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| Community Re-Entry Program Focuses on the Link Between Prisoners and Their Children |
| By Patrick Hyde |
| Published: 07/28/2003 |
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Corey Johnson, 28, was on parole for a prior conviction when he was involved in an auto accident on October 3, 2002. He had been drinking at the time of the accident, an obvious parole violation. His parole officer gave him a clear choice - go before the Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections Probation and Parole Board and most likely end up in prison or attend a program at a new prisoner re-entry center being established in Baton Rouge. Johnson chose the re-entry center and began programming almost two weeks later. This center was something new and the result of a collaborative partnership between the Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections, a federal grant through the federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program, and BI Incorporated, a private community corrections vendor that specializes in offender monitoring technology and treatment services. Called the Baton Rouge Post-Release Skills and Re-Entry Center, this facility is unique because it targets parolees with children under 18. In Johnson's case, he is the father of three children -- two five-year olds and a six-year old. An estimated 10 million children in the United States have a parent who has been in prison at some point during the child's life. This creates instability throughout the family and increases the likelihood that the child will eventually be involved in the criminal justice system. Traditionally, children and families have not been considered part of the prisoner re-entry equation. However, studies indicate that families affect the way in which prisoners adjust to life after prison, and returning prisoners who assume family roles are less likely to recidivate. From Concept to Reality In a document created a few years ago called Strategies to Reduce the Growth of Incarceration, the Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections offered the state legislature several alternatives to reduce the number of inmates entering prisons and several strategies for reducing re-incarceration. The Post-Release Skills Program combined components of several of those strategies while focusing on offenders who are parents of minor children, according to Suzanne Sharp, executive management officer within the department. When the TANF grant was allocated to Louisiana, state lawmakers allocated a portion to developing a post-release skills program that targeted inmates with children. The TANF office, located in Baton Rouge, provides oversight, program evaluation and policy guidance for all TANF-funded services. The TANF office in Baton Rouge works closely with state corrections officials to ensure programs operate according to federal and state guidelines and that participants receive the support and services that will aid them to become self-sufficient and promote family stability, according to TANF Director Dana Reichert. The Baton Rouge Post Release Skills and Re-Entry Center creates stability, structure and support systems for the inmate returning to the community, providing them with the skills to succeed as a parent and citizen, according to Matt Moore, BI's Baton Rouge program director. Clients are required to report to the center within 24 hours of referral from the Parole Board or the Office of Probation and Parole. 'It is critical that we begin programming immediately,' says Moore. 'Within the first hours and days that a person is released from incarceration, they are very vulnerable to relapse - picking up old habits, renewing relationships with negative influencers or being tempted with new criminal activity,' he added. Today, 127 offenders are in the program through the TANF grant. Another 24 offenders are participating in the program and pay for the programming themselves. The Center's Focus When a client first reports to the Baton Rouge center, they are assigned a case manager, who conducts a critical initial assessment to discuss housing, employment, substance abuse history, transportation needs and more. The case managers identify concerns and monitor progress via mandatory weekly group case management meetings. The program consists of three distinct phases of supervision and treatment. With each progressive phase the intensity of supervision decreases while treatment services are maintained. For example, in Phase I the client must check in seven days a week at the center, submit to random drug and alcohol testing, and abide by an 8 p.m. curfew that is monitored by center staff. In Phase II, they report five days a week and the curfew is extended to 10 p.m. In Phase III, they report three days a week and have a midnight curfew. Advancement through the center's programs and three phases is individually paced, with a client moving forward only after understanding and complying with each specific phase of the re-entry program. Parents reentering the community after incarceration often need public assistance to reconnect with their family, pay rent and buy food and essentials. In addition, in the spirit of the TANF grant to help returning prisoners connect with family members successfully, the center provides intensive family support services and parenting training. This training includes 12 weeks of parenting skills classes and six family labs, where a client and his or her children come to the center to practice techniques learned in parenting classes. A family therapist is present for advice and support. 'I thought I knew everything that I needed to know about being a parent,' said Johnson. 