A plan that taps criminals to help pay the cost of their court-ordered supervision was approved Tuesday by Saline County commissioners. The 28th District Community Corrections is reimbursed for various services it provides offenders it supervises, such as drug testing and program fees. Each year, Community Corrections must submit a plan to the Kansas Department of Corrections, approved by county commissions in Saline and Ottawa counties. The two counties make up the 28th Judicial District. News from the Saline Journal.

Ottawa County commissioners have already approved the request, Community Corrections director Annie Grevas told commissioners.

“The reason we collect reimbursement dollars is so we can afford to provide more services,” Grevas told commissioners.

The reimbursement account totals $268,419.92. Community Corrections typically spends between $50,000 and $60,000 annually from the account to supplement its operating budget.

Extra dollars from the account will pay for employee overtime, gasoline and transportation costs, staff training, drug testing offenders and other client services, Grevas said.

Commissioners on Tuesday also approved a request to transfer funds within the agency’s 2010 budget. The funds, totaling $33,587.96, were left over from salary and benefits not paid due to the county’s salary freeze and lower-than-anticipated insurance costs.

The fund transfer will cover the cost of updating computer equipment, offender drug testing supplies and office expenses, Grevas said.

Both the reimbursement budget and fund transfer request are to be forwarded to the Kansas Department of Corrections for approval before they can take effect.

Grevas also spoke to the commission about the agency’s fiscal year-end report to the corrections department on outcomes from its offender intervention programs.

The agency exceeded its goal of reducing by 20 percent the number of offenders in fiscal 2006 who were revoked and sent to prison for violating the terms of their supervision. The 2006 number was a benchmark set for community corrections agencies by state lawmakers, Grevas said. That year there were 90 offenders revoked by her agency. For fiscal 2010, which ended June 30, there were 56 offenders revoked, a reduction of about 38 percent.

jchev Community Corrections, KS Saline County

State prison inmates trying to earn parole, many of them with alcohol and drug abuse backgrounds, face a shortage of treatment programs they need to attend as a condition of being set free. Alan Coburn, a member of the Adult Parole Board, told a committee studying parole issues yesterday that because treatment options are few, many inmates ready for release remain behind bars for up to a year while they wait their turn. Story in the Union Leader.

Substance abuse treatment and mental health counseling are considered keys to the success of a new state plan to move inmates out of prison more quickly, and focus corrections costs on the most dangerous inmates in custody.

The majority of state prison inmates have drug or alcohol problems, studies have shown. Coburn said demand for treatment upon release is so great that if beds were to double at the Tirrell House he oversees in Manchester, “those beds would be full tomorrow.” The number of treatment facilities around the state has steadily eroded over the past decade, complicating parole decisions, Coburn said.

“In many cases, we feel if we do release them before treatment, they’ll never make it to the program because they’ll relapse while they’re outside waiting,” he said.

The study committee on parole practices was established by the Legislature before it passed the more comprehensive Justice Reinvestment Act. The act is meant to cut what the state spends on corrections facilities. It will allow most non-violent inmates to be paroled after they serve 120 percent of their minimum sentence. They will be expected to stick to counseling sessions and other requirements spelled out in the conditions of their parole, or face a guaranteed 90-day return trip to prison.

The bill was supported by Gov. John Lynch, corrections officials, Supreme Court Chief Justice John Broderick and Attorney General Michael Delaney. Parole officers opposed the bill, saying their workload is already so high they will be unable to keep up with the increased number of parolees.

John Eckert, executive assistant to the Adult Parole Board, said that records from the Corrections department show that more inmates are being sent to prison for new offenses, not parole violations on things like alcohol abuse of moving without notifying parole officers.

Between September 2009 and March 2010, he said, roughly 60 percent of inmates were committed on new criminal activity, about double what had been the case until recently.

Eckert said he disagrees with statements made at an earlier committee meeting that it is difficult for inmates to win parole.

“We parole at least three-quarters of the people we see, which nationally is about the highest,” Eckert said. “I’ve had a consultant come in and say, ‘Wow. That’s awfully high.’/” It is common for parole to be approved, but for an inmate to linger behind bars waiting for treatment or trying to arrange for a job or rental housing, Eckert said.

Joseph Diament, who heads the new community corrections division at the Department of Corrections, said after the hearing that treatment facilities that closed did so because of low reimbursement from private insurers, not because of state budget cuts.

Diament said the state is taking bids from companies that would set up a series of state operated counseling centers to support parolees and probationers. The centers would be operated through a $900,000 federal grant.

jchev Community Corrections, Drug Treatment & Diversion, Inmate Programs

State officials say it will be a while before the Swannanoa Valley Youth Development Center sees a new facility. “We thought about building a new facility, and then the economy went south, and we lost all our funding,” William Lassiter, spokesperson for the N.C. Department of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, said. Reported in the Black Mountain News.

The center still needs to be either replaced or upgraded to bring it up to modern standards, but Lassiter doesn’t see that happening “for at least two or three years.” The most recent state budget has the facility remaining in its current home for this fiscal year, which ends June 30, 2011.

When a move or upgrade does finally happen, Lassiter said the department would prefer to keep the site in Buncombe County. The department needs a facility in Western North Carolina to keep inmates close to their families, and the county is seen as the hub of the region, he said.

It’s also possible a new facility could be in the Swannanoa Valley.

“It might be right there on campus, or it might be a couple miles down the road,” he said.

Either way, he said, the department will work with current employees to find them employment at a new youth center or elsewhere.

Some employees of the youth center could potentially move to the Swannanoa Correctional Center for Women, which opened at the youth center campus in July 2008. When construction finishes in September, the women’s prison will house 356 inmates.

That’s a substantial increase from the 90 inmates housed at the old women’s prison off North Fork Road.

The old women’s prison was converted into the Black Mountain Women’s Susbtance Abuse Treatment Center, which opened in April this year and celebrated a grand opening last month.

In an interview at the grand opening, Jennie Patterson, the chief deputy secretary of North Carolina’s Department of Corrections said workers at the Swannanoa Valley Youth Development Center would be given priority employment rights for openings at the Swannanoa Correctional Center for Women.

State laws require state employees be given priority for open state employment positions, and also requires departments to help employees when a branch or facility is closed, she said.

“I really think there’s no reason to be worried about jobs,” Patterson said.

jchev Community Corrections, Economic Issues, Juvenile Justice, North Carolina

Using federal and state funds, Madera County opened the Madera County Core Day Reporting Program on Aug. 9 for medium- to high-risk probationers released to community supervision. The Core Day Reporting Program includes an affordable and collaborative approach to holding offenders accountable when they are released to community supervision, classes to change criminal behavior, and links to other services in an effort to reduce costly recidivism and overcrowding at local and state facilities. Press release on PR Web.

