President’s Message
APFO will be sponsoring a workshop and
co-sponsoring two at the ACA conference in Baltimore. Please check your
pro gram for details. The Association will also be holding a business
meeting Tuesday morning from 6:30 to 7:30 pm in the Hyatt Regency
Constellation Ballroom F and will co-sponsor with the Women in
Corrections Committee and the Association of Women Executives in
Corrections two events. The first on Saturday is mid-management training
for women working in corrections in Maryland. This is the first time we
have co-sponsored this event and agencies were asked to consider sending
women who worked with girls and women offenders. As has been the case
for several years, APFO will be hosting with the other two groups a
social hour on Tuesday night. Please plan to attend all these events and
network with others in this field.
ACA is reviewing the Public Correctional Policy on
Female Offenders Services in Baltimore. The last time it was reviewed
was in August 2000. At the January ACA meeting, APFO members attending
the business meeting made a number of recommended changes to reflect
recent research on the need for gender responsive services. Judy
Anderson, Secretary of APFO serves on the ACA Policy and Resolutions
Committee and will try to ensure our recommendations are incorporated in
the draft that goes to the ACA governing bodies. We will have one more
opportunity to make input before it is finalized next January. Please
review the current policy and the draft that will appear in Corrections
Today and make your ideas for strengthening it known. Judy will be happy
to receive any thoughts you might have so email her at
Anderson.Judy@doc.sc.state.us
APFO submitted workshop idea for ACA 2006 midwinter
and summer conferences. One has been selected for the midwinter program.
I will provide more information on it in the next letter. We will need
members to volunteer to present at the workshop.
As always, we are looking for newsletter material.
Please get your program descriptions to Mary Lou Ritter. The newsletter
and the web page are two important services of the association that
everyone can use.
Take care and have a good summer
Joann Brown Morton, DPA
President
135th Congress of
Correction
The 135th Congress of
Correction will take place in Baltimore, MD between August 6 11, 2005.
The following is a list of meetings and programs at the conference
relating to issues that interest APFO members. Be sure and review the
Program Book for other relevant offerings:
APFO Meeting
6:30 — 7:30 a.m. Tuesday, August 9
Constellation Ballroom F, Hyatt Regency Baltimore
APFO Reception
5:30 p.m. — 7:30 pm Tuesday, August 9
Hyatt Regency Constellation Ballroom A
ACA- 3 Mothers and
Daughters: A Critical
Component to Working with Women and Girls
(Part One) Saturday, August 6
10:30 a.m. — Noon
ACA-10 Violent Girls
Who Bully
3:00 — 4:30 p.m. Saturday, August 6
D-1 Bring the Walls Down: Collaborative Reentry
Programs for Adult and Juvenile Female Offenders
11:30 a.m. — 1:00p.m Tuesday, August 9
B-2 Linking Girls in
the Community
8:30a.m. — 10:00a.m. Wednesday, August 10
C-3 Gender
Responsiveness in the Criminal Justice System
11:00 a.m. — 12:30 p.m. Wednesday, August 10
ACA-35 Mothers and
Daughters: A Critical Component to Working with Women and Girls (Part
Two)
10:30 a.m. — noon Thursday, August 11
Massachusetts
Department of Correction
Governor’s Commission on Correction Reform
Recommendation #13:
Dedicated External Female Offender Review 2005
The circumstances and
conditions surrounding the death of a high profile inmate, former priest
John Geoghan, resulted in an investigation that called for a more
extensive review of our Department’s policies and procedures. As a
result, on October 17, 2003, Governor Mitt Ronmey established a
Commission on Corrections Reform. The Commission, chaired by former
Attorney General Scott Harshbarger, convened and conducted a
comprehensive review of the Department of Correction.
Over the next eight
months, the Commission met and conducted a review of our Department’s
Governance, Operations and Security, and Programs and Reintegration. On
June 30, 2004, the Commission published a report of their findings. The
report outlined eighteen major recommendations. In response, the
Department of Correction conducted a feasibility review and developed a
strategic implementation plan for each recommendation.
Subsequently, a
Department of Correction Advisory Council was established by Executive
Order of Governor Romney. The Advisory Council was established to work
with and advocate for the Department of Correction during the
implementation of these recommendations.
