Female Offender ReEntry Skills Training FOREST

1
Female Offender Re-Entry Skills Training (FOREST)

• Colorado Division of Behavioral Health (DBH),
• Colorado Department of Corrections (DOC)
• and
• Aurora Mental Health Center (AuMHC)

2
Beginning

• In the Beginning
• Colorado Tobacco Settlement monies used to fund
  mental health projects
• Colorado State Senate Bill 97 was passed in 2007
• AuMHC selected postponed project due to
  legislative funding cut
• Partnership with NIC pursued regarding
  preparation for FOREST project

3
FOREST

• NIC AuMHC C-DOC
• NIC Technical Assistance Grant
• Fact Finding (December 07)
• New York
• Bedford Hills Correctional Facility
• Ohio
• Hamilton County Jail and Community Programs
• Training (July 08)
• AuMHC staff
• DOC staff

4
FOREST

• NIC AuMHC C-DOC
• Fact Finding Team
• Richard Swanson, AuMHC/ARI
• Camille Carraher, Denver Womens Correctional
  Facility
• Mark Olson, AuMHC
• Heather Elliot, Adult Parole/Community
  Corrections /YOS (C-DOC funded)

5
FOREST

• NIC AuMHC C-DOC
• Trainers
• Doreen Salina, Ph.D.
• Cook County Sheriffs Department of Womens
  Justice Services (DWJS)
• Xiomara Santos, LMSW
• Heritage Health and Housing

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FOREST
Meet the Trainers
7
Training
8
Training
9
Planting FOREST

• AuMHC was selected in 2008 to receive funds
• Created a partnership with
• Division of Behavioral Health
  funding/monitoring
• C-DOC client referral
• Community Transitions Program (CTP) to operate
  FOREST project
• Chose to work with female offender population
• Underserved population
• Conveniently located facility (DWCF)

10
Denver Womens Correctional Facility
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FOREST

• Project based on a paradigm used to identify and
  rehabilitate and help damaged forest ecosystems
  recover
• Useful in assisting mentally ill female offenders
  recover from factors that led to their
  incarceration and extending recovery to
  successfully return to the community.

12
FOREST

• SURVEYING
• In facility
• RE-ORGANIZATION
• In facility
• AGGRADATIONS
• In facility
• TRANSITION
• In community
• STEADY STATE
• In community

13
FOREST

• Target Population
• Inclusionary criteria
• Female
• Mentally ill Axis I diagnosis
• Substance abuse/dependence (not exclusionary)
• Non-violent
• Motivated
• Aurora connection/resident

14
FOREST

• Target Population
• Exclusionary criteria
• Sex offenders
• Violent offenders
• Offenders with parole plans to other areas
• Unmotivated offenders

15
FOREST

• FOREST Services
• Delivered by CTP staff assigned to FOREST
• Intensive Duals Diagnosis Treatment (IDDT)
• Trauma intervention
• Forensic Intensive Case Management
• FOREST case management centric system
• Transitional Housing
• Vocational/Employment readiness
• Psychiatric services/Medication

16
FOREST

• Specialized Services
• Brokered by FOREST case management
• Delivered by AuMHC Divisions
• Outpatient
• Child and Family
• Intensive Outpatient
• Other forensic services
• Community medical services

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FOREST

• Funding
• DBH funnels SB97 money as funding source for
  FOREST
• AuMHC provides some resource matching
• Housing
• Post program client care
• FOREST clients have mixed benefit experience
• Some have benefits and hx of benefit reciept
• Some have never had benefits

18
FOREST

• Role of Adult Parole, Community Corrections, and
  YOS (APCCYOS)
• FOREST on caseload of single Community Parole
  Officer (CPO)
• CPO is part of treatment team for FOREST
• Staffing participation
• In-reach participation
• After hours availability to client and FOREST
  staff
• CPO has reduced caseload
• CPO is NIC and CIT trained

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FOREST

• Role of Adult Parole, Community Corrections, and
  YOS (APCCYOS)
• FOREST uses single APCCYOS supervisor for program
  coordination
• APCCYOS supervisor reviews and approves parole
  plans to FOREST
• APCCYOS supervisor reviews formal reports of
  parole violations
• APCCYOS supervisor consults with assigned CPO
  regarding status of FOREST caseload

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FOREST

• Response to client lapses in abstinence
• Individualized
• Considerate of community safety
• Considerate of individual and circumstances
• Response to client re-offenses
• Individualized
• Considerate of community safety first

21
FOREST

• Roadblocks
• Access to medical records in C-DOC
• Parole Board decisions
• Transportation
• Housing
• Medical care in community
• Impact of significant others on client/program
• Multiple current/pending offenses/sentences in
  multiple counties
• Medically prescribed pain management medication

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FOREST

• Latest NIC AuMHC C-DOC project
• Training funded by NIC
• Scheduled for September 2009
• Prostitution is focus of training