stances that the courts look to in evaluating an individual's potential for community rehabilitation.

This burden falls most heavily on the poor. The more affluent can be released on bond and thus are better able to maintain job, family and home, thereby having a much better chance of not being committed to prison.

Pre-trial release programs have been successful in achieving some equity for disadvantaged persons involved in criminal charges. These programs investigate an individual who is unable to make bail to determine whether or not the person has satisfactory roots or ties in the community. If he does, the probability of his voluntary appearance in court is considered good, and the program recommends that he be released on his own recognizance.

Equity for the poor under the criminal justice system has been a source of continuing concern for a group of interested, civic-minded citizens in Des Moines, including judges, businessmen, civic leaders, newspaper editors, probation officials

and others.

Their efforts resulted in the establishment of a pre-trial release program in 1964 which is operated by Drake University Law School students. In the Des Moines-Polk County area, about 800 persons a year are released on their own recognizance as a result of this program.

But the informal group, sometimes called the Ad Hoc Committee for want of a better name, was not satisfied. An additional 400 persons a year, unable to qualify for the pre-trial release program, were being kept in jail from a few days to sev eral months while awaiting disposition of their cases. The committee believed between 100 and 150 were not dangerous and could be released.

But how? What could be done for these accused persons in marginal circumstances to give them equity under the criminal justice system?

The answers were unobtainable until the Des Moines Model Cities program provided the catalytic process which combined innovative ideas with new and existing resources. The result has been a demonstration program which has attracted wide interest in the criminal justice field. Called the Des Moines Model Neighborhood Corrections Project, it combines pre-trial release with a carefully planned rehabilitation program. The project recommends pre-trial release to the court on the basis of a program geared to the individual's needs as determined by a screening process. The program might include obtaining employment, family counseling, supervision—whatever is indicated as the need in each case. The program, in effect, seeks to supply the equivalent of "roots" to those who have been passed over initially for pre-trial release because of their lack of stable community ties. The judge can either accept the recommendation and release the person to the project, or he can reject it.

In the first seven months of the project, 62 persons were released. Only five have been returned to jail during the pre-trial period. They were either involved in new offenses, were returned by the project for failure to cooperate, or were returned because they did not want to continue. The project was planned to serve 125 in the first year. The staff still hopes to reach that goal.

In a sense, the development of the project typifies the fundamental intent of the Model Cities process. The project grew out of a cooperative effort of local public and private agencies with the assistance of local, state and federal govern ments. The budget for the project's first year is $222,500 and provides an excellent example of the flexibility existing in the Model Cities program for tapping a variety of funding sources.

The Des Moines Model Cities Agency put up $79,000 in supplemental funds. About one third of the sum, $27,940, matched an $83,810 grant from the Depart ment of Social Services to provide salaries for family counselors on the project staff. Another $24,260 matched a $36,390 grant from the Law Enforcement Assistance Administration's funds administered by the Iowa Crime Commission.

In addition, the Division of Rehabilitation, Education and Services contributed a full-time vocational rehabilitation counselor to the project staff, an in-kind co tribution of $11,000. Services and training totaling $12,300 were committed by the Des Moines Area Community College.

Playing the key role of project sponsor is the Iowa Council of the National Council on Crime and Delinquency (NCCD).

Putting the project together combined a fortuitous blend of persons with knowl edge of the problem, experience in program funding and sufficient perseverance to see the project over a number of hurdles.

Bernard J. Vogelgesang, former director of the Iowa Council of NCCD, served as a consultant to the Model Cities program. He obtained the financial commit

ments involved and wrote the project which was incorporated in Des Moines's first year action program. But he credits Gilbert Cranberg, an editorial writer with The Des Moines Register and Tribune, with conceiving the general idea that lead to developing the project. Others contributing advice and support included District Judge James Denato and Des Moines attorney, Dan Johnston.

"Although I wrote the project, I sought their advice and assistance all along the way," Mr. Vogelgesang said. Also participating in the planning was a Model -Cities citizens committee headed by Lawrence Davies.

Before the project was funded, Mr. Vogelgesang left Des Moines to become director for a criminal justice planning project which NCCD is operating in Washington for HUD/MC.

