National Center on Institutions and Alternatives (NCIA)

History

The National Center on Institutions and Alternatives (NCIA) was co-founded in 1977 by Jerome Miller and Herbert Hoelter. ¹ Jerome Miller, who died in 2015, permanently shut down Massachusetts’ juvenile reformatories. His was the template for efforts to deinstitutionalize young offenders, the developmentally disabled, and the mentally ill. ^{3 4}

Herbert Hoelter campaigned for community-based rehabilitation alongside Miller. Each argued on the national stage that community care is more cost effective and results in a greater likelihood of a return to society. ^{5 6}

The founding mission of NCIA was to transform juvenile justice by advocating for rehabilitation. The organization’s emphasis eventually broadened from young offenders to developmentally disabled adults and children. By 2001 it had opened residential care facilities for developmentally disabled adults and by 2006 it had established a special education school. Its first Vocational Training Center opened in 2017. ⁷

In 1978, NCIA’s legal consultation services pivoted to sentencing mitigation for white collar criminals. Between 1977 and 2022, it assisted 15,000 convicted felons in all 50 states. Clients have included Bernie Madoff, perpetrator of the largest Ponzi scheme in history, and Martha Stewart, the domestic guru. Fees ranged from $5 to $50,000 per case, according to a Financial Times report. ^{8 9}

Activities

The National Center on Institutions and Alternatives provides services to disabled adults and youth in Baltimore, Maryland, through 43 adult community living homes, a non-public school providing full-day special education and related services to 76 students, an adult Career Development Center focused on employment and social skills, and respite services. ¹⁰

In Baltimore and four other cities, NCIA’s Vocational Training Centers prepare formerly incarcerated adults, veterans, the homeless, and disabled adults for employment. Each participant receives 15 weeks of specialized job training in one of the following specialties:  HVAC, auto mechanics, truck driving, culinary arts, or drone operation. Graduates are placed in jobs. Enrollees are supported by case management, housing, transportation, and expungement services. ^{2 11}

Herbert Hoelter and his team provide assistance to criminal defendants during the plea-bargaining and sentencing phases of criminal justice proceedings. ¹² They work with defense attorneys to help them push for more lenient sentences and develop alternatives to imprisonment. According to NCIA’s federal tax returns, “This program provides support services to non-violent white-collar defendants and their attorneys located across the country. NCIA staff are experts in sentencing statutes and guidelines, and they prepare individualized sentencing proposals including public service, work-release, home confinement, and community confinement. NCIA also provides consulting on institutional designation and transfer.” ¹³

Funding

The National Center on Institutions and Alternatives (NCIA) received $1 million from the Lawrence P. Castellani Family Foundation in 2022 to establish an NCIA Foundation to be led by Herbert Hoelter. ¹⁴

The Truist Foundation contributed $2.8 million to expand NCIA’s Vocational Training Centers. The grant enabled NCIA to open three new Vocational Training Centers as well as increasing services in North Carolina and Baltimore. ²

NCIA receives government support for its Baltimore human services programs through the Maryland Department of Health and the Maryland Department of Education. ¹⁵

Leadership

Carol Argo succeeded Herbert Hoelter as CEO in 2022. In 2008, prior to her joining the National Center on Institutions and Alternatives (NCIA), she had been convicted of manipulating employee stock option grants while she was CFO of SafeNet, Inc. ^{16 17}