Our Department was
pleased to learn that one of the eighteen major recommendations called
for a review of the unique issues pertaining to female offenders in our
custody. Soon thereafter, we began working with the Advisory Council to
shape the scope of the study and to put together a one-time review panel
of policymakers and stakeholders to conduct the review.
This was accomplished
and on March 14, 2005, the dedicated external Female Offender Review
Panel met for the first time. The membership broke into five sub groups
made up of stakeholders and policymakers and DOC support staff. The
subgroups were assigned to assess Overcrowding, Booking and Admissions,
Gender-Specific Medical Needs, Operations, Resources and Practices,
Family Connections, Reentry, Treatment, and Fiscal Support.
The subgroups “hit the
ground running” and continue to meet bi-weekly, have almost tripled
their membership, continue to conduct site visits, invite other
policymaker and stakeholders to attend meetings, collect documentation
and research best practices. It is anticipated that the panel will
publish its findings and recommendations by August 1, 2005.
In the meantime, as the
number of women who become incarcerated continues to increase in our
Commonwealth as well as Nationally, we recognize that it has become
increasingly important for us to collaborate with policymakers and
stakeholders in our state as well other states. We also recognize that
the Female Offender Initiative is an important part of correction
reform. Therefore, our anticipation is great as we look forward to the
dedicated external Female Offender Review Panel’s recommendations. We
will use these recommendations to guide us as we implement best
practices and change the culture while providing a continuum of services
for the women in our custody.
Michelle Donaher,
Director, Female Offender Services Massachusetts Department of
Correction
Attention Members and Friends
The Vice-President of
the APFO, Dana Blank, has received an Honorary Doctorate in Humanities
from the University of Indianapolis. Dana is the Superintendent of the
Indiana Women’s Prison in Indianapolis, Indiana. Dana is well known for
her work in Female Specific Programs for offenders.
Susan Hunter Memorial Garden
The Iowa Department of
Corrections dedicated a memorial garden at the Iowa Correctional
Institution for Women, Mitchellville, Iowa on July 15, 2005 honoring
Susan’s contribution to the Iowa correctional System. Susan was the
warden at this facility from 1980-1984.
Five-Year
Anniversary of IDOC’s Women & Family Services Division
focuses on best practices and re-entry management for the female
offender
SPRINGFIELD - Sept. 14, 2004 - This
year marks the fifth anniversary of the Women and Family Services
Division of the Illinois Department of Corrections. The division, which
was created in 1999, serves an important milestone in the recognition of
the unique issues female offenders face. Within a secure atmosphere, the
division provides a continuum of programs and services under the
supervision of a well-trained professional staff, beginning at reception
and continuing through parole.
“The Illinois Department of
Corrections is taking prison-based treatment and re-entry management to
the next level of performance through its dedication to the successful
re-entry of inmates into society,” said IDOC Director Roger E. Walker
Jr. “The programs under the Women and Family Services Division are
designed to address the unique medical, social, psychological and
education needs of the committed female offender. The division also
serves the needs of the female offender by the development of special
programs that recognize, support and maintain her parental role and
responsibilities.”
Institutions under the Women and
Family Services Division are Dwight
Correctional Center and the
Kankakee Minimum Security Unit that serves as Dwight’s satellite
facility, Decatur Correctional Center, Lincoln
Correctional Center, Fox Valley
Adult Transition
Center (work release center), Women’s
Treatment
Center and Illinois Youth Center (IYC)
—Warrenville. The division’s female
inmate population currently averages about 2,700.
“Treatment and services for women are
based on their competencies and strengths and promote self-reliance,”
said Deputy Director of Women Family Services Debbie Denning. “Focus
groups are held throughout the division that address healing from
trauma, domestic violence and sexual assault as well as grief
understanding and relationship building.”
All female facilities are dedicated to
treating substance abuse. Denning said that sub stance abuse treatment
is designed to be gender specific and deals with pathways into substance
abusing behavior. To fully address the needs of female inmates, the
programs use a variety of interventions and individualized treatment
plans. Spiritual programs also are encouraged and considered an
important element of the holistic treatment concept. Women involved in
substance abuse pro-grams additionally are given an opportunity to
parole into treatment environments through the TASC (Treatment
Accountability for Safer Communities) re entry initiative.
