The transition from prison back into society can be unnerving for offenders who have been incarcerated for many years and have come to rely on the regularity and routine of life behind bars.  But, for mentally ill offenders who received treatment and support services while they were imprisoned, the re-entry process can be even more overwhelming.  Back in the free world, they control their own destiny-a frightening reality for some.

"It's really scary leaving the prison.  They've been in a situation where a lot of stuff has been [provided] for them.  It's kind-of a home.  They've gotten a lot of support," said Dr. Lance Couturier, Chief of Psychological Services for the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections.  "It's kind-of scary going back out if you don't know where you are going to go and you have been a failure there before."

Aiming to ease female offenders' fears about making a fresh start in the community, the Pennsylvania DOC began a pilot program in 2002 to address the needs of the mentally ill female offenders at SCI Muncy prior to their release.

The Forensic Reentry and Development (FReD) program targets mentally ill female offenders who are within 12 months of completing their maximum sentences or within a year of being released on parole and connects them to services that will help them succeed in the community.

According to Couturier, a major goal of the FReD program is to prevent these mentally ill offenders from lingering behind bars and maxing out their sentences and instead help them get released on parole.

Parole: An Added Layer of Support

"Historically, a problem we have had in Pennsylvania, [that] probably other states [have had], too, is that inmates who don't have an mental illnesses probably have a good chance of getting paroled," Couturier said.  "What we are finding is that inmates with serious mental illnesses stand a poor chance of being paroled and are very likely to max out on their sentences."

These mentally ill offenders can truly benefit from the added support that being released onto parole would provide them, Couturier said.  Releasing them into the community with no supervision is not an optimal situation, he added.

"When they max out, technically, they are nobody's responsibility," Couturier said.  "If, on the other hand, they are paroled, they have a program they have [to] go, a parole agent who is going to monitor their progress [and] make sure they go to their program [and] provide [them with] the support they need."

To advocate for these offenders, Jennifer Eiswerth, the Reentry Development Specialist who runs the FReD program, often meets with people on the parole board.  According to Couturier, her efforts have resulted in helping nearly 40 mentally ill female offenders receive parole who otherwise would have maxed out on their sentences.

"If they max out, they are free to do whatever they would like," Eiswerth said.  "[On parole], they are mandated to attend mental health, drug and alcohol treatment."

Continuing the treatment they received at Muncy is a key factor to their success in the community, Eiswerth said.  Aside from working with the parole board, she also sets the inmates up with the treatment they need in the facility, counsels them in groups and works with them individually.

Counseling and Treatment

According to Eiswerth, the women attend a reentry group once a week for eight weeks prior to their release.  Those sessions cover decision making skills, problem solving skills, cognitive behavioral therapy techniques and job training skills.

"A lot of these women lack these independent skills," Eiswerth said.

In addition, Eiswerth meets with the offenders for one-on-one counseling as needed.  She also enrolls them in other treatment programs they may benefit from.

"She is making sure that they are involved in other kinds of treatment services they need," said Couturier, noting that most of the offenders have substance abuse problems.  "[She] plugs them into other programs within the prison."

Relieving Anxiety

Aside from placing these women into appropriate treatment programs, Eiswerth said an important part of her job is to ease these women's fears about re-entering society in general.

"I think that the main thing is reducing their anxiety and fear of going back out into the community," said Eiswerth.  "[I let] them know that there [are] some real [resources] out there that will help them."

To ensure that these resources exist for offenders, Eiswerth works hard outside the prison walls to make connections so that these women will continue to have their needs met in the community after they are released.

Community Connections

"Jennifer is really riding the rails out in different counties, meeting with folks," said Couturier. 

Eiswerth's primary task outside of Muncy is to build relationships with community treatment providers and make connections for these mentally ill offenders in their home counties.

"[Her job] is to contact the county [where an offender is returning] and get the woman plugged into the services that are there," Couturier said.  "[She] has basically visited probably the bulk of the counties in the state."

Couturier said that the true challenge of Eiswerth's job is in Pennsylvania's rural counties where there are [few] services for mentally ill people.  In these areas, he said, the lack of resources for this population may have led these women to crime and incarceration in the first place.

"Part of [our] task, once they [are released from] incarceration is to see if you can plug them into a few more supports in the community than they were plugged into before," Couturier said.

He pointed out that some of these women may not have known they were mentally ill prior to their incarceration.  Now that their illnesses have been identified and the DOC is helping them to find treatment, Couturier hopes that they will break free from the cycle of reoffense.

Reducing Recidivism

"For a lot of these women, it has been almost a turnstile - from a county facilities to prison," Couturier said.  "What we are trying to do is cut the cycle."

While it is still a young program, the ultimate goal for FReD, if it proves to help these offenders and cut down on recidivism, is to replicate it in Pennsylvania's other female correctional facility and in some of the men's prisons.

"That's where we would like to go with this," Couturier said.

But in the mean time, FReD is addressing the needs of the mentally ill female offenders at Muncy.

"[We are giving them] as much support and preparation as possible so that hopefully when they go out this time they are more likely to be a success," Couturier said.

Resources:

For more information, contact the Pennsylvania DOC (717) 975-4862