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Overview of Vermont Department of Corrections and the Risk Reduction Coordinator's Role

Overview of Vermont Department of Corrections and the Risk Reduction Coordinator's Role. Bidder’s Conference June 21, 2013. Vision of VT DOC. To be valued by the citizen’s of VT as a partner in the prevention, research and control of criminal behavior. Mission of VT DOC.

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Overview of Vermont Department of Corrections and the Risk Reduction Coordinator's Role

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  1. Overview of Vermont Department of Corrections and the Risk Reduction Coordinator's Role Bidder’s Conference June 21, 2013

  2. Vision of VT DOC To be valued by the citizen’s of VT as a partner in the prevention, research and control of criminal behavior.

  3. Mission of VT DOC In partnership with the community, we support safe communities by providing leadership in crime prevention, repairing the harm done, addressing the needs of crime victims, ensuring offender accountability for criminal acts and managing the risk posed by offenders. This is accomplished through a commitment to quality services and continuous improvement while respecting diversity, legal rights, human dignity, and productivity.

  4. Mission of VT DOC-cont. • The mission breaks into four major areas: • Community Safety • Community Involvement & Restoration • Offender Safety • Offender Rehabilitation

  5. VT DOC in Context • Operates an integrated system of incarceration & field supervision services • Incarceration includes detentioners and inmates serving time • Field supervision includes offenders with imposed sentences “serving in the community” and Probationers with “suspended sentences”

  6. VTDOC Program Services

  7. Risk Reduction Coordinators • A total of 7 Risk Reduction Coordinator positions • 3 Correctional Facility Based • 4 Regionally Field Based

  8. Facility-Based Risk Reduction Coordinators • Northern State Correctional Facility – Newport, VT Male Facility - ~450 inmates Report to John Gramuglia • Chittenden Regional Correctional Facility – South Burlington, VT Female Facility - ~ 150 inmates Report to Jill Evans and John Gramuglia • Southeast State Correctional Facility – Windsor, VT Male Facility - ~100 inmates Report to Kris Goldstein and John Gramuglia

  9. Incarceration Statuses Detentioner/Detainee - A person committed to the Commissioner of Corrections by the court or other authorized person or entity, who is confined in a correctional facility until he/she is sentenced or released. Sentenced/Detained - An inmate who is both serving a sentence and also has a detainer against their release from custody. The detainer may be by another jurisdiction in Vermont or outside of Vermont. The detainer may be for pending charges that are not yet adjudicated and need to be resolved, or the detainer may be for charges that have been adjudicated, and the inmate needs to serve a sentence in the requesting jurisdiction.

  10. Incarceration Statuses-cont. Sentenced - An inmate who has been convicted of a crime and is serving a sentence. • Pre-Min – An inmate who is serving their sentence and has not yet reached their minimum sentence. • Past-Min – An inmate who has reached their minimum sentence but has not been released, typically for lack of a reentry plan or mandated programming is not completed • Past-Min-Back – An inmate who was released from their minimum sentence into the community but has been returned to incarceration.

  11. Northern State Correctional FacilityGeneral Violence, Domestic Violence and Substance Abuse Population • 1 Facility Superintendent • 1 Asst Superintendent • 1 Casework Supervisor/Living Unit Supervisor • 5 Caseworkers

  12. Southeast State Correctional FacilitySex Offender Population • 1 Facility Superintendent • 1 Asst Superintendent • 1 Casework Supervisor/Living Unit Supervisor • 5 Caseworkers

  13. Vermont Treatment Program for Sexual Abusers (VTPSA) VTPSA was the first statewide network of prison and community sex offender treatment programs in the United States. The VTPSA prison program started in 1982 and the outpatient program started in 1983. There are 4 prison programs for men at the Southeast Regional Correctional Facility (Windsor) and Southern State Correctional Facility (Springfield) Sex offender treatment for women at Chittenden Regional Correctional Facility (South Burlington) is mostly individual based on low numbers of incarcerated female sex offenders. There are 10 community based sites – Barre, Bennington, Brattleboro, Burlington, Hartford, Newport, Rutland, St. Albans, St. Johnsbury, Springfield

  14. Southeast State VTPSA Prison Program • 70 bed residential program • Facility provides opportunity for education and employment • Programs • Low Intensity (6 months) • Moderate Intensity (12 months) • High Intensity (24 months) • Adaptive (moderate or high intensity for persons with special needs)

  15. Sex Offender Treatment Groups for moderate and high risk groups Thinking for A Change Habits of Mind Core Group Skill Practice Group Specialty Groups (emotion management, thinking patterns, substance abuse, relationships, sexual arousal control, PTSD) Transition Group Groups are held during quarters which are about 12 weeks long. A week break between each phase provides individual sessions with the primary therapist for planning. Weekly group time is approximately 8 hours.