All of the women’s facilities offer
parenting programs. “The division continually promotes a variety of pro
grams to strengthen and reinforce the bonding between mothers and their
children,”
Denning said. “Children and families
play an important role in the management of offenders in custodial set
tings.”
At IYC-Warrenville, through the FOCUS
program, teenage mothers receive visits with their infants in a
structured setting separate from the general visiting room. Children
receive a warm welcome in the comfortable and well-stocked playroom.
Counseling staff monitors visits and advises the mothers regarding
parenting practices.
Family activities are in abundance at
the adult facilities as well. To support these efforts, Sister Pat Davis
continues to charter buses from Chicago to female facilities for family
visits. Video visiting programs also have been implemented to facilitate
visiting of Cook County children with their mothers. The Women’s
Treatment
Center in Chicago serves as the
video site to link children with their mothers at Decatur. IDOC has
applied for grant funds to expand the programs to Dwight and Lincoln.
Reunification visits on the housing
unit at Decatur also have been established year round for women who meet
the criteria. In addition, day camp programs at Lincoln and Dwight bring
mothers together with children as well as storybook programs that allow
mothers to read books to their children on audiotapes.
Vocational education opportunities are
available to the women offenders. Focus is directed on home-based
business programs that include food catering, service dog training,
kenneling, nail technology and cosmetology. Women also are being trained
in higher paying, non-traditional fields such as carpentry, electrical
services and building maintenance.
A part of the vocational initiative is
the linkage between the vocational program and employers in the
community who are willing to hire ex-offenders. The division plans to
use job fairs and community sponsors to further enhance re-entry
efforts.
“The goal is to expand home-based
business opportunities for the female offender as well as create a
foundation for financial independence for the mother and her children,”
Denning said.
The Women and Family Services Division
also promotes cultural awareness and sensitivity through the resources
and strengths available through staff, volunteers and community
organizations.
“Mentoring programs are being
developed to assist in bridging the gap between prison and community.
These programs link the female offender to a positive female role model
from the community to which the offender will return. Mentors assist
with giving the parolee moral support, job re-entry advice and guidance
for community resources,” Denning said.
“Transitional programs also are
included as part of gender responsive practices with a particular focus
on building long-term community support networks for women. All
facilities within the Women and Family Services Division have referral
sources and funding for transitional assistance in housing, employment
and educational needs,” Denning said. “This support is through various
grant-funded programs as well as through the department’s Placement
Resource Unit. For instance, the Faith in Transition Program assists
women at Decatur and Lincoln
Correctional Centers with
transitional needs regarding housing and employment training.”
To support their re-entry, all women
who are released from IDOC are given the opportunity to take home
clothing donated by the community. The clothing ranges from casual to
business attire and the offender to confidently reintegrate into society
without the stigma of being recently released. Donations are accepted by
all of the women’s facilities.
“A final initiative is to become good
neighbors to the community,” Denning said. “Community service projects
include Wigs for Kids donations, Harvest Walks for the Hungry, Special
Olympics activities and Project Linus, in which crocheted and quilted
items are donated to critically ill children. Through this joint
participation by staff and offenders, the division hopes to raise the
level of awareness of volunteerism and good faith to the community.”
The Women and Family Services Division
is frequently contacted regarding donations. The division freely accepts
women’s clothing items, scrap material for quilts, crochet yarn, color
paper for crafts, children’s toys (without metal), religious materials
and greeting card donations. To donate items, please contact the deputy
director’s office at Dwight
Correctional Center at
815-584-2806, ext. 2291.
Debbie Denning, Deputy Director
Women & Family Services
Illinois Department of Correction
Illinois
Youth Center
The following is an excerpt from the
Mission Statement of the Illinois
Youth Center at Warrenville,
Illinois. The Youth Center is a progressive facility which uses an excellent, well developed
program to treat delinquent girls. The
Illinois
Youth Center - Warrenville
the reception, assessment and residential program for the juvenile
female population.
The philosophy of the program is
compatible with the philosophy and mission statement of the Department
of Corrections, Women and Family Services Division.