The program is managed by the Madera Probation Department’s Adult Services Division. The department selected BI Incorporated, a national community corrections firm, to operate the Core Day Reporting Program. BI has worked with the county for years to supply electronic monitoring equipment and services, and BI operates day reporting programs throughout California. Officials say they selected BI because it has a good history working with the Probation Department and because BI operates similar day reporting programs successfully in other jurisdictions. The Probation Department has dedicated one officer to work collaboratively with the BI Case Manager to assist with the supervision and implementation of rehabilitative strategies to help probationers succeed in the Day Reporting Program.

A key component of the program is the use of cognitive-behavioral therapy, which is administered by BI staff. In addition, BI oversees additional services through partner organizations in the community. Up to 30 probationers will participate in the program at one time, and each will move through three phases:

• An assessment and planning phase that includes reviewing criminogenic risk and needs and developing a behavior change plan for each participant.
• A treatment phase that includes weekly cognitive skills training classes that focus on changing criminal behavior, one-on-one case management, and referrals to community-based resources for issues such as substance abuse.
• An Aftercare component that includes relapse prevention elements, periodic check-ins with the case manager, and a long-term plan for succeeding in the community.

The program is located at 14241 Road 28 in Madera. Offenders attend this program for up to 180 days. Failure to comply with rules and guidelines of the program results in increased sanctions such as restricted curfews, additional classes, more frequent reporting, house arrest or re-incarceration.

Initial funding for this program is supplied by the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. Additional funding for the program comes from the California Community Corrections Performance Incentives Act of 2009, which encourages county probation departments to establish evidence-based programs—those proven to work in correctional settings—to reduce prison incarceration levels. The BI day reporting model includes use of Moral Reconation Therapy, a cognitive behavioral therapy program proven effective in more than 100 studies.

jchev CA Madera County, Community Corrections

A Hillman Street center for juvenile offenders, slated for closing last month but then given an at-least-temporary reprieve by the state, remained empty last week, leaving its staff concerned about the program’s status.

“Our concern is really about the facts on the ground right now,” said Andy Pond, president of Justice Resource Institute Inc., which contracts with the state to run the New Bedford center and a second center in Boston. “We’re not serving kids right now.” News reported in South Coast Today.

The New Bedford and Boston programs are two of four Juvenile Resource Centers across the state that provide direct supervision and clinical services to adolescent boys sentenced there from the juvenile court system or the state Department of Youth Services. The others are located in Brockton and Worcester.

Program officials were informed last month that they would be closed down by Sept. 30 at the latest due to budget constraints.

However, the state changed course a week later, stating that an assessment of the operations of the state Office of Community Corrections, under which the centers sit, would be conducted before any programming decisions were made.

“The message from (Probation) Acting Commissioner (Ronald) Corbett … is: open pending a serious review,” said Pond. “But what we’re experiencing doesn’t seem to be congruent with that.”

All of the adolescents enrolled at the New Bedford center when initial word to close came down have been reassigned elsewhere despite the state’s change in position, according to Pond.

The center has been told it will continue to receive new referrals, but no boys have been sent to the New Bedford program recently, leaving it empty as of Wednesday afternoon, said Pond.

According to Patricia Horne, deputy director of operations for the Office of Community Corrections, the adolescents enrolled at the New Bedford center were brought back to court for new assignments after it was announced the future of the centers might be in jeopardy due to budget concerns.

Horne did not provide a direct answer when asked why the boys who were discharged from the New Bedford center in the wake of the initial closure announcement have not been re-enrolled at the center.

According to Horne, the Suffolk County center has 13 boys enrolled, the Brockton center has six boys, and the Worcester program has 15 participants. There are no adolescents enrolled in New Bedford. The programs have a maximum capacity of about 25 participants.

Meanwhile, the Boston and New Bedford centers are still fully staffed, according to Pond.

“I know in New Bedford, they’re actually painting the office, just trying to do something to feel that their situation is worthwhile,” he said.

Pond said the messages he has received from the state have reassured him as to its commitment to conduct a serious review and not to act precipitously. However, he said, there is a gap between what he’s hearing from the state and what he’s seeing happen at the centers.

“I think the lack of clarity has been part of the challenge,” said Pond.

Horne said programming decisions will be made based on the review of the fiscal 2011 budget deficit and its effect on the probation and community corrections departments; once the review is complete, the status of future placements in the juvenile centers will be more clear, according to Horne.

The departments “want to minimize disruption in the educational placements for the young men who were being served by the centers, since decisions may not be finalized before the beginning of the school year,” she wrote in an e-mail.

While the JRI staff are, obviously, concerned about their jobs, Pond said they are also very worried about the adolescents they are committed to helping.

“This is one of our favorite programs because it really pulls together such a great combination of services,” he said. “It isn’t just keeping kids off the street. It’s really aiming kids in a new direction.”

jchev Community Corrections, Juvenile Justice, MA Bristol County

In a cost-cutting move, the Oklahoma Department of Corrections is eliminating some of its community-level beds in Tulsa. The agency has canceled a contract with Avalon Correctional Services for beds to house offenders put on public works crews in Tulsa, department Director Justin Jones said. The offenders are being moved to other facilities. Story reported in Tulsa World.

Avalon President Brian Costello said the contract involves about 75 offenders. With those beds empty, the company will have trouble keeping its building open, he said.

“We are exploring some options to try to find a different population to go in there. It doesn’t look promising,” Costello said.

Jones said the state inmates should be out of Avalon’s building at 1727 Charles Page Blvd. by about Sept. 1. The department also closed the Muskogee Community Corrections Center effective Aug. 1, Jones said. It had about 87 beds. Those offenders were moved to centers in Mangum and Healdton and to vacant halfway houses.

“What we are doing now is looking at where we can add beds at existing facilities so we might have the possibility of consolidation,” Jones said.

Community level is considered to be less than minimum security. The closures in Tulsa and Muskogee are among a number of cost-cutting measures by the department, Jones said, adding that they will save about $2 million. More closures could be on the horizon, he said. Other cost-cutting measures include employee furloughs, voluntary buyouts and program cuts.

The Department of Corrections’ budget for fiscal year 2011 is $462 million, down from $503 million in 2010. The agency is seeking a supplemental appropriation of up to $40 million, Jones said. At a time when the department has less money available, the state’s inmate population is growing.

The department had a net offender growth of 721 inmates in the last fiscal year, Jones said. The agency is furloughing employees one day a month from July through February.

“DOC employees are furloughing to pay for net offender growth and unfunded mandates,” Jones said.

