Collaboration at its Best'Strategies to a Successful Transition

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Collaboration at its Best.Strategies to a
Successful Transition
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Transition Housing UnitsTHU
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THU

• A Housing area of an institution dedicated to
  offenders assigned to the transition phase (6
  months of release).

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• Level 4 and 5 Institutions (High Custody) have
  the option (based on release numbers) to
  establish a transitional housing area/unit.

All medium and minimum custody institutions have
Transitional Housing areas or dedicated units
(THUs)
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Core Programs while in a THU

• Career Technical Programs
• Parenting Classes
• Cognitive Skills Development
• Substance Abuse Education
• Anger Management Education
• Life Skills

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Core Services

• Birth Certificates
• Social Security Cards
• Workforce Development Link
• Social Services Information
• Family Counseling
• State ID Cards
• Faith Base Awareness

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• Offender participation is key to prepare for
  transition and to meet the identified goals and
  actions The goals and action plans are developed
  based on assessed offender liabilities.

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• During the transition phase (THU) the offender
  works close with the case management team
  including his/her institutional parole officers.

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• The offenders transition plan includes Home
  Employment plan plus other links to community
  services based on offender identified needs.

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MRP INCARCERATED VETERANS
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Due to an Executive order the Missouri Department
of Corrections signed MOU

• MO VETERAN COMMISSION
• VETERAN ADMINISTRATION

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PURPOSE

• Define manner veteran organizations participate
  in MRP
• Enhance offender self-sufficiency
• Reduce recidivism
• Improve public safety

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TYPES OF SERVICES

• Ceasing of benefit payments
• Resulting in an estimated 40 - 50,000 in
  federal state since 2007
• Provision of benefits information
• Assistance in applying for benefits
• Over 7500 incarcerated vets served

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ORGANIZATIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES

• DOC
• Training of staff
• Referral of offenders to veteran staff
• Sharing of information
• Coordination of case management

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ORGANIZATIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES

• VETERANS
• Provision of presentations/pamphlets
• Determination of benefits eligibility
• Sharing of information
• Coordination of veteran benefit services
• Assistance with benefits registration
• MO Veteran Commission will refer eligible
  offenders to Veterans Administration for medical
  benefits
• Assistance with attainment of veteran records

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GOALS FOR 2010

• Educate current DOC/PP staff on PTSD/TBI issued
  facing Iraq/Afghanistan veterans
• Provide training on this issue to new staff

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Missouris Model Parenting From Prison Project
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Goal of Pilot Project

• Build stronger, healthier family relationships
  which lead to the prevention of intergenerational
  incarceration.

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MO Pilot Project Women's Eastern Reception
Diagnostic and Correctional Center - Vandalia

• Timeline Minimum of 18 months
• Scale of Project 30 Offenders
• Minimum of 2yrs or longer sentence
• Different levels of contact with children

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Pilot Process

• Internal Education and Communication Initiative
• Memo to all staff informing about project
• Information provided to offenders about project

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Pilot Project Process

• Pool of offenders chosen based upon criteria
• No major violations last 90 days
• Must be able to have contact with their children
• Must have caregiver consent
• Successfully completed and/or in a parenting
  program
• Children must be between the ages of 0-17
• Sincere desire to have a relationship with child
• Child/Family/Caregiver are located in close
  proximity to one of the Community Partnerships

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Process

• Case Managers (CM) or Activities Coordinator (AC)
  refer offender to pilot
• Case Manager through a Project Coordinator
  communicates to Community Partnership about
  referral triggers contact to family
• Assessment of child/parent relationship
• Target involvement in appropriate Prison Program
  or other type of contact with child
• Feedback given to CM or AC

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Prison Program Component

• AC or CM offers offender options for Program
  involvement to establish regular contact with
  child
• Story Link Program for cold contacts and
  regular monthly communication, Messages for
  special occasions, Virtual Visits for working
  with barrier issues, etc.
• Enrollment facilitated by Program Volunteers

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Community Partnership Component

• Receives notification of offender entry into
  pilot
• Partnership makes contact with caregiver
• Work to identify needs of child and/or caregiver
• For Example Mentors, Counseling, Extracurricular
  Positive Peers, Literacy Tools, Academic
  Supports, Caregiver Supports, Transportation,
  Physical Needs, Health Needs, Mental Health Needs
• Assessment of Child/Parent relationship

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Community Partnership Component

• Develop Team (Circles, Family Support Team
  models)
• Partnership Assessment Tool Developed
• Develop Plan for Success
• Action Steps and Outcomes
• Communication back to Case Manager (DOC)

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Prison Program and Community Partnerships in Pilot

• Prison Programs
• Story Link Program
• Messages
• Virtual Visitation
• Community Partnerships
• 21 throughout State of MO
• Selected by proximity to child/caregiver

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Evaluation

• Research work of Virginia regarding Messages
  Evaluation
• Determine process for evaluation MO Pilot
• Implement evaluation

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MODOC PARTNERS WITH DIVISION OF WORKFORCE
DEVELOPMENT
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PURPOSE

• Improve public safety
• Reduce recidivism
• Enhance offender employment opportunities

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• LACK OF GAINFUL EMPLOYMENT IS THE 1 PREDICTOR OF
  REOFFENDING.

