SYSTEM OVERVIEW
The corrections agency operates nine state prison facilities that house approximately 5,800 incarcerated individuals. Through a facilitated improvement cohort, the agency identified incarcerated individuals as their primary customers. Their primary needs are safety and access to the programming and resources needed to successfully exit prison and remain in their community.
CHALLENGE
Prior to improvement efforts, the agency was struggling with overcrowding in facilities, higher rates of serious injury assaults for both incarcerated individuals and staff, and a high number of parolees returning to custody due to parole violations:
– An average of 3-4 serious injury assaults were occurring each month between July 2022 and June 2023.
– Parole returns to custody due to parole violations occurred at a rate of 37 per 1,000 parolees each month during this same period.
– The total incarcerated population was steadily rising, reaching a high of 5,967 in December 2023, which far exceeded facility design capacity.
IMPROVEMENT STRATEGIES
The agency’s ambitious improvement target is to reduce the rate of parolees returning to custody by 35%. This measure was chosen as a timely indicator of re-entry success. To achieve this target, the agency developed solutions to:
1) Reduce parole returns to prison for technical violations: A revised arrest violation report and oversight process was put into place to ensure all options and alternatives to keep an individual safely in their community were explored prior to a return to custody for technical violations.
2) Improve the amount and effectiveness of programming occurring within facilities: A set of solutions including revised facility schedules and prioritizing programming during modified operations were put into place to increase the number of individuals actively participating in evidence-based programming.
3) Improve re-entry readiness: Re-entry readiness criteria were defined, and a set of solutions were developed and piloted to ensure individuals are as prepared as possible prior to release. This solution signals to all agency functions and resources which individuals need assistance and is synchronized according to expected release dates, allowing for proactive management of re-entry preparedness. Additionally, a feedback loop is being put into place that will provide insights into which re-entry readiness criteria are most often not satisfied across the population, serving as the primary signal in the system to focus future improvement efforts.
RESULTS
The following results were achieved when comparing the most recent 12-month period (December 2024 – November 2025) to a pre-project baseline (July 2022 – June 2023):
– Parole returns to custody per 1,000 parolees reduced from 37 to 27, a 27% improvement, which has prevented an estimated 166 individuals from needing to return to custody to date. While this result has not yet achieved the 35% target, it represents significant progress. The 35% target is anticipated to be achieved once the re-entry readiness solution is rolled out statewide and takes full effect.
– Serious injury assaults reduced from an average of 3.5 per month to 1.5 per month, a 57% reduction.
Additionally, evidence-based programming participation rates have significantly increased. The percentage of individuals actively participating in programming classes rose from a baseline below 10% to above 25% during 2025. This increase is expected to positively impact future re-entry success.
The total incarcerated population declined by 222 individuals (3.7%) when comparing census counts in December 2023 to November 2025, representing a significant reversal of a previously rising trend.
These results were achieved while the agency is scheduled to return $22.5M in General Funds to the state during the 2025-26 legislative session through better use of facilities.
