11 For more information, see https://www.rand.org/ pubs/research_briefs/RBA108-4.html.

16 For example, the impact of California’s realignment (AB 109) on community justice systems and recidivism is still being studied. But at this time, the release of so many offenders from state custody does not appear to have a major impact on overall crime and public safety. See M. Lofstrom & S. Raphael, “Prison downsizing and public safety: Evidence from California,” Criminology & Public Policy, 15 no. 2 (2016): 349-365. https://doi.org/10.1111/1745-9133.12203 17 To learn more about NIJ and NIJ’s investment in corrections research, see https://nij.ojp.gov and https://nij.ojp.gov/topics/corrections. 18 To learn more about BJS and BJS’s corrections data collections, such as the National Prisoner Statistics program and the Annual Survey of Jails, see https://bjs.ojp.gov/ and https://bjs.ojp.gov/ topics/corrections?tid=1&ty=tp. For information on forthcoming BJS publications, see https://bjs. ojp.gov/library/publications/forthcoming.

in terms of both corrections policy and practice and the experiences of staff and incarcerated individuals. It is safe to say corrections’ innovation and collective responses to the crisis have advanced the mission and goals of institutional and commu- nity corrections agencies in a very trying time. This article presents a limited view based on what we know about the pandemic’s impact thus far. There is a lot left to learn. NIJ 17 and BJS 18 hope to be a resource for research and data as institutional and community corrections agencies continue to make decisions about resources, staffing and best practices and to uncover how COVID–19 continues to affect them. These agencies will also look for evidence pandemic-driven innovations will prove beneficial to the corrections system as a whole, even after the crisis subsides. Endnotes 1 Data as of May 25, 2021 at 12:32 p.m. ET: https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#cases_ casesper100klast7days. 2 See T. D. Minton, Z. Zeng, & L. M. Maruschak, “Impact of COVID-19 on the Local Jail Population, January-June 2020,” Washington, D.C.: Bureau of Justice Statistics, March 2021, NCJ 255888, https://bjs.ojp.gov/content/pub/pdf/ icljpjj20.pdf. 3 The Priority Criminal Justice Needs Initiative is a joint effort managed by the RAND Corporation in partnership with the Police Executive Research Forum, RTI International, and the University of Denver on behalf of the U.S. Department of Justice’s National Institute of Justice. 4 For a more in-depth discussion of the criminal justice system’s response to the pandemic, see The U.S. Criminal Justice System in the Pandemic Era and Beyond: Taking Stock of Efforts to Maintain Safety and Justice Through the COVID-19 Pandemic and Prepare for Future Challenges: https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/ RRA108-8.html.

D. Michael Applegarth, M.S.W., is a research assistant with the National Institute of Justice. Marie Garcia, Ph.D., is a senior social science analyst in the Office of the Director at the National Institute of Justice.

Eric Martin, M.A., is a social science analyst with the National Institute of Justice.

Benjamin Adams, M.S., is a senior advisor with the National Institute of Justice.

Matthew Durose, M.S., is a statistician with the Bureau of Justice Statistics.

16 — September/October 2021 Corrections Today