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until they are mandated to go, some minimum release dates in the DOC database are incorrect or
outdated (e.g., if an inmate completed one sentence but then began a new one without ever being
released), some inmates may have been released on parole and returned for technical violations,
without having a new minimum release date set. Our recidivism data suggest the latter
explanation. As a result, the minimum release date of record is not necessarily a reliable indicator
of TC eligibility, in spite of written policies specif4ring its use.
We also found significant differences in prior and current offense severity (Table 8).
Waymart recruited somewhat lower risk inmates than the other programs.2o Huntingdon admitted
the highest risk inmates. Assessed level of need for treatment was high, regardless of which
instrument was examined (PACSI or TCU Drug Screen). TCU Drug Screen results, however,
suggested that Huntingdon, Graterford and Cresson recruited the highest need inmates.
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We then examined program duration for both graduates and failures (i.e., early
terminations). Cresson had the highest mean duration for program graduates at 85.7 weeks. The
other institutions were in between (52- 59 weeks), with the exception of Waymart, which had a
mean duration of 42 weeks for successful program graduates. The five TC programs did not differ
significantly on program duration for failures, although all five programs took a long time to make
a decision about termination. At Cresson, the average amount of time spent in the TC prior to
being terminated was 32 weeks.
*O Waymart is a Level 2 security classification; Cresson and Houtzdale are Level 3 facilities;
Graterford and Huntingdon are Level 4 facilities.
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This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice. This report has not
been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s)
and do not necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.