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SERVICES PROVIDED

• Informational pamphlets provided
• Monthly Career Center 101 presentations
• Assistance in registering into Career Source
  utilizing Kiosk device
• Career Center referral
• Information noted in TAP
• Job Fairs

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CAREERS 101

• What to expect at the local Career Center
• Free services offered
• Interviewing skills/panels
• Soft skills/How do I look?
• GAP Letter
• Answering the Felony Question

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DWD KIOSK

• Stand alone terminal
• 29 devices in 23 institutions
• Only limited access is permitted with Missouri
  Career Source site
• i.e. registration/job search

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CAREER CENTER REFERRALS

• Case manager meets with offender
• Review employment history
• Register in Mo Career Source
• Make appointment at local Career Center
• Enter information in TAP
• Ensure offender has final copy of TAP when
  released

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JOB FAIRS

• Held annually/bi-annually
• Prospective employment, housing, faith-based
  agencies
• Higher education organizations

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Big Brothers Big Sisters
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Memorandum of Understanding

• .

Building partnerships throughout Missouri to
serve and assist children affected by
incarceration.
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Amachi Program

• Who knows but what GOD has brought us through
  this child

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• Our partnership links the children of
  incarcerated offenders with adult role-models and
  the opportunity to build meaningful
  relationships.

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• Initial referral process begins at each of the 5
  state diagnostic centers.
• A recruitment/referral video is being produced
  to enhance referral from the main line
  institutions.

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• BBBS have worked close with the Department in
  training our staff, providing necessary forms and
  reports and coproduction of the video.

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Restorative Justice
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The emphasis is on restoration restoration of
victims, restoration of the communities, and
restoration of the offenders.

• The mission of the Restorative Justice program is
  to hold offenders accountable and provide a means
  for them to repay their debt to the victim and
  the community.

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What is Restorative Justice?

• Restorative Justice is a way of viewing,
  understanding and responding to crime and the
  effects it has on victims, communities and
  offenders. Crime is recognized as harm done to a
  person(s) and/or community and the aim of justice
  is to promote understanding, accountability and
  healing.

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Restorative Justice within MDOC

• Restorative Justice can only be achieved by the
  combined efforts of victims concerned citizens
  federal, state and local governments along with
  non-profit agencies.
• Restorative Justice activities are taking place
  in every institution, Probation and Parole
  offices and communities throughout the state.

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Restorative Justice Activities

• The Department encourages offenders to reflect
  on the harm caused by their criminal behavior
  through participation in reparative activities.
• Each offender is given the opportunity to
  participate in reparative activities while
  incarcerated.
• The next few slides you will see some examples
  of the types of reparative activities that are
  taking place within the Department.

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Restorative Justice Activities

• Again, this is just a small way for offenders to
  repair the harm they have caused to their
  communities.
• All activities/products that are made are used
  with donated or scrap materials, such as yarn,
  paper, markers, fabric, wood, etc. Offenders
  also donate their own money in order to buy
  supplies to be used for these projects if they
  are not donated.

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• Female offenders produce quilts at Chillicothe
  Correctional Center.

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Wooden toy boxes produced by male offenders at
TCC.
Wooden toys built at WMCC.
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Gardens are tended to grow produce for low income
families and given to area shelters, food banks,
nursing homes, etc...
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Doll cradles built by offenders at WMCC.
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Personal transportation devices built for those
injured by land mines at MCC.
Offenders at JCCC make quilts.
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Impact of Crime on Victims Class (ICVC)

• Currently our population is approximately 30,000
  with 98 of that population going home. We do
  not want them to return back to the communities
  how they left. One of the most important
  restorative justice practices we offer in our
  institutions and in our Probation Parole
  offices is the Impact of Crime on Victims Class
  (ICVC) curriculum.

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Impact of Crime on Victims Class (ICVC)

• ICVC is a victim-driven program offered by the
  Missouri Department of Corrections for the
  purpose of bringing offenders face to face with
  the harm they have caused their victims, victims
  families, their own families and society in
  general.