The program recognizes the
individuality of each youth and the necessity of assessing the
fundamental needs and treatment of the whole person. The first goal is
to assess the physical, psychological, developmental, family, socio
cultural, recreational, educational, and vocational needs of each youth.
From the assessment an individual treatment program is developed and
reviewed monthly. Utilizing the Strategies for Juvenile Supervision, an
assessment and treatment plan and approach, including after-planning,
are developed. All this is done with the goal of reintegrating the youth
and family, arranging community services to follow-up services when
needed, and arranging for appropriate education and work. There are
increasing numbers of youth who will need alternate placements upon
leaving the facility.
A primary goal of the program is to
provide a humane, humanistic, nurturing environment for each youth,
which offers a predictable structure with consistent and uniform
policies and expectations. The staff representing various professional
disciplines have the special skills to respond to the youth’s physical,
emotional, educational, and social needs. A wide variety of therapies
are offered: individual, small group interaction, and intensive alcohol
and substance abuse counseling. Treatment in our program is a
cooperative process. It is based on a working alliance among the youth,
the family, institutional staff, field services staff and the community.
It is designed to create an atmosphere and environment, which encourages
and fosters change, positive decision making and increasing self-esteem.
It values the individual while also valuing the group good. It assists
the youth in accepting their past behavior, identifying past behaviors
and relationships that caused them problems, and resolving same. The
continued learned skill of positive problem resolution will aid the
youth in remaining the community.
Looking Ahead
Clearing the
Path for Girls and Women — A Call for Action
11th National
Workshop on Adult & Juvenile Female Offenders
October 15 - 19,
2005
Marriott Airport
Hotel
Bloomington, Minnesota
Co - Sponsored by
The Minnesota
Department of Corrections & the Association on Programs for Female
Offenders
Forensic
Reentry & Development (FReD) Program
Giving inmates
with mental illness a supportive send off
By Susan McNaughton, Press
Secretary
At the State
Correctional Institution (SCI) at Muncy, located in Lycoming
County, staff is running a special pilot program aimed at assisting female
inmates with mental illness. The goal is to help them prepare for their
eventual return to society following incarceration.
The Forensic
Reentry and Development (FreD) program was originally funded from a
federal grant that was awarded to the Department of Corrections in March
2002. After having been run by a private vendor for just more than one
year at SCI Muncy, staff there assumed responsibility for it in 2003.
The program works
by having one individual - a forensic reentry specialist - work with
female inmates with mental illness and co-occurring disorders such as
sub stance abuse problems and developmental disabilities who are about
12 months from being released from prison either on parole or by maxing
out. In Pennsylvania, maxing out means that the inmate has served his or
her entire sentence. Once he or she maxes out, they are free and are no
longer under anyone’s supervision.
The forensic
reentry specialist (FRS) obtains information from the prison about those
inmates who need extra assistance preparing for community life based
upon their mental health needs. The FRS individually counsels those
inmates, assesses their needs and signs them up for appropriate
institutional programming while they are still in prison. Such
programming would include participation in a program that teaches
inmates how to do laundry, about hygiene, life skills and entitlements.
The FRS also will sit in on parole hearings with the mentally ill
inmate.
In addition, the
FRS makes connections with all of Pennsylvania’s 67 counties. Through
those connections, the FRS helps inmates set up housing, identify and
sign up for community treatment programs and apply for reinstatement of
federal entitlements, such as Social Security and Medicaid.
According to the
DOC, most mentally ill inmates also have problems with substance abuse
and almost all are victims of abuse. Any inmate with mental illness,
even if that illness is coupled with substance abuse or physical abuse
issues, are eligible for the FReD program.
The goal of FReD
is to help mentally ill inmates become more likely to be paroled rather
than max out of the system. If an inmate maxes out, there is no way to
mandate or order them to continue with programming in the community. If
the inmate is paroled, the parole agent can continue to assist the
inmate by ensuring treatment is being received and to assist with
transitional situations that may be more difficult for a mentally ill
individual than for someone with no mental ill ness.
“Those without
mental illness tend to be paroled easier in Pennsylvania,” said Dr.
Lance Couturier, chief psychologist with the Department’s Bureau of
Health Care Services. “Those with serious mental illness have a poor
chance to make parole and are more likely to max out. We’re trying to
get these inmates out before they max out, so we can mandate their
treatment.”