“So, if we don’t get a supplemental in February, the message to our employees would be that they are expected to take pay cuts to pay for net offender growth.”

The Oklahoma Public Employees Association is calling on legislative leaders to come to an agreement about the supplemental funding.

“This would allow Director Jones to stop the furloughs, which are crushing the morale of our public safety employees,” said Sterling Zearley, the OPEA’s executive director.

jchev Community Corrections, Economic Issues, Oklahoma

A work release program that would allow some defendants to go to jobs during the day and bunk at the county jail at night could become part of Morgan County Community Corrections. Parents delinquent in child support would be a target group. During a meeting Tuesday, Circuit Judge Glenn Thompson presented the idea to the Community Corrections/Court Services Commission. Report fro the Decatur Daily.

Thompson, who presides over drug court, a component of community corrections, proposed that work release become the program’s second phase.

“Right now, at sentencing we have probation, or the state Department of Corrections (prison) or community corrections with drug testing and supervision,” Thompson said of options. “I’d like to see us have a work release program that would allow defendants to work, and they would pay for their stay in the county jail.”

Thompson used as an example defendants in jail for non-payment of child support. He said they could work and pay child support. They would be part of the work force by day and inmates by night. Thirty-two inmates are in the county jail for failing to pay child support, according to a court official.

County Commission Chairman John Glasscock, who also chairs the corrections commission, expressed concern about the jail’s population.

Circuit Clerk John Pat Orr, a member of the commission, said eventually a work release program would lower the jail population because work release inmates would cycle out. Thompson said he realizes that housing would likely be an issue and funding is needed.

Community Corrections Director Kim Thurston said an official with the state Department of Corrections informed her that money is available for local work-release programs. In a work-release program, 25 percent of an inmate’s pay would go to the state and pay for his stay at the county jail.

Commission member Circuit Judge Steve Haddock said work release would be a useful option as long as community corrections would not have the task of finding jobs for inmates.

Thompson said defendants would be required to have jobs before entering work release.

Thurston said work release is a part of Madison County Community Corrections and it works well. “I think it’s a natural progression to the agency,” she said. “We have a captive audience.”

Inmates in jail for violent or serious crimes would not be eligible for work release.

Thompson said he learned at a national conference that drugs and alcohol addiction are the culprits behind overcrowded prisons and he agreed. “If we didn’t have people addicted to drugs and alcohol, we wouldn’t have that many people in jail,” Thompson said. Also, he said state prisons are so overpopulated that inmates are being released early.

“Everybody we send through the front door, they send out the back door,” said Thompson. “We got notice one guy that was sent to prison for 20 years got out in one year.”

Others agreed with Thompson that community corrections has proven to be a viable alternative to sentencing in Morgan and as it grows fewer inmates would go to prison. Thompson, District Judge Shelly Waters and Thurston will be a committee to seek information about other work release programs in the state and report their findings.

Also, during Tuesday’s meeting the commission approved Thurston’s fiscal 2011 budget, which is $447,000.

The County Commission started the program under a federal court order in 2006 with $50,000. Today, under Thurston’s leadership, the program is self-sustaining on fees collected from participants and state funding. The program had no more than 40 participants when it started four years ago. It now has 1,228.

jchev AL Morgan County, Community Corrections, Work Release

California parole officials, stung by recent high-profile failures in the system, said Tuesday they are beginning to test more intensive monitoring of parolees in four counties as the first step in a five-year plan to improve supervision of high-risk offenders. News from the Orange County Register.

Selected parole agents in Kern, Los Angeles, San Bernardino and Sonoma counties this week began supervising 48 parolees, down from the usual 70 offenders, said Robert Ambroselli, director of adult parole for the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.

The lower caseloads will increase the amount of attention agents can devote to each parolee, he said.

The new policy being tested in the four counties requires agents to meet with parolees and their family members, drug counselors and prospective employers or job-training agencies to develop individual goals.

Parolees who meet their goals may be rewarded by having to undergo drug tests, searches of their homes and intensive interviews with relatives once every other month instead of at least monthly, Ambroselli said in an interview. They can also qualify to end their parole after a year instead of the typical three years.

Experts had recommended the state dump its old system in which overworked agents often conducted cursory home visits, drug tests or brief conversations with parolees or family members.

Agents and their supervisors will also get more training. The department is hiring nearly 440 new agents, and hiring more supervisors to reduce the number of agents each must oversee.

The change is one benefit from a law that took effect in January that ended parole supervision for ex-convicts who were convicted of lesser crimes or are considered to be less dangerous.

The law was projected to save $200 million in its first year in part by reducing the number of parolees returned to prison for violations. Half the savings is going back into increased supervision of parolees considered to be higher risk, and to catch parole violators.

Sex offenders will not be included in the new policy until a task force makes its recommendations later this year. The task force was convened after agents failed to discover that a convicted sex offender was allegedly keeping Jaycee Dugard hidden at his Contra Costa County home for 18 years. They also elected not to revoke the parole of a convicted child molester who later pleaded guilty to killing two San Diego County teenagers.

jchev California, Community Corrections, Parole

Community, Counseling and Correctional Services Inc., in partnership with the Montana Department of Corrections, opened a new revocation and sanction center near Anaconda on Tuesday. The $12.3 million facility will allow the Sanction, Treatment, Assessment, Revocation and Treatment (START) program to move from its temporary quarters in an aging building at Warm Springs where it operated since opening as a pilot project in December 2005. CCCS, which has operated the program since it began, offered the only qualifying bid for permanent operation of the program in 2008. Press release from the Montana DOC.

Gov. Brian Schweitzer, who has been a strong advocate for the program since its inception, was among those attending the grand opening of the 40,000 square-foot facility. The building, located on land that CCCS purchased from Atlantic Richfield, will house 118 offenders, 30 more than START could accommodate at its original location. Ten of the additional beds will be reserved for offenders with mental illness.

Managed under the department’s Adult Community Corrections Division, START is designed to divert from prison those male offenders who violate conditions of their community placements. The goal of the program is to provide a sense of incarceration, coupled with assessment and treatment of offenders’ needs, to help them get back on track and return successfully to their communities.

This program monitors and assesses offenders, and offers chemical dependency evaluations and treatment by licensed addiction counselors. After assessments are completed, the staff screens offenders for placement at appropriate community corrections programs. If an assessment determines prison is the most appropriate option, the offender is transferred there.

Since it opened, START has diverted from prison more than 1,500 offenders admitted to the program and returned them to community placements. That 75 percent diversion rate is part of the reason that prison admissions in Montana dropped 12.5 percent in the first two fiscal years that START operated. The prison population has grown just 1.7 percent in the 3½ years since START began.

