For the inmates in administrative segregation in K-Wing of the Estelle High Security Unit in Huntsville, Texas, freedom is only a few months away.  To help them prepare for their re-entry into the community, computers have been installed in each of their cells providing them with an educational opportunity they would not have had prior to the implementation of the Serious and Violent Offender Reentry Initiative (SVORI) program.

"The nature of administrative segregation is that they're single-celled so they can not go out.  They can't be placed in a general population setting like a classroom," said Donna Gilbert, Director of the SVORI program for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ).  "Outside of chaplains' cell-side visits, they didn't have anything [before SVORI]."

Now, through videoconferencing technology, the inmates are able to participate in re-entry classes with the general population, even though they are confined to their cells for the majority of each day.  In addition, they can attend classes through their computers that are designed to address their specific re-entry needs.

Level One, administrative segregation male offenders throughout the state who are within six to 12 months of their release can apply for the SVORI program, which began at the facility in May.  The inmates must be under the age of 36 and returning to Bexar, Dallas, Harris or Tarrant Counties in order to participate in the program.  

SVORI's goal is to better prepare these inmates for their re-entry into the community so that they won't wind up back in prison.

According to Gilbert, the most recent TDCJ statistics show that the recidivism rate for offenders in administrative segregation is 27.4, compared to 19.3 for offenders of other custody levels.

With chipping away at this population's recidivism rate in mind, TDCJ applied for and received a three-year, $1.9 million grant from the Department of Justice, which enabled the agency to create the two-phase SVORI program.

Learning How to Live in the Community

After a week-long orientation to familiarize the inmates with their in-cell computers, the first phase of the program begins by addressing the inmates' pre-release needs and covers topics such as literacy, anger management, cultural diversity, substance abuse and domestic violence.  During this phase, the inmates receive video education and participate in cognitive intervention classes through the Windham School District, TDCJ's academic and vocational education provider.

According to Gilbert, instructors, operating from computer terminals in an office in the unit, guide the inmates through the educational videos that they watch on their computers screens, which are enclosed in tamper-proof cases and secured to the cell walls.  The inmates can communicate with the instructors through a chat function on their computer, which is equipped with a keyboard, mouse and headset.  They can't see or talk to each other, though.

"All of the offenders can see the instructor and the instructor can see all of the offenders," Gilbert said.   "The offenders can not see each other unless we pool them into a small group setting of six or less [at the discretion of the instructor]."

The inmates receive pre-worksheets and post-worksheets, which accompany the videos and help them grasp the subject matter.  The instructors are available to the inmates if they need assistance completing those assignments, Gilbert said.

Beyond the videos, inmates participate in the CHANGES curriculum, which is offered by the Windham School District.  Through their computers, the inmates are tied into those pre-release classes with the general inmate population.  They focus on a broad range of re-entry issues, including personal development, interpersonal relationships, civil and legal responsibilities, victim awareness, health and wellness, career planning and employment.  They interact with the Windham instructors the same way they do with the instructors in their units: through instant messaging.

School's in Session

Much like in a regular school, the inmates have class schedules that tell them when they are supposed to be attending a CHANGES class or watching a video.  Each class lasts about two or three hours and on weekdays, they receive about four to six hours of instruction per day.

In their downtime, however, they can use the computers, which are turned on from approximately 8 a.m. until 10 p.m., to practice their keyboarding skills using self-paced software.  According to Gilbert, they will soon be able to develop their reading and writing skills that way, too.

"We are also going to be installing a literacy component, which will be self-paced because we only have them for six months and they are not all on the same educational level," Gilbert said. 

Preparing for Parole

Although the SVORI program begins for inmates when they are nearing their release from prison, their involvement in the program doesn't end when they return to the community.  Rather, they begin Phase II of SVORI when they leave the Estelle Unit.  They are placed on a special parole caseload and receive a year of additional programming.

"Parole starts working with them, while they are still incarcerated and in Phase One," Gilbert said.

According to Gilbert, within a month of inmates' placement into the SVORI program, a case manager comes in and interviews them and starts working on their transition back into the community.  Re-entry preparation involves connecting them to system in the community.

"Each offender in the program is assigned a mentor in the community that he's returning to upon his re-entry," said Gilbert, noting that an offender will meet with his mentor prior to his release to establish a relationship with the individual. 

Also, the offender is assessed during Phase One to identify the continuum of services he will need during Phase Two, when he is under supervision in the community, Gilbert said.

While there is no system in place yet to evaluate SVORI offenders' success in the community, TDCJ plans to partner with a local university "to assess the long-term benefits of the program," Gilbert said.  "The offenders will be followed for three years once they complete the program to look at the recidivism rates."

But, even without hard data, Gilbert is confident that the program is helping administrative segregation inmates, who previously had no re-entry programming, prepare to return to the community.  Gilbert believes that SVORI is effective because it allows inmates to take ownership of their re-entry planning.
 
"By involving the offender in his re-entry planning, we feel that we will be able to direct him to the services that will enhance his success," Gilbert said.  "[And] the safety for the community is enhanced." 

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To learn more about SVORI, contact Gilbert at (936) 294-9637