Pre-Release and Reentry Services
COMMUNITY ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETING
June 8, 2006
Committee Members and Guests Attendance: Amy Bransford, Parole and Probation; Patricia Braun, PRRS Unit IV Community Release Coordinator; Eric Brenner, Director of the Maryland Governor's Grants Office; Rev. Michael Bryant, Archdiocese of Washington; Cherise Burdeen, MGT of America; Thomas DeGonia, State's Attorneys Office; Joy Flood, HOC: POIII Denise Gill, Montgomery County Police Community Policing Coordinator; Karl Girshman, Community Member; Stephanie Hall, PRRS Unit II Manager; Norma Jennings, Silver Spring Interfaith Housing Coalition; Nicole Johnson , Comprehensive Treatment Services; John Keating, Metropolitan Industries; Susan Kirk, Bethesda Cares; Rev. Ralph Kuehner, Archdiocese of Washington; John Lavigne, Public Defenders' Office; Stefan LoBuglio, PRRS Division Chief; Don Martin, Health and Human Services; Loretta McClintock; Dr. Susan McFeaters, University of Maryland ' Shady Grove Campus; Peter McGinnity, Representative from the Archdiocese of Washington; James Shannon, PRRS Personnel and Budget Manager; Teresa Still, PRRS Assessment Services Manager; Becky Wagner, Community Ministry of Montgomery County
Welcome and Introductions: Chairperson John Lavigne called the meeting to order at 7:35 A.M. The Committee members and guests introduced themselves.
PRRS Division Chief's Report: PRRS Division Chiefs Stefan LoBuglio highlighted items from his Division Chief's Report that described significant activities (see attached Report):
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A two day conference will be held June 27th and 28th at the Urban Institute in Washington, D.C.Both DOCR Director Art Wallenstein and PRRS Chief Stefan LoBuglio will be attending this conference.Discussions will include jail overcrowding, rural jails, female offenders, offender flow, reentry planning, post-release supervision, recidivism, public safety, and many other issues affecting corrections.
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The Pre-Release and Reentry Division of Correction continues to host visitors to the facility.These visitors are not only local, but from many states for foreign countries.
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After a nine month process, an American Correctional Association auditor conducted the final monitoring visit on May 31, 2006.The monitoring visit was a success and the auditor found the program in compliance with all of the 17 mandatory standards with an overall compliance rating of 99%.This was a great team effort by staff as all supplies and chemicals were accounted for.
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Chairman John Lavigne announced the Committee members and PRRS staff who received recognition at the DOCR Awards Program.He said it was a very nice ceremony and luncheon.Mr. Lavigne showed his Special Appreciation Award that he just had framed and said he is going to hang it in his office.He thanks the Committee for their support of his application for a judgeship.He also announced that Committee member Assistant State's Attorney Tom DeGonia will be running for Delegate of District 19. Chief LoBuglio stated that PRRS was lucky to have such talented committee members.
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Mr. LoBuglio spoke of the change in case management at PRRS.He stated that it involves providing the right incentives to residents on how to successfully develop reentry plans and complete their goals.The previous phase system which had time requirements was in place for seventeen years.The new 'level' system provides greater flexibility of movement by removing the time requirements.
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The Career Center is officially open with ten computers, a fax machine, and telephones for job searching by the residents.Internet access is now available to the residents but designed with a secure system by the IT Department as there needed to be a balance of control.
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The electronic monitoring contract has been awarded to Isecuretrac.This GPS equipment will provide greater surveillance of residents and in turn they will be held more accountable.Staff will be able to include sex offenders and long-time incarcerates housed at PRC along with residents on Home Confinement on the new equipment.PRRS has zero tolerance for use of alcohol and/or drugs and unaccountability.With an eighteen month sentence, an offender can earn five days a month of good conduct time ' this means an eighteen month can have three months taken off the sentence.If a resident is found guilty of a rule infraction, the good conduct time can be taken away.All in all, community corrections is a good system that frees up jail beds.The new GPS equipment will allow staff to be alerted to unauthorized locations and increases supervision capacity.
PRRS and Family Justice: Presentation by Patricia Braun, Community Release Coordinator.Ms. Braun stated formerly staff went to the residents' homes to meet with the sponsors.Now it is the sponsor's responsibility to attend Sponsor Meetings at the Pre-Release Center first.With collaboration with Family Justice, the definition of 'family' has changed ' no marriage, living with grandparents, aunts, uncles, one parent family, etc.At the initial Sponsor Meeting, expectations of the sponsors are explained by the Case Managers and the hope that the group members will come to support one another.Family members come to the Center to meet with the Case Manager and resident in the contracting process.Thus, the family members are able to add their input into the contracting process and show they support in the offenders' reentry progress.
Family Justice, a non-profit organization based in New York City, is a new initiative that was established in 2001.Family Justice runs an award winning program called La Familia de La Bodega which services individuals with criminal histories and their families in the City's lower east side.It focuses on strength of the family, family members being able to recognize positive and negative behaviors that are overlooked, church, health care, etc.PRRS staff are using the Genograms and Ecomaps (attached) to determine what connections need to be strengthened and what activities staff can develop to assist the families.
HOC/SSIHC/PRRS: Norma Jennings of the Silver Spring Interfaith Housing Coalition, Joy Flood of the Housing Opportunities Commission, and Unit Manager Stephanie Hall discussed the new SSIHC/HOC joint program that has been developed to assist female offenders with children find housing.Previously, female offenders were not eligible for federal subsidized funded housing.HOC is funding a three year pilot reentry program to see if it is doable.A PRC former female resident has received housing.This first participating female offender has a team of mentors.She is developing goals and objectives, will be reunited with her children, receive job training, and support services through this program.Hopefully by the end of three years, she will be streamlined back into the community.In 2006 and 2007, five female offenders will receive full financial assistance by Freddie Mac.Unit Manager Stephanie Hall hopes to have PRRS Case Managers along with Parole and Probation agents involved with the offenders placed in this type of faith-based housing after release.Now at the offender's very first Team meeting, PRRS staff will be looking at the offender's behavior, housing needs, children, education, prior jobs or job training to see if she may be eligible for this housing program.
Archdiocese Reentry Program: The Archdiocese has hired a Reentry Coordinator for its new program 'Welcome Home'.The Welcome Home program includes offenders from the District of Columbia, Montgomery County, Prince George's County, and Calvert County.The Reentry Coordinator met with fifteen services providers from various aspects of human needs ' employment opportunities for training programs.Funding has been developed for salaries and to establish the program.Rev. Kuehner stated that they will be going to about 22 of the 39 Catholic Churches in Washington, D. C. area to train volunteers as mentors.The mentors will receive sixteen hours of training and another four hours of training by the Reentry Coordinator.The mentors will be trained to assist in NA and AA meetings and mental health issues and Rev. Kuehner hopes to have a full-time coordinator here at the Pre-Release Center.The Archdiocese has received a $50,000 grant to fund the program.
Eric Brenner questioned the county-wide recidivism rate and how PRC is taking on tougher cases.He suggested a study to include what makes for success and what do we need to do right.
The next meeting of the Pre-Release and Reentry Services Division Community Advisory Committee is Thursday, September 14th at 7:30 A.M., in the outside classroom.A light buffet breakfast is served.Below are the remaining 2006 meeting dates:
September 14, 2006
December 7, 2006
The meeting adjourned at 9:00 A.M.