Research
INMATES WELFARE AND DEVELOPMENT
FEDERAL BUREAU OF PRISONS
Inmate Skills Development
Through the Inmate Skills Development (ISD) initiative, the Bureau is focusing on building the kinds of skills essential to successful reintegration into society – ranging from activities of daily living, such as budgeting, to cognitive skills, such as the ability to maintain self-control. Once fully implemented, the process will involve identifying inmate strengths and weaknesses using a standardized assessment tool, linking programs used to identify specific deficit areas, and tracking the inmate's progress on his/her individualized plan throughout incarceration.
Developed in collaboration with other agencies, including the courts and probation, the Inmate Skills Development System (ISDS) – the automated, web-based, assessment and tracking tool that supports this initiative – was created to help staff identify an inmate's strengths and weaknesses, as they relate to release readiness. ISDS is expected to: help link inmates with the most appropriate programs given their specific needs, ensure all parties are focused on the same measurable outcomes, assist in program resource allocation, and improve information flow to partners with a stake in the outcome (the Courts, supervision agencies, etc.).
Dynamic in nature, this tool, which is being implemented at all Bureau institutions, incorporates information from a variety of sources, including court documents and behavioral observations. It is administered at the beginning of an inmate's sentence, with subsequent updates to the assessment information over the course of the inmate's incarceration. Output is documented in the ISD Plan, which is shared with supervision agencies. By providing inmates with programs most appropriate to their identified deficit areas, the BOP anticipates that inmates will be better-prepared and more likely to succeed upon release. This is expected to be particularly useful for those offenders with
FEDERAL BUREAU OF PRISONS
Inmate Skills Development
Through the Inmate Skills Development (ISD) initiative, the Bureau is focusing on building the kinds of skills essential to successful reintegration into society – ranging from activities of daily living, such as budgeting, to cognitive skills, such as the ability to maintain self-control. Once fully implemented, the process will involve identifying inmate strengths and weaknesses using a standardized assessment tool, linking programs used to identify specific deficit areas, and tracking the inmate's progress on his/her individualized plan throughout incarceration.
Developed in collaboration with other agencies, including the courts and probation, the Inmate Skills Development System (ISDS) – the automated, web-based, assessment and tracking tool that supports this initiative – was created to help staff identify an inmate's strengths and weaknesses, as they relate to release readiness. ISDS is expected to: help link inmates with the most appropriate programs given their specific needs, ensure all parties are focused on the same measurable outcomes, assist in program resource allocation, and improve information flow to partners with a stake in the outcome (the Courts, supervision agencies, etc.).
Dynamic in nature, this tool, which is being implemented at all Bureau institutions, incorporates information from a variety of sources, including court documents and behavioral observations. It is administered at the beginning of an inmate's sentence, with subsequent updates to the assessment information over the course of the inmate's incarceration. Output is documented in the ISD Plan, which is shared with supervision agencies. By providing inmates with programs most appropriate to their identified deficit areas, the BOP anticipates that inmates will be better-prepared and more likely to succeed upon release. This is expected to be particularly useful for those offenders with