'But I learned a lot from working with the staff at the center. I got my agenda straightened out about parenting. We worked on how to talk with my kids and how to show them what I want without yelling, screaming or being physical.' Objectives of the parenting classes - called Family Connections training - include: * Helping offenders become better parents, * Connecting released offenders to their children, * Supporting the primary caregivers of released offender's children and * Linking offenders and families to local resources Working on Criminal Thinking Another important element of the center is the Moral Reconation Therapy (MRT) cognitive restructuring programs for clients. MRT classes work to positively adjust the core and entrenched criminal thinking patterns of many of these clients prior to unconditional release or aftercare. 'The cognitive restructuring classes at the re-entry center are one of the pillars of our overall re-entry program,' said James Anderson, vice president in BI's re-entry division. BI now has five re-entry centers in Chicago, Denver, Albuquerque, Elizabeth, N.J. and Baton Rouge. Each delivers cognitive restructuring classes, where the goal is to adjust core criminal thinking patterns and behavior by teaching program participants to take responsibility for their behavior and avoid the excuses that lead to poor decisions. The Baton Rouge re-entry center also provides substance abuse, employment and educational services. The educational center provides basic reading and language instruction, career guidance, and GED test preparation courses. Individual plans are developed to help clients achieve educational goals. All programming at the center is designed to help the client break negative thinking patterns, which in turn positively changes client behavior. The goal of the center is to ultimately reduce crime in the community, along with the resulting incarceration expenses. The program demands client accountability at all times. The center's staff reinforces pro-social and anti-social behavior immediately, an important element of changing behavior. A 'Rewards Track' and a 'Violator's Track' are used to acknowledge positive or negative patterns. For example, Rewards Track clients receive positive reinforcement in several ways, such as promotion to a higher phase as recognition for perfect attendance. The Violator's Track addresses rules infractions - 'dirty' drug screens, positive Breathalyzers or no-shows for meetings - that will result in additional sanctions. Other negative reinforcement may include sanctions such as electronic monitoring or daily remote alcohol testing. Measuring Results Though the center is young, it has already shown significant signs of success. 'It will take time to see if the recidivism rates will be lowered after former offenders leave the program, but the success of the program today can be measured by the extensive connections that have been established in the Baton Rouge community. On this end, the program has been very innovative,' said Sharp. Sharp said on an unexpected drop-in visit to the center with others from the department, the visitors were almost run down by one group's class breaking and another group beginning. 'All the offenders were intensely focused on getting to class and starting on time. That's something you just don't typically see from inmates. It was impressive.' Reichert said the TANF office must further monitor and evaluate efforts before claiming success at the center. 'However, we are happy that BI has brought a different approach to re-entry to the state and appears to have a well-developed philosophy and expertise in serving this population,' she added. Anderson said that while it is too early to measure if the Baton Rouge re-entry center's efforts are reducing recidivism, he did cite a similar BI program in Chicago that has three years of data to support that this type of program does generate lower recidivism rates. Study results from the Chicago program found that compared to a similar population in another section of Chicago - a very high-risk parolee population - participants in the Chicago re-entry center had a 40 percent lower recidivism rate. The Chicago re-entry center is funded by the Illinois Department of Corrections and was recently highlighted in University of California-Irvine Professor and Author Joan Petersilia's recent book, When Prisoners Come Home. The Baton Rouge re-entry center has gained solid community backing and support from trusted state and local officials, including the leader of a Baton Rouge college, former Louisiana Governor Buddy Roemer and several local judges. Most importantly, about a dozen clients have progressed through the three phases of re-entry programming and are scheduled for graduation. These soon-to-be graduates speak highly of the program, acknowledging that they were skeptical at the outset, but encouraged by the skills and coping mechanisms they have learned. 'When I first entered the program, I was rebellious,' said Johnson. 'It was hard having to be at the center several times a week, attend classes, call-in for curfews, all this pushed me to the edge - but I stayed strong. I now think the harder it is, the more you cherish it.' Johnson says after the program he is looking to go to a local community college, and possibly work toward a counseling degree. He will join 12 to 14 other participants in the re-entry center who will be part of the first graduation class July 11. 'I will be very happy. I've never been part of a graduation ceremony before,' said Johnson. Patrick Hyde is a freelance writer based in Boulder, Colo. He can be reached at pat.hyde@attbi.com. Resources La. Division of Administration http://www.state.la.us/doa/doa.htm La. Department of Public Safety and Corrections http://www.corrections.state.la.us/ BI Incorporated http://www.bi.com |
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