“We always considered the original site as temporary and that, once START demonstrated it is an effective diversion program, we would move it to a more efficient, updated facility,” said Pam Bunke, administrator of the Community Corrections Division. “START is the kind of program every corrections system needs because it benefits offenders and helps those of responsible for running that system.”

Offenders will move from the old facility early next month. START will have a staff of 55 when operating at capacity, with an annual payroll and benefits of $2 million.

Mike Ferriter, Department of Corrections director, said START has become an integral part of the corrections system in Montana and has proven itself to be an invaluable asset in helping manage 80 percent of Montana offenders outside of prison.

“I am sure that many of you recognize that managing prison population consumes much of the time and energy of corrections directors across the country. Due to the innovation of programs like START, our prison population today is manageable, which allows us to operate our secure facilities at safe and acceptable levels,” he said at the grand opening.

“This is the kind of pioneering program that Montanans expect their government to use in protecting public safety, helping offenders turn their lives around and making the most efficient use of taxpayer money,” he said.

Mike Thatcher, chief executive officer of the Butte-based CCCS, described START as “an incredible public-private partnership between CCCS, Gov. Schweitzer and his administration, the Montana Department of Corrections, the Legislature, Atlantic Richfield, Anaconda-Deer Lodge County officials and the entire Anaconda community.”

“The collaboration and cooperation between all parties is demonstrative of what we can accomplish, when we all work together as a team,” he said. “The START program has allowed many offenders to be returned to their community placements timely, and allows offenders to maintain employment, continue treatment and programming, and provide financial support to their own families, thereby removing the fiscal burden from the Montana’s taxpayers.”

jchev Community Corrections, Montana

Community corrections programs across the state are getting more than $5 million from state coffers.News from the Charleston Daily Mail.

Gov. Joe Manchin’s office says the money will help communities set up and operate corrections programs that give judges a sentencing option besides jail.

Grants are going to 22 programs serving counties from the Eastern Panhandle to Mason County and Hancock County to the southern coalfields counties of Logan, Mingo, Boone and Lincoln.

Manchin announced the grants Tuesday.

jchev Community Corrections, Grants, West Virginia

State parole officials are scaling back oversight for thousands of felons, bumping them to supervision levels that require nothing more than mail-in forms — or even a new level that includes no formal supervision at all.  News, with more images, from the Union Tribune.

California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation officials say they reduce oversight only for nonviolent and low-risk criminals as the agency pushes forward with an overhaul.

“There is no policy direction to the field to systematically reduce supervision levels,” said Scott Kernan, the corrections undersecretary who oversees parole. “We have to manage our caseloads. We cannot have parole agents having artificially high caseloads.”

But interviews, data and internal documents collected by The San Diego Union-Tribune over two months point to a methodical effort to cut costs and ease prison overcrowding. Fewer parolees, on lower supervision, mean fewer tickets back to prison for criminals who won’t fit there.

“They don’t want parolees back before the parole board to be returned to prison,” said Harriet Salarno of Crime Victims United, an advocacy group suing the department over its release policies. “This is all about reducing the prison population.”

The department’s numbers reflect the trend. Between April 2007 and April 2010, the parolee population fell about 10 percent overall. The number on “high control” supervision fell 13 percent, and the medium supervision level fell 22 percent. But the lowest supervision level grew 16 percent.

The prison system has come under increased scrutiny since convicted sex offender John Albert Gardner III was paroled and then went on to kill Amber Dubois, 14, of Escondido and Chelsea King, 17, of Poway.

Apart from Gardner’s, the newspaper reviewed dozens of cases where serious and violent offenders were assigned low or infrequent supervision, only to commit new assaults, robberies or murders.

Need to reclassify
Early last year, a state parole administrator congratulated his Los Angeles staff for easing agent caseloads, including downgrading five high-control criminals so they had to see an agent only once every two months.

“I wanted to point out that your supervisors reduced more than 130 cases in your district,” then-deputy parole director Robert Ambroselli wrote. “Please convey our sincere appreciation to your supervisors for their very hard work and their willingness to get things done. GREAT JOB!!!”

The e-mail was forwarded to supervisors by Vincent Thompson, then a district administrator. “Review the e-mail from Mr. Ambroselli,” he wrote. “You need to reclassify cases to bring relief to the agents in the district.”

Relief in the form of new parole agents is slow to come amid the state budget crisis. So the state manages agent caseloads by weighing parolees on a point scale. Lower supervision levels are assigned lower points, allowing agents to take on more cases.

Corrections officials deny that Ambroselli’s memo about “workload point reduction statistics” shows an effort to reduce supervision levels. They say it had to do with routine case reviews to make sure parolees were monitored at the correct level — whether lower or higher.

Ambroselli said the e-mail was not his only communication with the staff. “I told them specifically, ‘This is not an attempt to get somebody to lower points just to lower points,’ ” he said.

But internal records show that controlling expenses by reducing parolee supervision levels has been a consideration of top Division of Adult Parole Operations officials for years.

Regional administrator Mark Epstein wrote to his Los Angeles subordinates in 2005 about agent overtime and other implications of failing to move parolees to lower supervision levels. For instance, at the minimum supervision or MS level, parolees mail in a monthly form, with no requirement to see their parole agent.

“These numbers are disturbing for a number of reasons,” Epstein wrote. “Units with MS levels below the regional or divisional averages may be contributing to excessive workload/points.”

The memo spells out optimal workloads, including a guideline that no more than 15 percent of parolees be on the top supervision level.

“That’s a fair percentage,” Ambroselli said, discussing the goals set in the memo. “It’s like a gas gauge — when it gets to a quarter-tank, you should begin to look for fuel for your vehicle.”
State Task force report: “Parole Reform in California”

“The costs associated with parolees’ return to the state prison system are staggering, estimated to be $900 million a year in California. Perhaps even more important is the non-financial costs related to parolee failure: increased victimization.”

A year ago, the state agreed to pay $900,000 to settle a lawsuit filed by former parole supervisor Rebecca Hernandez. She claimed she was discriminated against because of her unwillingness to keep down overtime by lowering supervision to levels that would be dangerous for the community.

“They made it a competition between supervisors,” said Hernandez, who retired in January as a supervisor in Huntington Park. “They wanted 29 percent of the cases on minimum supervision. They told me, ‘You’re only at 9 percent. You need to work harder to get people on mail-in status.’ ”

At the time Ambroselli wrote the congratulatory memo to the Los Angeles staff, he was deputy director of state parole. Since then, he has been promoted to director of the division. He also was given a significant raise that pushed his salary to just under $150,000. Including the new category of unsupervised parole, the department now has 29 percent of its parolees on minimal supervision, up from 21 percent in 2007.