  16. Chittenden Regional Correctional FacilityFemale Population • 1 Facility Superintendent • 1 Asst Superintendent • 1 Casework Supervisor/Living Unit Supervisor • 5 Caseworkers

  17. Non-Mandated Program Capacity at CRCF

  18. Regional Field-Based Risk Reduction Coordinators – Report to John Gramuglia Northwest – 2 Field Offices St Albans, Burlington Northeast – 4 Field Offices Newport, Morrisville, Barre, St Johnsbury Southwest – 2 Field Offices Rutland, Bennington Southeast – 3 Field Offices Hartford, Springfield, Brattleboro

  19. Field Offices by Quadrant Northwest Burlington 1 District Manager, 1 Assistant District Manager 6 Casework Supervisors 29 Probation/Parole Officers St Albans 1 District Manager 2 Casework Supervisors 13 Probation/Parole Officers Northeast 1 District Manager for Newport and St. Johnsbury Newport 1 Casework Supervisor 6 Probation/Parole Officers St. Johnsbury 2 Casework Supervisors 10 Probation/Parole Officers 1 District Manager for Barre and Morrisville 1 CWS shared between Barre and Morrisville Barre 2 Casework Supervisors 17 Probation/Parole Officers Morrisville 3 Probation/Parole Officers

  20. Supervision Statuses • Furlough-A legal status for an offender under the custody of the Commissioner serving all or part of their incarcerative sentence in the community outside a correctional facility. This includes offenders on pre-approved furlough (PAF), conditional re-entry (CR), reintegration furlough (RF), treatment furlough (TF), and medical furlough. • Parole-The release of an inmate to the community by the Parole Board before the end of the inmate’s sentence, subject to conditions imposed by the Board and subject to the supervision and control of the Commissioner of Corrections.

  21. Supervision Statuses-cont. • Supervised Community Sentence-A court-imposed sentence of incarceration to be served in a community setting subject to the rules of the Commissioner of Corrections. These offenders are under the jurisdiction of the Parole Board. • Probation-The legal status a court may impose on a defendant that suspends all or part of the sentence and places the person in the care and custody of the Commissioner of Corrections, upon such conditions and for such time as it may prescribe, in accordance with law, or until further order of the court.

  22. Northwest Region St Albans, Burlington

  23. Southwest RegionMiddlebury, Rutland, Bennington

  24. Northeast RegionNewport, Morrisville, Barre, St Johnsbury

  25. Southeast RegionHartford, Springfield, Brattleboro

  26. Community Sex Offender Treatment These programs are for offenders sentenced to probation and those returning to the community from prison on supervised release. Each program typically provides one group session per week for about 24 months followed by monthly aftercare meetings for about 12 months. Risk Reduction Coordinators will observe these groups and provide feedback.

  27. Risk Reduction Coordinators What does it mean????????

  28. VTDOC Program Philosophy What is Risk Reduction Programming? Risk Reduction Programming is programming that is designed to reduce the risk of an offender committing new offenses.

  29. Overview • VT DOC improves its application of Principles of Effective Intervention in Correctional Risk Reduction Services • Highlights include: • Transition from offense based programming to risk based programming • Target Criminogenic Needs • Enhance intrinsic motivation • Target higher risk offenders • Conduct Thorough Assessment of Risk and Needs • Base design on Social Learning and Cognitive Behavioral Approach • Intensify and coordinate risk reduction services that are matched to criminogenic needs • Improve quality assurance by adopting the use of a standardized program assessment tool (Correctional Program Checklist) • The goal is enhance public safety through reduction of risk of recidivism/re offending.

  30. Principal 1: Target Criminogenic Factors: Target Criminogenic Needs Good programs target factors related to offending, and that can be changed. These dynamic factors are commonly known as criminogenic needs. Criminal History Education & Employment Financial Family/Marital Housing Leisure/Recreation Companions Alcohol & Drugs Emotional/Personal Attitudes/Orientation

  31. Principle 2: Conduct Thorough Assessment of Risk and Need 2: Conduct Thorough Assessment of Research indicates that correctional treatment programs that conduct thorough, rigorous and objective assessment of offenders and use the assessment information to inform treatment planning decisions have much better outcomes than programs that do not do such assessment. • Risk: the probability that offender will commit additional offenses after release from incarceration. • Need: the specific problems or issues that contribute to an offender’s criminally deviant behavior. Needs are by definition dynamic (changeable) and can be targeted by

  32. Principle 3: Base Design and Implementation on a Proven Theoretical Model Effective programs work within the context of a proven (evidence-based) theory of criminal behavior. Proven theories include social learning and cognitive-behavioral.

