View Research by Author - Kamala Mallik-Kane

Publications

Growth in the size of the federal prison population over the past decade is largely driven by increases in time served, and particularly by longer lengths of stay for drug offenders. This research report, which examines changes in the federal Bureau of Prison's population from 1998 to 2010, also notes that a higher conviction rate in drug cases and heightened enforcement of immigration and weapon offenses contribute to prison population growth. This growth was moderated by reductions in the rate at which sentenced offenders were admitted to prison and modest declines in the federal prosecution rate. Report findings were based on a statistical decomposition analysis using data from the Bureau of Justice Statistics' Federal Justice Statistics Program.

This study focused on a process and impact evaluation of two long-standing Mental Health Courts (MHCs)that substitute a problem-solving model in place of traditional court processing for defendants with mental illness. Research subjects were drawn from three sources: 1) 648 participants enrolled in the Bronx MHC between January 1, 2002 and December 31, 2006; 2) 327 participants enrolled in the Brooklyn MHC between March 1, 2002 and December 31, 2006; and a pool of approximately 5,000 offenders who were arrested in Brooklyn or the Bronx in 2005-2006 and entered into the Brad H discharge planning database maintained by the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH ). The study found that mental health court participants are significantly less likely to recidivate than similar offenders with mental illness who experience business-as-usual court processing. Individuals who recidivate are more likely to commit drug crimes, than violent, property or other crimes.

Using 1999-2008 data from the Federal Justice Statistics Program and interviews with federal and tribal officials, this report describes the prevalence, characteristics, and outcomes of juveniles handled at each stage of the federal justice system. Although juvenile cases are rare in the federal system, over the ten year period about half of all juveniles were tribal youth. The report explores the jurisdictional complexities that help explain why tribal youth cases enter the federal system. Tribal and non-tribal juvenile cases differed in significant ways: most tribal youth cases involved violent offenses, while most non-tribal cases involved public order and drug offenses; and tribal youth were more likely to be adjudicated delinquent, while non-tribal youth were more likely to be prosecuted as adults.

More than 8 in 10 returning prisoners have chronic physical, mental, or substance abuse conditions. This research report demonstrates how each of these health conditions is associated with distinct reentry challenges and service needs. Using a representative sample of men and women from the Urban Institute’s multistate Returning Home study, we assessed health status at release and gathered data on reintegration experiences through multiple postrelease interviews. We present typologies of reentry experiences by health status, detailing individuals' success finding housing and employment, reconnecting with family, abstaining from substance use and crime, and avoiding reincarceration. Using these typologies, we conclude with targeted strategies to improve service delivery and reentry outcomes.

This research brief discusses the health challenges faced by male prisoners being released to Chicago, Illinois. Three out of ten survey respondents reported having a chronic physical or mental health condition, but it is likely that even higher shares have health problems, given that many diseases can remain undetected in the absence of routine screening and medical care. Study participants had high expectations for maintaining good health after release, but few means of doing so: fewer than 10% reported a referral to health care from prison and over 80% were uninsured. One year after release, health problems were not linked to recidivism, but mental illness was associated with increased substance use and unemployment.

Truth in sentencing (TIS) refers to a variety of policies aimed at reducing the difference between sentences imposed and the actual time offenders serve in prison. Federal TIS initiatives within the 1994 Crime Act were found to have a relatively minor influence on the states: thirty states did not change their existing TIS laws, and eleven states made modest changes. The more extensive reforms made in the remaining states were often related to ongoing reform processes rather than the federal initiative. Examining the influence of state TIS policies on prison populations, this study found no uniform effect of TIS, but rather concludes that impacts should be evaluated within a state-specific context. Results from seven states -- Georgia, Washington, Illinois, Ohio, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Utah -- varied because of differences in sentencing structure, other concurrent reforms, and declines in violent crime.

This evaluation documents key features of Brooklyn's Felony Domestic Violence Court model, and traces its development, implementation, challenges, evolution, and expansion. We also conducted a pre/post evaluation of how the model influences case processing, outcomes, and recidivism. We found that the existence of the specialized court seemed to change the types of cases entering it, in that prosecutors were more likely to indict cases with less severe police charges than before. This may have influenced case processing, disposition, and sentencing patterns. FDVC victims were more likely to be assigned an advocate, and defendants on pre-disposition release were more likely to be required to participate in a batterers’ intervention program. The Court itself produced a higher rate of disposition by guilty plea, which saves the system time and money. Interpretations of recidivism findings are severely constrained by limitations in the recidivism data and the pre/post design. We consistently found that criminal history, especially criminal contempt of court orders, predicted how well defendants performed pre- and post-disposition. Recommendations for future research efforts are offered.

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