Picking up where Mr. Vogelgesang left off were John R. Wolfe, Jr., formerly of the State Office of Program and Planning, a lawyer who joined the CDA staff as a senior planner for health and crime and delinquency; Paul Dunn, also a lawyer, who replaced Mr. Vogelgesang as director of the Iowa Council of NCCD, and William J. Elbert, Sr., a state parole and probation officer, who became project director.

Actually, the project funding evolved over a period of several months and was the result of pains-taking effort on the part of many.

In developing the plan, Mr. Vogelgesang sought state support. But funds were not available from existing state programs. The commissioner of the Department of Social Services, Maurice Harmon, who has since left that post, came up with the idea that the program could be structured to use Title IV-A funds from the federal Department of Health, Education and Welfare. Together, Mr. Harmon and Mr. Vogelgesang worked out an agreement whereby supplemental funds would be used as the state matching share for Title IV money, which is available if the state can match it. The funds do not go directly to the corrections project, but are administered by the Department of Social Services in support of the project.

Mr. Wolfe was instrumental in nailing down the LEAA money. While in the Governor's Office of Program and Planning, Mr. Wolfe had assisted in setting up the Iowa Crime Commission, which later became the administering agency for LEAA funds.

After joining the Des Moines Model Cities Agency, Mr. Wolfe knew that a potential existed within the commission for financial assistance to Model Cities. By working closely with the crime commission officials, Mr. Wolfe was able to get the plan for state allocation of LEAA funds earmarked for $100,000 for Model Cities. Des Moines has the only Model Cities program in Iowa. The funds are being used in support of one other project besides the corrections project.

As the Des Moines experience shows, close involvement with state agencies can result in innovative program development through imaginative use of supplemental funds in conjunction with other resources.

As expected, the project encountered a number of thorny problems early in its implementation.

Originally, the Department of Social Services, which operates the state prison and parole system, was to be the project sponsor. Officials in that agency, however, decided against sponsorship. Finally, NCCD was persuaded to sponsor it. NCCD, however, does not operate projects as such and this was somewhat of a new venture. Also, the private agency made it clear it would serve as sponsor only for a demonstration period. Therefore, NCCD chose to keep fiscal authority over the project in the national office in New York. This caused some problems until the system became adjusted, particularly during the period when the projet offices were being renovated. Most of the renovation work was done by project staff.

A more serious problem was acceptance of the innovative concept by police, the heriff's office, probation officials and the courts. The project's day-to-day opertions depend on the close cooperation of these officials.

Mr. Elbert's previous experience as a parole officer and as a police officer for wo years has aided acceptance. Some police officers, however, view the project with skepticism. They tend to regard imprisonment as a successful conclusion of heir effort.

The sheriff's office operates the jail and maintains records of inmates. Without at cooperation, the project staff would be required to obtain a court order in ch case to get information about potential clients.

The parole and probation officials also have displayed some skepticism, based argely on belief that only profesionally trained personnel should be working in

the corrections area. Mr. Elbert and others have the necessary qualifications, but some staff do not. One, for example, is an ex-convict. Mr. Elbert, who was his parole officer at the time several years ago, had the parole revoked for a serious violation and returned him to prison for 18 months. The project director has con fidence in the staff member and believes he adds a particular perception to the project that is essential. Mr. Elbert refer to him as "one of our key men." Cooperation from the courts, for the most part, has been good. District Court Judges A. B. Crouch and Leo Oxberger have given outstanding support. One mu nicipal judge, however, refused to cooperate early in the project. Personal persuasion plus a critical editorial in the newspaper of his action helped convince the judge to reconsider his position. Lack of a clear understanding of the pro gram's objectives appeared to be a large part of the problem.

All of these problems have required a continuing, intensive public relations effort by Mr. Dunn, Mr. Elbert and corrections project staff.

Another problem has been difficulty in getting final approval of the funds from the Department of Social Services. The grant was held up for more than three months to iron out a legal technically. Since these funded were for salaries of family counselors, the project has been forced to operate without a full staff, reducing the number of people it could serve.

Understanding the intent of the project is of critical importance. "We're not em barking on a program to turn crooks loose," Mr. Wolfe said, in discussing the project. "We're attempting to develop a rational aprpoach that will transform a permanent part of the criminal justice system." If it is successful, he said, it will result in a substantial saving of public funds, not to mention the salvaging human lives.

