Showing posts with label Virginia Department of Corrections. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Virginia Department of Corrections. Show all posts

Wednesday, August 27, 2014

Governor McAuliffe Launches Inaugural Commonwealth Datathon

English: Logo for the Virginia Department of C...
English: Logo for the Virginia Department of Corrections (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
 ~ Teams from Virginia’s agencies will compete over 48 hours to create new and innovative applications ~

RICHMOND– Governor Terry McAuliffe today launched the first ever Commonwealth Datathon Challenge, a competition pitting teams from Virginia agencies against one another as they create new applications that streamline government, better serve citizens, and jumpstart business opportunities.  From August 21st to 22nd, agency teams will assemble at the Patrick Henry Building in Richmond  to build apps from scratch that make use of Commonwealth data that is publicly available throughData.Virginia.gov.

Speaking on the first of its kind event, Governor McAuliffe said: “Now, more than ever, it is critical that we work together to build a new Virginia economy. And we can’t have an innovative economy without an innovative government. That’s why I’m starting right here with my own administration. For the next 48 hours, I’m challenging our agencies to think outside the box and push both the technology we use and their own creativity to the limits. Getting all these folks in a room together and asking them to build something new will encourage better collaboration within our government, foster a culture of inventiveness, and prove that Virginia is the number one place for fresh ideas and entrepreneurial spirit.”

Secretary of Technology Karen Jackson took the opportunity to expand the challenge to the general public: “The data our agencies will be using to build their apps is open to the public through our siteData.Virginia.gov. So if you’re a developer or entrepreneur and think you can make something even better that uses our data, we want to hear about it!”

Virginia agencies participating in this week’s Datathon include Virginia Department of Transportation, Virginia Department of Alcohol and Beverage Control, Virginia Department of Corrections, Virginia Information Technologies Agency, Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, and Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles.

After completing the bulk of their work from August 21st to August 22nd, agency teams will deliver final project presentations during a special session held at the Commonwealth of Virginia Innovative Technology Symposium (COVITS) on September 3rd in Richmond. Conference attendees will have the opportunity to vote for a Crowd Favorite Award while a panel of judges from both state government and the private sector will deliver a Judges’ Choice Award to the most outstanding agency team.

More information can be accessed at the Commonwealth’s data portal Data.Virginia.gov.     

Tuesday, July 15, 2014

Governor McAuliffe Announces Continued Drop in Virginia’s Recidivism Rate

Virginia Department of Corrections
Virginia Department of Corrections (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
RICHMOND – Governor Terry McAuliffe today announced that Virginia’s re-incarceration rate has dropped to 22.8 percent, the state’s lowest rate on record. 

Long-term public safety is critical to Virginia’s future,” said Governor Terry McAuliffe. “This reduction in the recidivism rate means our children are safer, our state is more attractive to businesses, and we are returning offenders to their communities better prepared to be productive, contributing citizens.”

About ninety percent of individuals incarcerated in Virginia will one day be released back into their communities. Like most states, Virginia counts its official recidivism rate as the percentage of offenders who return to incarceration within three years of being released.

“A lower re-incarceration rate means fewer crimes, fewer victims, and less taxpayer money that must be allocated to repeat offenders,” said Virginia Department of Corrections Director Harold Clarke.

Virginia’s recidivism rate has dropped to its lowest on record. Those inmates who were released in fiscal year 2009 had a recidivism rate of 22.8 percent, as measured through 2012. The previous year’s cohort of offenders released in fiscal year 2008 and measured through 2011 had a recidivism rate of 23.4 percent, and the recidivism rate the year before that was 26.1 percent.

“We commend the Department of Corrections’ staff for their hard work, as well as the offenders who are turning their lives around and those employers who give them a second chance,” said Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security Brian Moran.

In Virginia, reentry preparation begins the day the VADOC receives an offender, starting with a risk and needs assessment. From offender training and education programs, work programs, resource fairs, veterans’ programs, and offender savings accounts to a partnership with the Department of Motor Vehicles to get offenders DMV-issued state identification before they leave prison, the VADOC is operating a multitude of successful reentry programs.  

More information on the VADOC can be found at www.vadoc.virginia.gov.



Wednesday, November 6, 2013

Governor McDonnell Announces Milestone in Prisoner Re-entry Support Program

English: The state seal of Virginia. Српски / ...
English: The state seal of Virginia. Српски / Srpski: Застава америчке савезне државе Вирџиније. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
2,000 ID Cards Issued through DMV and DOC Partnership to Help Offenders Prepare for Release

RICHMOND - Governor Bob McDonnell announced today a milestone in a partnership between the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) and the Virginia Department of Corrections (DOC) that supports the administration’s ongoing work to improve the prisoner re-entry system in the Commonwealth. Through the outreach program called “DMV Connect” more than 2,000 identification cards have now been processed for offenders preparing for release. Virginia now has the second lowest recidivism rate in the country at 23.4%.

Through DMV Connect, correctional facilities, and jails identify individuals slated for release within a few months and facilitate collection of the needed personal documents and DMV applications for Virginia ID cards. DMV employees carry inside the facility a customized case that contains a laptop, camera, and other equipment needed to complete transactions. Only requiring electricity and an Internet connection, the teams securely process real-time transactions.  The new ID card is mailed from a secure central location to the facility.

Governor McDonnell praised the DMV Connect program saying, “One of the main reasons former offenders find themselves back in jail is because it can be difficult to re-enter mainstream life after incarceration. Identification is necessary to secure jobs, open bank accounts, enter public buildings, obtain benefits, and rent or own a home.  By allowing these individuals to leave a facility with a credential in hand, the state is helping place them on the right track for a positive future.”

The DMV Connect program first launched in March of 2012 at the Deep Meadow Correctional Center in Powhatan County. DMV Connect visits a dozen state facilities on a monthly basis and is now processing credentials for offenders preparing for release in about half of Virginia’s 49 correctional facilities. By the end of the year, DMV Connect employees will have visited all state correctional centers to test connectivity with future plans to process credentials in those locations. DMV Connect is also present in one federal facility and serves a number of Sheriff’s Offices and regional jails.

Due the success of DMV Connect, in the future, this program will expand to offer services at additional locations to reach more Virginians.
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