New crime victims
Less supervision of parolees can translate to more crimes and more victims, department records indicate. The Union-Tribune obtained hundreds of pages of parole documents, including dozens of daily reports that summarize parolee crimes committed the prior day. The daily briefings offer accounts of homicides, rapes, assaults and parolees fleeing police.

The reports include “face sheets” of parolees listing their supervision status at the time of the incident. Although the reports do not indicate previous supervision levels, retired agents say these kinds of cases indicate mistakes in classification — probably brought on by pressure to have lower caseload points.

“In an attempt to reduce costs, they are reducing parole classifications so agents don’t have to provide supervision,” said retired agent Caroline Aguirre, who has made a second career of holding the department more accountable since she retired in late 2007. “This way you don’t discover violations and you don’t have to return them to custody.”

Last year, Los Angeles police responding to a vandalism call at the Ramona Gardens housing project were fortunate to avoid being shot by a parolee under the medium supervision level, known as controlled service.

Oscar Velasquez was 20 when he went to prison for murder in 2002. Known as “Snake” in his Los Angeles gang, Velasquez was released in December 2008 and placed on controlled service, meaning he had to report to his parole agent once every two months.

When police confronted him for vandalizing the housing complex weeks after he was released from prison, he pulled a shotgun and began firing. As officers returned fire, he dropped the shotgun and ran. As police closed in, Velasquez began shooting again and was arrested. He is awaiting trial on charges of attempting to murder a police officer.

Another parolee on infrequent supervision, Donald Austin, is now facing an attempted-murder charge in the Central Valley’s Madera County. Austin was a five-term prisoner whose history included guns, drug abuse, evading arrest and hit-and-run. But he was on controlled service after being paroled in September on a burglary conviction.

In March, Austin was suspected of trying to kill a man by driving into the victim’s go-cart. The man was seriously injured; Austin got away.

He was sighted days later, but “the subject placed the car in reverse and drove full speed at the deputies,” a parole briefing states. “The deputies fired their weapons at the vehicle and a short pursuit ensued before the vehicle crashed.” Austin was captured and jailed last month.

Despite a violent past that includes arrests for kidnapping, assault and robbery, Charles Samuel was placed in a sober-living home on minimum supervision after his release from prison in February 2009.

Last summer, after getting a day pass, Samuel beat 17-year-old Lily Burk to death. Police found him hours later, wandering Skid Row with a drink in his hand and blood on his clothes.

In a Los Angeles courtroom Friday, he admitted he killed Burk and was sent back to prison for life. This time, he will never be eligible for parole.

“They’re being asked to manage an extraordinary number of people,” Barry Krisberg, a distinguished senior fellow at the University of California Berkeley Boalt Hall School of Law, said of the corrections system. “People get released who shouldn’t be released. Then you have people who should have been released but stay longer. The system can’t even manage the basics.

“We have to do something different, and part of that means being much more selective in who we’re going to invest tight supervision on and who we’re going to allow back into the community.”

jchev California, Community Corrections, Parole

The Casper City Council punted plans to allow a federal halfway house in downtown Casper in the face of stiff opposition from business and property owners. Western Alternative Corrections planned to bid on a federal contract to house 45 prisoners in a residential facility, providing transitional re-entry services to convicts from a building on the 200 block of North Wolcott Street. News from the Star-Tribune.

The question before the council was not whether to allow the facility — Western Alternative only needed a change to zoning rules to allow for a re-entry facility somewhere in the city limits. The property on Wolcott is zoned for business use, and there aren’t other areas in the city zoned to allow a re-entry facility.

The City Council could have accommodated the company — either by deciding whether the Old Yellowstone District zoning allowed for a re-entry facility or pushing an ordinance through with an emergency vote.

Western Alternative operates a similar facility in Hastings, Neb. In Casper, those services are provided by Community Alternatives of Casper, which provides re-entry services to federal, state and local prisoners in a 400-bed facility nine miles from downtown.

Bids for the federal contract are due in early June and require companies seeking the contract to obtain the proper building and zoning permission for wherever they want to locate. Any city zoning change that follows normal channels — approval at a planning and zoning meeting and three votes by the City Council — wouldn’t take effect until mid August.

“If we don’t already have a zone and it takes until August, it’s probably too late,” said Casper Mayor Bill Brauer. “It seems that’s where we are.”

The federal contract with CAC, which is set to expire in September, could be extended six months if the Federal Bureau of Prisons is in a “procurement process,” according to Kristin Brown, deputy chief of the Community Corrections and Detention Services branch of the Federal Bureau of Prisons.

Opposition
“My vision of downtown is bringing people in, living downtown, vibrancy and business and it doesn’t feel like a good fit,” said Ward 3 Councilwoman Kenyne Schlager, before asking Michelle Hultine, president of Western Alternative Corrections, what she thought of operating from a building on the Life Steps Campus about two miles from downtown.

“That would be marvelous — there are tremendous resources on that hill we could tie into,” she said. “I don’t think we’d be welcome neighbors out there either. You’re bringing in kids and the thought of having federal offenders there is not a good thing.”

“I’m imagining a big outcry if you come downtown,” said Ward 1 Councilwoman Kate Sarosy , directing her question to Hultine. “Did you run into that in Hastings and how did you counter that?”

Hultine said the company’s Hastings facility, located a few blocks from a hospital and across the street from a train station, hasn’t drawn the ire of local businesses.

Sarosy, Schlager and other council members received complaints Monday from business and property owners.

“I understand the need for these types of facilities; however I do not believe this will be an appropriate location. It definitely does not fit any type of marketing plan for downtown shoppers that I can think of,” Mike Stepp, president of Donnells Candies, wrote in an e-mail. ” …I think we should talk to our congressional delegation as well as City Council members as this appears to be something that the feds want to shove down our throats.”

Andrew and Lindsey Burgess also e-mailed the Ward 1 City Council members. “We believe that these facilities do play a critical role in the rehabilitation of prisoners however, we do not feel that downtown Casper is the proper place for them. We think that the council would be taking a step backward with the development of the downtown economy by placing this facility within city limits,” they wrote. “We hope that the council chooses not to support the request to rezone the building and encourages [WAC] to seek a less populated area for their facility.”

‘A very responsible company’
Hultine said during the meeting that residents of the facility would be free to come and go — there would be no bars on the doors or razor wire fencing. Leaving the facility without permission means a federal warrant, she said, which is a pretty strong incentive to convicts living halfway between prison and freedom.