An editorial in The Des Moines Register and Tribune put it this way: "The prison system is a colossal, costly failure. The Des Moines preject is an effort to find a workable alternative through community-based corrections. With the cooperation of Polk County courts and community agencies, Des Moines can make a notable national contribution to reform of the criminal justice and correctional systems."

Interestingly, Sen. Sam Ervin of North Carolina has introduced legislation called the Speedy Trial Act of 1970. One of its two major sections provides for pre-trial services agencies patterned after many features of the Des Moines project.

How does the project work?

The project receives referrals from a number of sources, including attorneys relatives, the courts and sheriff's office. It also receives regularly a list of persons rejected by the pre-trial release program.

Each referral is interviewed at the jail during the evening for information about his home, family and employment record. The skilled interviewers also seek to learn other needs of the person. The investigation does not get into the nature of the offense and no judgment is made as to the person's guilt or innocence. After an investigation to verify facts given by the accused, plus providing other information pertinent to the individual, a full report is prepared. The top five project staff meet, review the report and discuss whether the person is likely to appear at the time of his trial. The decision is put to a vote. Some votes have been 3 to 2.

If the vote is positive, a recommendation that the person be released to the project is made to the court, complete with a program for rehabilitation while the person awaits disposition of his case.

Typically, a person released to the project must report daily to the counselor handling his case. He also is referred to a variety of public and private agencies dealing in employment, drug and alcoholism treatment, psychiatric counseling and the like. In September, for example, 28 clients were referred to one or more agencies. The staff follows up on each referral and records the outcome.

Clients are required to attend classes in the evenings at the project office, which is located in the model neighborhood. During September, for example, nie classes were held covering use of legal counsel, alcoholism, drug abuse, the Co centrated Employment Program, welfare services, a film on the effects of mari juana, planned parenthood, Blue Cross-Blue Shield insurance, and vocationa rehabilitation services.

The average client age is 25. Nearly all have had prior arrests. Although rest dents of the model neighborhood are given preference, the project is not limited to serving that area. About 60 percent are not from the model neighborhood

About 57 percent of the clients are white. 36 percent black and 7 percent MexicanAmerican and other ethnic backgrounds.

The project has 20 staff positions, but only 12 have been filled due to the lelay in getting the Department of Social Services funds. In addition to the lirector, the staff includes a bookkeeper-administrative aide; two supervising amily counselors: a vocational counselor: two senior family counselors: two Assistant family counselors: a junior family counselor, and two secretaries. A psychiatrist visits the project office for three hours each Saturday morning o make psychiatrie evaluations and to provide individual counseling. The project is assisted by an advisory committee which meets monthly. Most of hose persons who were members of the Ad Hoc Committee serve on the advisory ommittee. Others have been added, such as the sheriff's office. Department of Soial Services, representatives and several residents of the model neighborhood. One outstanding feature of the overall corrections project is the evaluation proram, a provision which NCCD insisted on before it would agree to become projet sponsor.

For every four persons released to the project, another is selected using the ame criteria. He is not included in the project, however. Those not released to the project are studied for one year and then compared to those assisted by the roject. The NCCD research office in Davis, Calif., is responsible for conducting he evaluation.

"We want to operate a quality project and insisted on this type of evaluaion," Mr. Dunn said in discussing the evaluation program. "We want to obtain from the project some meaningful information which will determine clearly what the demonstration project has been able to achieve."

MISCELLANEOUS NEWS ARTICLES ON THE DES MOINES MODEL CITIES PROJECT [From the Des Moines Tribune, Mar. 6, 1970]

SEEKING BETTER WAY THAN PRISON

The Des Moines City Council has cleared the way for work to begin on a Model Cities project that could have significance well beyond Des Moines. The council approved a contract for the Des Moines Model Neighborhood Corrections Project.

The objective of the project is to demonstrate the feasibility of utilizing community resources for criminal offenders as an alternative to committing them to the state prisons. The project will work with the accused in the "dead time" between arrest and disposition that is now lost for rehabilitation purposes in Almost every jurisdiction in the country.