  33. Principle 4: Use a Cognitive-Behavioral Approach • Thinking and behavior are linked; offenders behave like criminals because they think like criminals; changing thinking is the first step towards changing behavior. • Effective programs attempt to alter an offender’s cognitions, values, attitudes and expectations that maintain anti-social behavior. • Emphasis on problem solving, decision making, reasoning, self-control and behavior modification, through role playing, graduated practice and behavioral rehearsal.

  34. Cognitive-Behavioral Approach (continued) • Good cognitive-behavioral programs not only teach offenders about more socially appropriate behaviors, but also provide them with extensive opportunity to practice, rehearse and pattern these behaviors in increasingly difficult situations - good behaviors are often just habits. • Every social interaction within the prison (inmate-inmate, inmate-staff, staff-staff) provides opportunity to model, teach and practice pro-social skills. • Rewards for pro-social behavior are important. Rewards should greatly outweigh punishers.

  35. Principle 5: Disrupt the Criminal Network • Effective programs provide a structure that disrupts the delinquency network by enabling offenders to place themselves in situations (around people and places) where pro-social activities dominate. • Effective programs also help offenders to understand the consequences of maintaining criminal friendships. Role playing can help them to practice building new pro-social friendships. • Even seemingly non-therapeutic activities can help offenders to develop new hobbies that facilitate pro-social friendships.

  36. Principle 6: Provide Intensive Services Effective programs offer services that occupy 40% to 70% of the offender’s time while in the program and last 3 to 9 months. The actual length of the program should be driven by specific behavioral objectives of the program and specific needs of the individual inmate. Higher risk offenders require more structure and services than lower risk offenders.

  37. Correctional Program Checklist • The Evidence Based Correctional Program Checklist (CPC) is a tool UC use for assessing correctional intervention programs, and is used to ascertain how closely correctional programs meet known principles of effective intervention. The CPC is modeled after the Correctional Program Assessment Inventory developed by Gendreau and Andrews. • Over 600 correctional programs have been evaluated using the above tool in the United States

  38. Correctional Program Checklist It is divided into two basic areas; content and capacity. • The capacity area is designed to measure whether a correctional program has the capability to deliver evidence based interventions and services for offender. There are three domains including: Leadership and Development, Staff, and Quality Assurance. • The content area focus on the substantive domains of Offender Assessment and Treatment, and the extent to which the program meets the principles of risk, need, responsivity and treatment. There are a total of seventy-seven indicators, worth 83 total points that are scored during the assessment.

  39. Structure • VTDOC contracts with individuals and agencies to deliver risk reduction activities • RRCs will report to central office program services staff and receive consultation from VTDOC central office staff • RRCs will provide ongoing feedback, audits and consultation to both VTDOC and contracted provider staff

  40. Structural Transitions • Targeted training and piloting of skill based curricula by primary partners • Restructure curricula delivery to include multiple curricula targets and increased individualized program plans • Restructure program supervision resources into geographic sites • Restructure program team meetings into multidisciplinary teams with set agenda, formats and documentation

  41. RRC Tasks • Coordinating referrals to groups from VTDOC staff • Developing program plans to ensure that needs are matched with services • Observing activities and providing feedback to providers to improve competencies • Submit monthly reports to VTDOC as predetermined by VTDOC

  42. RRC Tasks • Audit documentation both quantitatively and qualitatively • Attend meetings and trainings as dictated by VTDOC • Ensure that activities take place as scheduled and when necessary. • Facilitate groups as a substitute (cancelling groups, is adverse to social learning theory)

  43. RRC Tasks (continued) • Ensure offender surveys are conducted bi-annually and results submitted to VTDOC • Ensure team meeting minutes are submitted to VTDOC for review

  44. Competency Based Feedback • The RRCs will utilize a competency based model to provide feedback to providers • The competencies are consolidated into performance rubrics with a focus on criminogenic needs • Each provider will work with an RRC to develop a plan that focuses on the skills needed to deliver quality programming

  45. Competency Based Feedback (continued) • The model allows for the focus to remain on the skills of the provider as opposed to the management of a case • Management of cases will be done in a different forum

  46. RRC RFP Highlights • Written questions are due by June26, 2013 at 12:00 PM EST. • Response to questions will be posted by July 2, 2013. • Proposals are dueJuly 19, 2013 by 3:00 PM EST – must include an original and six hard copies along with a copy on CD of the proposal with a signed cover letter. • Date of Bid Opening: July 22, 2013 in Central Office. • Interviews/Reviews of selected proposals will be scheduled for the last week of July and will be held in Williston. • Proposers will be notified of outcome in writing. • Anticipated “Start Work Date” is September 1, 2013

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