“The nice thing about working with the Federal Bureau of Prisons is they’re extremely responsive. If someone messes up, there’s no grey area,” she said. “My residents have never been accused of robbery or other misgivings in Hastings.”

Hultine also said the people she houses pay 25 percent of their income for housing and are required to work. The hospital in Hastings has employed many of her residents, she said.

“They’re a very responsible company,” said Hastings Police Chief Larry Thoren. “It’s like any other group you deal with — periodically some problems do arise and they get addressed. We’ve had very few calls there.”

Moving forward
Opposition to facilities in Casper housing poor people or convicted criminals is not new. Earlier this year, Paradise Valley residents expressed outrage at the prospect of a church helping convicts in a residential neighborhood. Though the church had a legal right to the area, it opted to move out of the neighborhood shortly after a public meeting drew shouts from angry residents.

Opposition to the Wyoming National Apartments, a low-income housing complex in downtown Casper, was also fierce. The city voted 5-4 in November 2005 to sell the vacant building despite concerns about the building’s historical integrity and concerns about low-income families living downtown. City officials have since heaped praise on that building’s developer.

“I think the council needs to be aware of the evolving needs and be responsive when issues come up,” Schlager said. “My gut feeling is — I want more information and research and I want to know what the implications are of making some of these changes. I want to know how it fits into the long-term plan.”

City Attorney Bill Luben told the council that at some point it would have to carve a section of the zoning regulations to allow for a re-entry facility.

“You do need a place for them to go. If you don’t have a place for them to go, you inversely zoned them out of the community,” he said. “You ultimately need to establish a zone.”

jchev Community Corrections, Private Prisons, Wyoming

The Georgia Department of Corrections will create a cooperative venture in Macon to ease convicts back into society and turn them away from lives of crime, state officials said Wednesday. News from the Macon Telegraph.

The venture should launch within 60 days, said Joe Baden, who is coordinating the effort for the state agency. Four Macon police officers will be assigned to work in the new Community Impact Program, said Macon Deputy Police Chief Mike Carswell.

“Our folks are chomping at the bits. They’re ready to go,” Carswell said after a meeting in Atlanta to discuss programs for Macon and Columbus.

Baden said the state is negotiating for about 1,500 square feet of space behind the existing Day Reporting Center at 543 Second St. in Macon. The Macon Community Impact Program could later be expanded by another 3,000 square feet in the same building.

Initial partners could include the Georgia Department of Corrections, the Macon Police Department, River Edge Behavioral Health Center, Department of Juvenile Justice and state parole officers. River Edge hopes to get a grant to have counselors on staff, Baden said. Challenges for people leaving jail or prison often include poor education and life skills and problems finding jobs or housing.

Department of Corrections Commissioner Brian Owens said collaborative approaches ultimately can cut down on the number of crimes being committed, making people feel and be safer.

“The offenders are talking to each other. For a change, we’re talking, too,” Owens said.

But such changes require compromise. Macon police plan to shift the four officers out of the warrants division. The Bibb County Sheriff’s Office supports the concept but struggles to find enough staff for its regular duties, said Chief Deputy David Davis.

“Our issue right now is we’re just short-staffed all the way through,” Davis said.

Macon’s initial Community Impact Program will be modeled on an Atlanta program, which is modeled on a program in Savannah. A group called the Macon Re-Entry Coalition, led by state and federal probation officers with dozens of partners, has been pushing for a similar effort here.

Bibb County Commissioner Joe Allen said he would try to get more deputies. The county has offered the former Macon Baptist Association building to the Macon Re-Entry Coalition. The group initially asked for the former Virgil Powers School, which has been promised to a somewhat similar program being planned by Juvenile Court officials.

The Atlanta Community Impact Program has been running for about seven months. Atlanta police Sgt. Lamar Hester told Bibb County officials that partnerships brings deep benefits. Hester said police officers on patrol might see people lounging around houses, perhaps waiting to make drug deals, but don’t have probable cause to search the area. Probation officers can search the sleeping and common areas of people on probation but struggled to get police to follow up. Together, they’re more effective.

Hester said experience brings other benefits. Some probationers report their address as torn-down housing projects or use a trick from the “Blues Brothers” movie.

“Offenders give 755 Hank Aaron Drive,” he said. “That’s Turner Field. Our officers know that.”

The Macon area has about 5,200 people on probation. Stacy Rivera, chief probation officer for the Macon Judicial Circuit and a leader in the Macon Re-Entry Coalition, said collaboration is necessary to turn around lives of people leaving prisons.

“We know that we’ve got to address this re-entry problem, and it’s not something we can do by ourselves,” she said.

jchev Community Corrections, Georgia, Re-Entry

jchev California, Community Corrections, Parole

A new program implemented by the Isabella County Trial Court could turn around the lives of repeat offenders and reduce costs of housing inmates. Reported in The Morning Sun.

An intensive probation program, outlined by Chief Judge Paul Chamberlain to members of the county’s community corrections advisory board, is geared toward encouraging probationers for good behavior and swiftly punishing them for bad conduct.

Goals of the program include cutting down on recidivism through rehabilitation of defendants with immediate response to probation violations, Chamberlain said.

Currently, there are three probationers in the program, and it is being paid for by court money, Chamberlain said.

In order to pay for the program, Chamberlain is reprioritizing resources and said that defendants who have violated their probation are eligible.

Like drug court, intensive probation involves hands-on, weekly meetings between judge and the probationer, in the courtroom and on the record.

In intensive probation, Chamberlain meets with the defendants in the program, giving them positive reinforcement when they stay on track.

When they don’t, sanctions are swift, he said.

Punishment is meted out as soon as possible, with Chamberlain recently going to court on a weekend to deal with a defendant in the program who violated probation.

“So far, we’re doing well,” Chamberlain said. “When sanctions have been needed, they’re immediate.

“That’s why I was here on a Saturday for an arraignment.

In cases of probation violation in Isabella County, it typically takes six to eight weeks for the defendant to go from violating to being sentenced, Chamberlain said.

Studies have shown that the sooner a probationer is punished for a violation, the less likely that person will reoffend, Chamberlain said.

Quick punishment has been shown to be extremely effective in behavior modification, the judge said.

Modeled loosely after “Project Hope,” a program initiated by Judge Steven S. Alm in Hawaii, Isabella County’s version focuses more on positive reinforcement in an effort to deter the behavior that leads to probation violations, Chamberlain said.

It also relies on community sentencing, which is geared toward keeping offenders out of prison by using jail time, tethers, global positioning systems and community service.

“We have ways to monitor them in the community,” he said.

When a defendant enters the program, he or she is immediately given a risk needs assessment to determine what programs would be of the most benefit, the judge said.