Experience has shown that persons accused of crime in Polk County who stay in jail during the months between arrest and sentencing stand an overwhelming hance of being sent to the state prisons at Anamosa and Fort Madison. These men usually lack the jobs and other roots in the community to qualify for pretrial release. These same factors usually are regarded by the court as making the men poor risks for probation.

The Des Moines Model Neighborhood Corrections Propect will attempt to arrange for the pre-trial release of selected prisoners in the Polk County jail who do not pose a danger to the community by, in effect, supplying them with the "roots" they lack. Preference will be given to residents of the Model Cities

area.

The project will arrange for jobs, housing, supervision and whatever else is indicated in individual cases. If the court accepts the project's recommendation for pre-trial release, a rehabilitation regime based on careful evaluation and diagnosis will then be instituted. The accused person who responds to the program will be recommended for probation at the time of sentencing so that the program can be continued during the probation period.

This is a multi-agency project involving the State Division of Rehabilitation, Education and Services, State Department of Social Services, Des Moines Area Community College and Iowa Crime Commission. The services of many community agencies will be an integral part of the project. The National Council on rime and Delinquency's decision to assume responsibility for supervising the Des Moines project is testimony to the national organization's belief that it represents an important experiment in correctional reform.

The prison system is a colossal, costly failure. The Des Moines project is a effort to find a workable alternative through community-based correction. With the co-operation of Polk County courts and community agencies, Des Moine can make a notable national contribution reform of the criminal justice and correctional systems.

[From the Christian Science Monitor, Apr. 1, 1970]

JAIL OR FREEDOM? DES MOINES TESTS A WAY TO AID PENNILESS ACCUSED (By Gilbert Cranberg)

Special to The Christian Science Monitor

DES MOINES.-A Des Moines project is about to test the thesis that the community can do a better job of rehabilitating criminal offenders than can the state's prisons.

Through its model-city program, the City Council has approved a contract with the National Council on Crime and Delinquency.

With $224,000 to spend in the next year, the Des Moines Model Neighborhood Corrections Project could open the way to revolutionary change in handling criminal offenders.

The project will work with the accused person in the "dead time" between arrest and disposition of the case to demonstrate the feasibility of treating his in the community as an alternative to prison commitment.

The model-city project is an outgrowth of a successful bail-reform program inaugurated here in 1964. That program, operated by Drake University Lay School students, was credited with arranging the pretrial release of 800 defendants a year on their own recognizance.

INVESTIGATIONS CONDUCTED

Drake students investigate the background of the accused persons and ree ommend to the court the release without bail of those with roots in the com munity-jobs, homes, family ties, etc. About 75 percent of the persons interviewed by the bail-reform program are recommended for release and more tha 90 percent of the recommendations are accepted by Des Moines judges.

A favorable pretrial release recommendation makes it unlikely the accused will be sent to prison. The sociological criteria that result in pretrial release are the same factors that persuade the court to grant probation at the disposi tion stage of the case. Relatively rarely are Des Moines men imprisoned after being released on their own recognizance. Conversely, men who are denied re lease on their own recognizance and who stay in jail because of inability to pos bail face the prospect of being denied probation and being sentenced eventually to prison terms.

The Des Moines Model Neighborhood Corrections Project will focus on these county-jail inmates who face the possibility of prison sentences. The project wi screen the inmates and select the ones who have no history of crimes of viole against persons and pose a minimal danger to the community. Preference wi be given to residents of the Des Moines model-city area.

The project will recommend pretrial release to the court on the basis of a program geared to the individual's needs. The program might include emplo ment, family counseling, supervision-whatever is indicated as the need in each case. The program in effect will seek to supply the equivalent of "roots" to thos who had been passed over initially for pretrial release because of their lack of stable community ties.

RELEASE PROCEDURE

If the court approves the release recommendation, the inmate will be released to the custody of project personnel. The project's staff of vocational and family counselors will be responsible for devising each program and carrying it on Former offenders who are residents of the model-city neighborhood will provide day-to-day contact with the releasees.

The project's clients who perform well in the pretrial program will be reco mended by the project for probation at the time of sentencing. The sentencing court is expected to make continuation of the program a condition of the pr bation. Project staff will provide probation supervision during this period