“Returning to
society is a very scary thing for someone with a mental illness,” he
said. “During their incarceration they receive support, a lot is done
for them and they have a ‘home.’ When they leave prison, they can become
lost. This program provides them with a ‘supportive send-off’.”
The goal is to
eventually expand the pilot program to all institutions within the
Pennsylvania DOC, including men’s prisons, to help everyone with a
mental illness successfully return to society.
Currently, there
are approximately 90 women in the FReD program at SCI Muncy, 12 of whom
are trying to obtain parole. Since the program’s inception, Jennifer
Eiswerth, the program coordinator, has worked with more than 200 inmates
who maxed out have been assisted. Another 50 have been serviced, 12 of
whom have been paroled to either CCCs or nursing home facilities. Forty
have been paroled.
SCI Muncy was
chosen as the pilot site for this program because they had a smaller
number of inmates versus a male institution. Also, women tend to be more
responsive to treatment programs than men.
In summary,
FreD’s goals are to help women with mental illness obtain parole rather
than max out of the prison system; ensure all get connected with
community services in their home counties; and provide launching
services to inmates by giving them 12 months of support and preparation.
Inmates
Provide Valuable Service to Society
By Susan
McNaughton, Press Secretary
In July 2004,
several dogs from the State Correctional Institutions (SCIs) at
Cambridge Springs (Crawford County), Muncy
(Lycoming County) and Graterford (Montgomery
County) graduated and are now service dogs assisting individuals with a
variety of functions.
For just more
than one year, the three state prisons have partnered with Canine
Partners for Life (CPL), a non profit entity that trains and places
assistance dogs with individuals with mobility impairments to help
increase their independence and quality of life. Totally dependent upon
donations, CPL has several types of assistance dogs in its program
including service dogs, seizure alert dogs, home companions and
residential (community) companions.
Their recipients
come from all walks of life and have a wide variety of physical
disabilities including muscular dystrophy, multiple sclerosis, cerebral
palsy, spinal cord injuries, seizure disorders and more.
Inmates at the
three Pennsylvania state prisons volunteer their time to raise and train
various breeds of dogs to do a variety of things to assist an
individual. The inmates receive no compensation of any kind for their
volunteer work with the dogs. Through training and guidance provided by
CPL, inmates teach dogs to heel, stay, lie down, retrieve, turn on and
off light switches and to ignore distractions by people or from food.
The dogs live
with their inmate handlers 24 hours a day and even accompany the inmates
to their prison jobs, allowing the dogs to become desensitized to people
and various environments.
CPL Executive
Director Darlene Sullivan says that dogs trained by inmates actually
progress through the training faster than if the dogs were placed with
regular citizens. “Because the inmates have all day to devote to the
dogs, the dogs pick up their skills faster,” Sullivan said. Sullivan
noted that while citizens certainly play a valuable role in training
service dogs, their day-to-day lives do not allow them to devote as much
time to training as inmates’ days allow.
Inmates who
volunteer their time to the program are trained on all aspects of
dealing with the dogs, from grooming and bathing to training and animal
psychology. “Many of the inmates will learn valuable skills that they
can take with them once they return to society,” Sullivan said. Inmates
could continue in the service dog industry or work in kennels caring for
animals or even as veterinary assistants. One inmate said that his
participation allows him to give something back to society. “We’re all
in prison because we took something away from society,” the inmate said.
“This program lets us give back to society.”
Another inmate
said that he learns other things from participating in the program.
“This work teaches me about responsibility and how to praise and give
clear direction,” he said.
Since
implementation of the program at the three state prisons, six dogs have
graduated from Graterford; 13 from Cambridge Springs and seven from
Muncy. Several of the dogs were placed with recipients from other
states.
Once the training
at the prison is completed, CPL takes the dogs back to its headquarters
for more-complex training and for placement and later training with the
dogs’ actual recipients. But immediately thereafter, new dogs are
brought to the prisons to begin their training.