The program is also team-based, with a case plan being formed as soon as a defendant enters to determine what resources, including mental health, housing, transportation and employment, will benefit the participant, Chamberlain said.

“It can be that elemental or as advanced as inpatient or outpatient substance abuse treatment,” he said. “It is tailored to the offender.”

Chamberlain expects that the program will result in defendants in the program being diverted from prison to jail, and some from jail to probation, which will save the county money because defendants who would have had a longer jail sentence will be released sooner.

The program will also benefit the community because intensive probation has a high rehabilitation rate, Chamberlain said.

jchev Community Corrections, Michigan

Protecting the citizens of Sherburne County while also helping offenders readjust to the community are two initiatives the Sherburne County Probation Department is taking very seriously. Story in the Star News.

In August 2008 J. Hancuch started as the department’s director and ever since his first day, has gotten to work implementing changes to make everything run more smoothly and with greater success.

Before coming to Sherburne County, Hancuch was the director of the probation department in Isanti County for eight years, and prior to that he worked in the Anoka County Community Corrections Department as both a probations officer and supervisor.

Hancuch is a firm believer in using evidence-based practices whenever possible. Smarter sentencing to focus the most energies on those with the highest risk and needs comes first, he said. This means that supervising is based on validated risk assessments, and not just what the offender did.

“What their risks and needs are,” Hancuch said. “Who they are, not what they do.”

All probation department employees are also continuously trained and reinforced on what the evidence is saying and how to best work with offenders, he said.

“I think we’re making some headway,” Hancuch said.

Bringing awareness to the community
Teaching the community what exactly the probation department is, and what they do, has also always been a goal for Hancuch.

With a newly and continuously revamped Web site — which is linked up through the county’s main site — Hancuch hopes to get valuable information out to residents and law enforcement.

For example, on www.co.sherburne.mn.us/ probation there’s a link titled “Sherburne County Probation Department Fugitives,” which shows photos of all the adults in the county who are currently on probation and have warrants for their arrests.

Aside from photos, there are also names, along with their birthdays, gender, physical descriptions and the type of offenses they have committed.

Hancuch said if anyone knows any of the people on the site, they should contact the Sherburne County Sheriff’s Office and/or the Sherburne County Probation Department.

Those listed with warrants are adult offenders only because of confidentiality laws involving minors.

The probation department Web site also has a secure link only accessible to law enforcement to better help keep the public safe.

By typing in a secure password, officers and deputies have access to a list of all of the high risk offenders in the Sherburne County Probation Department and Minnesota Department of Corrections.

Hancuch said this information helps law enforcement when they are patrolling their cities, as it gives them an idea of who is in the community and who to keep an eye on.

Increased monitoring
Six to eight months ago the probation department also took over monitoring offenders on conditional release supervision.

Hancuch said it used to be that the offenders were supposed to be monitored, but no one really knew who was in charge, so the accountability wasn’t there.

Now, when an inmate gets out of prison and has something like a no-contact order or needs to get a urine analysis a certain number of times, the Sherburne County probation officers are there to monitor the person and make sure the stipulations are being met.

Alcoholics Anonymous orientation meetings
One month ago the department started an Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) orientation program.

This program is designed for those offenders who are court ordered to attend AA meetings, Hancuch said.

In the past anonymity was a problem, as it put the AA facilitators in a tough spot having to verify who was coming to the meetings, Hancuch said, adding that many AA attendees outside of the court system do not want their identity known to everyone, and like that the program is anonymous.

In addition, it could sometimes be disruptive to the meetings when people who are court ordered to be there were just thrown into the mix of people choosing to be there, he said.

To help combat these difficulties, now the courts can order someone to take the eight-week orientation program.

This program is run by AA volunteers and goes through an overview and run down of the 12 steps.

This way, if a person continues on into regular AA meetings, he or she has already been briefed and has a better idea of what to expect.

From here offenders will also know how to get a sponsor and which meetings might work best for them if they wish to continue on.

Looking to the future
Continuing on in 2010, Hancuch said the probation department wants to work with the courts to try and work out a system to better protect victims of domestic abuse.

No formal plans have been laid out yet to make this happen, but the department is in the process of learning how they can enhance the information given to the courts from the pre-trial bail evaluation process, while still being sensitive to the victims.

jchev Community Corrections, Minnesota

A program was introduced Wednesday to give recently released prisoners and inmates returning to Shawnee options as they re-integrate into society. Reported by the Courier-Journal.

The Shawnee Justice Reinvestment Pilot Project, which was introduced by Mayor Jerry Abramson, will help offenders find housing, transportation and employment starting in late spring, according to a press release from the mayor’s office.

“Connecting ex-offenders with resources and support can help them make a meaningful fresh start,” Abramson said. “It also aids public safety by helping reduce behaviors that can lead to re-offending.”

Abramson was joined by Commissioner LaDonna Thompson of the Kentucky Department of Corrections and Metro Councilwoman Cheri Bryant Hamilton in introducing the program at the Catholic Enrichment Center, 3146 W. Broadway.

Program participants will be subjected to a screening process, but sex offenders or individuals who have committed crimes against children will not be allowed into the program. Participants also must have a valid Shawnee address to join.

The program is funded through federal grants from the Department of Justice under the Second Chance Act. Metro government partnered with the Kentucky Department of Corrections to acquire about $250,000 — $200,000 for the Shawnee program and $50,000 for Corrections re-entry programs.

“The Department of Corrections views our re-entry initiative as a new philosophy, not a new program,” Thompson said.

The program is modeled after a similar one that was launched in the fall of 2007, and it will include extensive cooperation and help from government agencies, faith-based organizations and volunteer groups.

Participants will be required to attend bi-monthly meetings with the Reinvestment Neighborhood Group along with family members and friends to discuss progress or concerns.

“The Shawnee project is based on a model that encourages everyone in the community to get involved in the problem-solving process, working together to promote safety, reduce recidivism and strengthen our families,” program coordinator Debora McGill said.

jchev Community Corrections, Inmate Programs, KY Louisville Metro

Pueblo’s gang problem is under a microscope. The Pueblo Community Gang Task Force recently formed and is gathering information and community wide participation to take a close look at gangs and alleviate the problem in Pueblo. Story in the Pueblo Cheiftain.

“One of the frustrations we have is, we have these (community gang) presentations, but once the presentations are over, we don’t move beyond that. The purpose of this task force is to move beyond that,” said the group’s chairman, Al Gurule, a longtime Chicano activist and owner of an East Side community corrections center.

Local law enforcement agencies including the district attorney’s office, probation and parole departments, the Pueblo Housing Authority and even Colorado State University-Pueblo have joined the effort to “extinguish” the local gang problem.

