Commonwealth Foundation: Why Pa.’s Department of Corrections is a Model to Follow
The Pennsylvania Department of Corrections (DOC) recently released the results of SIP-HOPE—a promising new pilot program aimed at reducing recidivism.
According to DOC, the program led to a 13 percent decline in rearrests. The program also reduced the number of days participants spent in jail, helping to control costs for taxpayers.
SIP-HOPE utilizes the swift, certain, and fair (SCF) sanctions supervision approach to deter participants from reverting back to criminal behavior. SCF ensures offenders will be sanctioned immediately, which provides a disincentive to violate the program’s protocol.
For example, if an individual in the program was found in violation of protocol, the department would penalize that person with a day in prison. If violations continued, the punishments become more severe. However, once the individual’s punishment ended, he would be free to resume all programming available to him.
Gov. Wolf: State’s finances will soon be ‘much more dire’
Gov. Tom Wolf is warning House Republican leaders that failing to fund the state budget will put Pennsylvania in “a much more dire financial situation” in the coming weeks.
The Democratic governor urged Speaker Mike Turzai, Majority Leader Dave Reed and six other House GOP leaders in a letter Tuesday to take action to fill the budget’s $2.2 billion revenue gap.
Wolf has authorized a short-term loan from the state’s Motor License Fund but expects a lack of action will cause outside agencies to downgrade Pennsylvania’s credit rating.
Lawmakers approved a $32 billion budget June 30, and Wolf let it take effect without his signature.
ABC 6: Pennsylvania Rep. Lou Barletta set for Senate run against Casey
Pennsylvania Congressman Lou Barletta has announced his candidacy for U.S. Senate.
The Republican representative released a campaign video on Tuesday announcing his run for the seat held by two-term Democrat Sen. Bob Casey.
The Pennsylvania Republican’s entry into the race was widely expected after The Associated Press reported last month that Barletta had relayed his plans to GOP officials and activists.
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