Graduation of the
dogs actually takes place twice a year at CPL’s headquarters in
Cochranville, Pa., Chester County. There, everyone involved in some aspect of the service dogs’ care and
training join to celebrate the successes of the program. During the
ceremony CPL officials describe the relationship the dogs and recipients
will have and acknowledge those who donated dogs to the program, those
that cared for and trained the dogs, as well as those businesses who
supplied free dog food and medical care.
In addition, at
the graduation ceremony, recipients expressed their gratitude for the
program, CPL’s team of trainers and everyone involved.
One recipient
said that she was always afraid to leave her house. As a person who
experiences many seizures, she constantly worried about when the next
one would happen and where she would be when it happened. “Now with my
service dog, I don’t have to worry,” she said. “I rely on this dog to
alert me before a seizure happens so I have time to sit down and
prepare. I finally have my freedom back.”
To learn more
about CPL, visit their website at
http://www.k94life.org or call (610) 869-4902.
Erie PA Re-Entry Project
Utilizing Community
Resources for Successful Reintegration
By Susan McNaughton, Press Secretary
Jeffrey A. Beard, Ph.D., announced
recently that the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections (DOC) was
recently awarded a two-year, Justice, Labor, Health & Human Services,
Education and Housing & Urban Development.
The DOC, in partnership with the
Greater Erie Community Action Committee (GECAC), launched the program in
Erie in April 2004 at the
Erie Community Corrections Center (CCC). The Erie CCC is one of 14
state-operated halfway houses in Pennsylvania.
Erie was selected as the initial
program area due to its high unemployment rate, its high poverty level,
the fact that a high number of citizens do not have a high school
diploma and the fact that 34 percent of parolees are unemployed. It is
an area where offenders face the greatest problems after release from
prison.
“The purpose of this program is to
help return Erie area offenders to their communities in a secure and
safe manner, while teaching offenders the necessary skills needed to
prepare them to become productive citizens,” Beard said. “By doing this
there is a better likelihood of reducing the chance of them reoffending.
According to the DOC, 90 percent of state prison inmates return home
following the completion of their sentences or upon parole from prison.
Some of these offenders fail within the first few months after their
release. The DOC understands the major issues and needs facing offenders
upon their release from prison, some of which contribute to their
successful reintegration
employment, housing, family
relationships, medical and mental health treatment, access to alcohol
and other drug programs - and hopes that, through a cooperative
relationship with local agencies, offenders will be more likely to
succeed, stay away from crime and become productive members of society.
“What we do and how we handle these
needs are every bit as much a public safety issue as are the fences and
walls that surround our prisons,” Beard said.
“We cannot succeed in this alone, nor
can any other single entity,” Beard said. “That is why this pilot
program is so important. It allows local agencies and citizens to work
together for the benefit of their communities, by working to help
offenders successfully return to society.”
Beard said that by working together
agencies cannot only maximize their efforts, but they can consolidate
resources and ensure they are not duplicating efforts.
The program involves assessing
offenders’ individual needs, developing targeted treatment and ensuring
continuity of care through an intensive case management team system.
GECAC will employ the case managers. The program recognizes offenders’
families as keys to successful reintegration; therefore, the program
also addresses the needs of the offenders’ entire families.
Offenders participating in this
program will be male and female offenders screened for return to Erie
through State Correctional Institutions at Albion and Cambridge Springs.
In addition to the partnership between
the DOC and GECAC, involved agencies include the Pennsylvania
Board of Probation and Parole; the
state departments of Health, Public Welfare and Labor & Industry; the
Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency; various federal
government departments and numerous Erie County social service
providers.
GECAC will coordinate services, such
as: job training, adult basic education, GED preparation, mentoring,
housing, alcohol and other drug counseling, as well as mental health and
family development counseling.
The primary goals of the re-entry
program are:
-Enhancement of public
safety.
-Reduction of reoffending.
-Utilization of existing
local, state and federal resourcesunder a central coordination authority
(GECAC).
-Ensuring that the needs of
the offenders are addressed in all phases of the program.
-Assisting the offenders in
avoiding crime, engaging in pro-social community activities and meeting
family responsibilities.
It is hoped that realization of these
goals will ensure that offenders will become productive, law-abiding,
tax paying citizens.
GECAC’s project director is Robert J.
Boeh, who has more than 30 years of experience in both community and
institutional corrections.