According to police, there’s an estimated 1,200 gang members in Pueblo.   The group meets monthly and has held two meetings thus far. Meetings are open to the public and Gurule said they’re recruiting other organizations.

Still in its infancy, what already has set this group apart from others is its size, organization and implementation of a research component.

“What’s different with this is we are using a research model to approach the problems,” Pueblo Police Chief Jim Billings said. “We’re not only spending time to identify the problem, we’re trying to use research methods to measure whether or not we’ve had success.

“Many times people come to the table with solutions already in mind to address a problem and that can be effective, but probably not as effective as truly using a problem-solving model where you clearly identify the problem you’re trying to solve and then explore all options out there.”

That’s why CSU-Pueblo criminology professor Chris Messer joined the team.

The task force is gathering information from local school districts and other organizations and agencies about gangs. The group is also looking at, among other data, poverty, crime and recidivism rates to help them form an overall picture of the problem.

It’ll be Messer’s job to chart and interpret the data.

“We’re dealing with numbers to some extent, but once we get that data, we hope to be able to measure those things,” Messer said. “Our biggest goal is for this to not just be some task force that just debates these issues without accomplishing anything in the end. I feel really strongly we can do that.”

Gurule uses a couple analogies in describing this group’s role in dissecting Pueblo’s gang problem.

Like a physician, he said the group wants to make an “MRI” of the gang problem and then, like an artist, step back from the individual brush strokes and see the whole picture.

“Once we see that total picture we want to come up with some tangible programs or new programs to extinguish that problem,” he said.

That may include helping other already existing programs in the community or later applying for grant money to establish new ones.

“It’s a pretty big job,” Gurule acknowledged. “Maybe we won’t extinguish it, but maybe we can minimize it and that’s definitely a step forward.”

jchev Colorado, Community Corrections, Gangs (STGs)

A new state law that took effect Monday is expected to reduce supervision of more than a quarter of Barstow’s parolee population. As reported in the Desert Dispatch.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a bill into law last October which created a non-revocable parole status for low-risk parolees. Parolees who didn’t receive serious disciplinary action while incarcerated, weren’t convicted of violent or sex crimes and have not been proven to be members of a gang can qualify for non-revocable parole.

Gordon Hinkle, press secretary for the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, said that qualified parolees will not be sent back to prison for parole violations and wouldn’t be directly supervised by a parole agent. However, if a parolee commits a new crime they could be sent back to prison, according to Hinkle.

Hinkle said that although non-revocable parolees will have less supervision, parolees will still be subject to searches by law enforcement at any time.

“People seem to think we’re just letting them go free,” Hinkle said. “They are still monitored and have to let us know where they live. We keep a database of all parolees and that system will include non-revocable parolees. If a police officer hears something on the street about a parolee breaking the law they can just go search without a warrant.”

Hinkle said CDCR hopes the new law will reduce the case load for parole agents in the state. The average parole agent currently oversees 70 parolees, but that number is expected to drop to 45 a year after the law takes effect, according to Hinkle. The new program is also expected to save the state $100 million, according to a CDCR report.

“Non-revocable parole will allow parole agents to focus on the more serious offenders,” Hinkle said. “Right now our agents have the highest average case load of any state.”

The new law also increases the amount of early-release credits inmates can earn for completing education programs and training for or working as inmate firefighters. Hinkle said the CDCR is anticipating a reduction of 6,500 inmates from the state prison population in the next 12 months due to the new incentives.

“If inmates are rewarded for improving themselves when they are incarcerated they will hopefully continue on that road, and they will not become repeat offenders,” Hinkle said.

jchev California, Community Corrections, Parole

Public perception of a revolving-door justice system is countered by not-so-alarming statistics: A vast majority of offenders processed through the Washington County Community Corrections Center do not re-offend, returning to society clean and sober with a renewed sense of optimism about their future. Story published on OregonLive.

“I’m tired of running,” said one resident during a tour conducted for county officials Tuesday.

“Before, I thought ‘the first chance I get, I’m running,’” the young man continued. “I don’t have that desire anymore.”

With structure and accountability achieved through a group dynamic, the treatment and transition programs at the center make him feel like positive change is possible. Many offenders like him elect to extend their required sentences to complete one of the center’s transitional programs.

“I will always have the desire to use (drugs and alcohol), but now I have the tools to turn that off,” he said. “I thank you guys for giving me that chance.”

Of 2,026 offenders housed in the center between January and December 2008, 89 percent completed required programs, said Director John Hartner.

Many offenders eventually find themselves in the center’s transitional drug and alcohol treatment programs. Since 2001, the county contracts with several agencies to staff the Recovery Mentor Program, which helps take residents through the steps of rejoining the community — finding jobs and housing, maintaining healthy relationships and fulfilling ongoing commitments. Many of the mentors are people who have had drug and alcohol problems themselves, and have been in the criminal justice system as a result. To be hired, they must have two years of sobriety, and receive ongoing professional and ethical training.

It is generally accepted that to succeed in recovery, addicts need a clean and sober place to live, and an individual with like experiences to show them the ropes, Hartner said.

“They’re really a very effective bridge in this transition process,” Hartner said. Mentors also benefit from the experience.

“It’s really helpful for people in recovery to continue to help other people in recovery,” he said.

Of 283 offenders in the Recovery Mentor Program in 2008, about 90 percent are now in stable housing, employed, financially self-supporting and attending continuing support groups and required treatment.

Community Corrections, supported by an annual budget of $15 million and staffed by 106 full-time-equivalent positions, is responsible for providing probation, parole, post-prison supervision and residential services to the adult offender population.

All community corrections residents are assigned to a counselor and a case plan is developed to fit residents’ needs while addressing their terms of probation. Residents are offered support with their transition and there is always structure and accountability.

Evidence-based treatment practices include family participation, role playing, therapeutic movement and anger management.

“Anger management is a way to address their impulsivity,” says center Manager Karleigh Mollahan. “Impulsivity is a big factor in recidivism.”

Other in-house programs include mental health services, wellness and nutrition and life skills training for employment, parenting, computer literacy and fellowship. Treating the whole person leads to changes in behavior, said another resident.

“We become a community inside,” he said. “That translates to being a part of the community on the outside.”

Rules are strictly enforced for 277 residents who later move into any of 38 transitional clean and sober housing facilities throughout the county. Subsidies help with initial expenses, but then residents are expected to pay their own way.

Some of the transitional houses use paid employees to monitor residents, while others elect their own officers, but there’s continuing accountability, Hartner said.

jchev Community Corrections, Oregon, Re-Entry