MONTGOMERY COUNTY PRE-RELEASE SERVICES
COMMUNITY ADVISORY BOARD MEETING
April 8, 2004


Attendance: 
Eric Brenner, Director, State Grants Office for Maryland; John Lavigne, Public Defenders' Office; Malcolm MacDermid, Maryland Parole & Probation; Kent Mason, Citizen; Jane Sachs, PRC Unit IV Manager; Jim Shannon, Acting PRS Chief Administrator; Ronnie Somerville, PRC Unit III Intern; Teresa Still, PRS Assessment Services Manager; Bill Wallace, Prison Aftercare Ministry; Cindy Wolfe, Human Resources, Bethesda Hyatt Regency Hotel.
Guest Speakers: Carla Johnson, PRC Unit III Community Release Coordinator; Andre Stepp, Unit II Resident Supervisor; Ben Stevenson, Unit II Case Manager.

Introductions:
The meeting was opened at 3:35 P.M. and Chairperson John Lavigne welcomed everyone. People introduced themselves and their community/PRS function. John Lavigne and Jim Shannon presented an agenda that addressed operations directed by line staff.

IMCGEO Status of Labor Relations at PRS - Ben Stevenson: PRC Unit II Case Manager and Chief Steward for the Montgomery County Government Employees Organization Ben Stevenson thanked everyone for inviting him to the meeting. As Chief Steward, Ben's position is to assist with labor relations between the Union and PRS staff and to organize meetings. The Pre-Release Services Division has four Stewards and there are approximately twenty Stewards at MCDC/MCCF. Ben stated there is now more open communications between the Union and the Department then in the past and although at times they do not see eye to eye, all agree there is a common interest. A progressive change in scheduling has taken place with an agreement between the Resident Supervisors (line staff) and PRC managers. Permanent work schedules are now in place for Resident Supervisors, as they wanted more stable working hours. There are 22 shifts and 22 Residents Supervisors for the day, evening, and midnight shifts. Schedule picks were made according to the staff's seniority. The Case Managers (formally called Counselors) work three different schedules - either Sunday through Thursday, Monday through Friday, or Tuesday through Saturday. Jane Sachs stated that the managers looked at all the "pros" and "cons" and the schedules will be reviewed yearly. John Lavigne questioned if Correctional Officers receive different benefits then the other staff - the answer was "no", all staff receive the same benefits.

PRC Escape Officer - Andre Stepp: Unit III Resident Supervisor and Escape Officer Andre Stepp stated that it is his job to coordinate prosecution of any resident that escapes from Pre-Release Services with the State's Attorneys Office, the County Attorney, and the Department. If the escapee is from Washington, D. C., Prince George's County, or another local jurisdiction, Andre sets up communications with these authorities also. The Escape Officer position is a special assignment and changes periodically. Andre stated that when he started working at the Pre-Release Center in 1998, there was an average of one escape per month. Since the Department is more aggressively prosecuting escape charges, there are now an average of three or four a year. Any resident that is more than one hour late returning to PRC or leaves the facility without permission may be considered an escapee. Staff start by contacting family members, friends, employers, and may send staff out to look for the resident. Once an escape warrant is issued, there is no pulling it back. The Department seeks progressive prosecution with the maximum allowed at sentencing with the cooperation with the State's Attorneys Office. A letter is written to the offender's sentencing judge regarding the escape and the effects escapes have on the program and the community and request that the resident receive the maximum sentence. The Escape Officer attends the trial along with the Department Director Art Wallenstein, when he is available. All new residents arriving at the Pre-Release Center receive orientation about the program and facility. Included in this orientation is a severe warning and the consequences of what happens if a resident escapes from the program. Being unaccountable in the community can also be considered an escape, however in this type of case the resident is not where he/she should be but staff anticipate that the resident will return at their stated time. Suspension or revocation of the resident may result from being unaccountable in the community. Motivators for escapes are family problems/crisis, poor relationships, or just poor judgment. Of the four escapes last year, two returned on their own due to staff's intensive contact with family members.

Re-Entry Work Group - Carla Johnson: Community Release Coordinator Carla Johnson explained that due to the reduction of staff, a Re-Entry Work Group has been formed consisting of the Community Release Coordinators and Case Managers to reorganize the PRC programming. This group is concentrating on criminal thinking by use of Reality Therapy and Choice Theory. There are also wellness issues, concerns, and prevention. The new programming will be one week instead of three weeks and will consist of Job Readiness and Retention modules with mock interviews three to four mornings and five Criminal Thinking modules. The Criminal Thinking modules will include how to prevent recidivism by way of Reality Therapy and Choice Theory.

Jim Shannon stated that reducing the programming time was due to fewer staff and offenders receiving shorter sentences. The focus is on what we can offer residents and the concern to re-focus on the residents' needs in the community. Once released, many residents do not keep their jobs or attend counseling. Jim explained that many of the Federal offenders coming to PRC have already received the same basic programming while in Federal prison and both Federal and County inmates are receiving much shorter sentences (30, 45, 60 days). He further stated that the evening Home Groups will be replaced with special focus groups and staff will continue working with the families.

Exchange with Local Ministries - Jane Sachs and Eric Brenner: Unit Manager Jane Sachs and Eric Brenner recently met with local ministry focus groups. The focus groups want to assist ex-offenders re-entering the community and asked what issues PRC residents have post release. The ministry groups have the resources and property to build housing but must work with the County agency for affordable housing

Award Presentation from the Maryland Commission for Accreditation - Jim Shannon: The Pre-Release Center met full compliance of the Maryland Commission for Accreditation audit and the award ceremony date is planned for the next Community Advisory Board meeting on June 3rd. PRS staff and guests will be invited. The Pre-Release Center also received the American Correctional Association (ACA) accreditation and Jim will try to have this award presented at the same time.

Adjournment: The meeting adjourned at 4:45 P.M.

The next meeting of the PRS Community Advisory Board is Thursday, June 3rd at 3:30 P.M. at the Pre-Release Center. Future 2004 meeting dates are:

  • Thursday, September 9th
  • Thursday, December 2nd

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