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Impact of Crime on Victims Class (ICVC)

• The 40-hour curriculum provides victims with a
  safe and structured environment to talk about the
  impact of crime on their lives. Classes help
  offenders develop a sensitivity toward victims
  and help prevent further victimization.
• Offenders are expected to develop respect for
  the rights of others and to be held accountable
  for their behavior.

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The curriculum consists of ten chapters
The ICVC curriculum consists of the following

• Chapter 1 Child Abuse
• Chapter 2 Domestic Abuse
• Chapter 3 Drunk Driving
• Chapter 4 Substance Abuse
• Chapter 5 Robbery Property Crimes
• Chapter 6 Hate/Bias/Elderly Abuse/Gangs
• Chapter 7 Assault
• Chapter 8 Sexual Assault
• Chapter 9 Homicide
• Chapter 10 Restorative Justice

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What is the most important concept of ICVC?

• Accountability
• Many offenders move through the system making
  excuses for their behavior. One of the keys to
  living a responsible life is to admit and accept
  responsibility for ones actions.
• This admission is, many times, the starting
  point for the recovery process.

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Victim/Offender Dialogue

• In December 2007 the Department implement the
  Victim/Offender Dialogue program in where if a
  victim asks to speak to their offender directly
  and if the offenders agrees, we are preparing
  those individuals for that to happen. Some of
  the main reasons why victims initiate dialogue
  are to ask why what happened forgive/offer
  forgiveness get healing communicate crimes
  impact ask other questions to see if offender
  is sorry and has taken accountability.
• Currently we have about twenty victims who wish
  to start the process.

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Victim/Offender Dialogue

• Since 2007 we have completed 10 cases and I can
  tell you they were the most impactful and
  meaningful events I have ever been through in my
  career.
• For the victims that were involved in those
  cases they found a way to move forward in their
  lives. The process helped them move from being a
  victim to a survivor.

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Victim/Offender Dialogue

• Research has shown that the outcomes of
  victim/offender dialogue have
• Increased victim satisfaction
• Increased offender satisfaction
• Decreased and less severe recidivism
• Increased restitution

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Circles for Transformation

• With the help of community support we have been
  able to implement Circles for Transformation in
  the Transitional Housing Unit in Chillicothe
  Correctional Center (female institution). This is
  based upon the circle process and helps the women
  offenders
• 1) Process reentry concerns
• 2) Gain support in addressing those concerns

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Circles for Transformation
3) Experience positive communication skills 4)
Make initial plans for stable reentry into family
and community life and 5) Explore support
systems that can enable a successful reentry.
This process has had a huge impact on our female
population at Chillicothe Correctional Center and
it is our hope to bring this process to every
transitional housing unit across the state in
order to help deal with reentry issues.
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Mental Health

• Individuals in prison who have a mental illness
  tend to have longer criminal histories involving
  violent offenses.
• Are more likely to have a history of
  homelessness, and
• Physical abuse
• Historically, mentally ill offenders were
  discharged from prison without the means to pay
  for mental health services and medications

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Missouri data reflects

• Approximately 4500 offenders with chronic mental
  illness are incarcerated
• Missouri releases approximately 2000 offenders
  each year with moderate to severe mental health
  needs

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What is Missouri doing to address this problem?

• Establish discharge planning procedure
• Staff assists chronic and persistent mentally ill
  offenders in applying for Medicaid prior to
  release.
• Mental Health staff work with community mental
  health agents to schedule appointments prior to
  the offenders release.
• Through intervention fee funds, offenders receive
  case management, assessment, psychiatric services
  and medication upon release.
• Offenders are released with a 30 day supply of
  medication.

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Identification Documents.

• Identification documents directly impacts the
  offenders ability to
• Obtain employment
• Apply for benefits
• Rent an apartment or obtain stable housing

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What is Missouri doing to address this issue?

• Social Security Cards
• Memorandum of Understanding
• Staff assist offenders in applying for
  replacement Social Security Cards

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• Missouri Birth Certificates
• Memorandum of Understanding
• Payment assistance through intervention fee funds
• Received within five working days

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• Out of State Birth Certificates
• Working with all states to assist offenders with
  obtaining out of state birth certificates
• Application process was developed outlining
  supportive documents needed
• Payment assistance through intervention fee funds

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• State Identification
• Memorandum of Understanding
• Department of Revenue state identification
  equipment in all institutions
• Payment assistance through intervention fee funds
• Received within five days

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• You could have the best bunch of individual
  players in the world, but if they dont play like
  a team, they wont be worth a dime.
  - Babe Ruth