Vera Institute of Justice

Overview

This 1977 report, part of Vera's Temporary Release Project, examined inmates' attitudes towards how prisoners were selected for temporary release. Under the pre-existing system, few explicit criteria existed for access to the program, and so inmates considered temporary release selection to be arbitrary and unfair, leading to increased frustration and tension within the facilities. To address this, Vera developed a point system for the program, a manual and videotape explaining the system, and a temporary release interview is given to each applicant of the program. The report also examines the response of prisoners to the new system.