Rethinking the “Correction” in the Department of Correction through Reintegration Centers By the Connecticut Department of Correction A national debate urging for criminal justice reform has transitioned from passionate conversations to bipartisan supported legislation here in the state of Connecticut. While the United States is frequently criticized for incarcerating more of its citizens than any other country in the world, our state was witnessing a significant reduction in crime rates with a correlating plummet in our total prison population. The Governor of the state of Connecticut, Dannel P. Malloy embarked on what would come to be known as the “Second Chance Society” reforms, which in turn created the perfect storm for the Department of Correction to take a look at our current reentry strategies and take a bold step in a new direction, in line with the Second Chance Society. What are the Second Chance Initiatives? They were in fact a series of legislative proposals that aimed to give formerly incarcerated individuals a fighting chance at success and get away from the philosophy of permanent punishment that our society had invested in for far too long. The initiatives initially focused on an expedited pardon process, and eliminated mandatory sentences for simply drug possessions – reclassifying those charges from felony to misdemeanor classifications. A future goal of the criminal justice reform themed legislation is to address bail reform and juvenile sentencing. What did Second Chance mean for the Department of Correction (DOC)? Second Chance for the DOC is essentially putting forth a sound reentry plan for the incarcerated population and empowering those individuals to be productive citizens. A reduction in recidivism is something we all benefit from. Certainly reentry has always been an integral piece of this agency’s mission; however, the momentum of Second Chance, along with the leadership of Commissioner Scott Semple created an opportunity to broaden those efforts, get creative and build a program that presented something new. Something New to Connecticut The Willard-Cybulski Correctional Institution was reconstituted and rededicated as the Cybulski Community Reintegration Center in April of 2015. This location in Enfield, Connecticut consists of six housing units containing 110 adult males per unit. The building has converted half of the units to Reintegration Center units with plans to continue throughout the building. The agency 1 of 4
officially announced the establishment of Connecticut’s first Reintegration Center at a large scale media event with the Governor, community providers, and various other stakeholders in attendance. The concept of our Reintegration Center is not unique to the country, it is a borrowed model from the Ohio Department of Rehabilitative Services with the ability to add community programming and furlough opportunities based on our Commissioner’s authority outlined in state statute. What exactly is a Reintegration Center? As a starting point, to ensure a positive, mutually supportive and forward thinking climate within the unit, offenders were required to apply and interview for acceptance into this unit. In some ways the establishment of the first Reintegration Center during the early stages set the tone for self-empowerment for participants. The offenders themselves would create the unit philosophy, the unit rules, and begin each day with a morning meeting that would include inspiration quotes and acknowledgment of celebrations in the unit such as birthdays. While input on what color to paint the walls may seem insignificant to most, this type of involvement for any offender is not typical, ultimately putting some level of control and ownership in the hands of the offenders. Following this unique concept, the Reintegration Center is regulated to a significant degree by the offenders. Holding themselves accountable for their actions within the unit, parallels the level of responsibility needed in society at large, thus increasing their chances for successful reintegration. In addition to self-accountability, the foundation of the unit is built upon maximizing the number of hours spent per day engaged in “meaningful activity.” This may include, but not limited to, work, educational or vocational instruction, participation in programs or community service. The Reintegration Center was designed to provide intensive preparation for offenders nearing release, by utilizing staff, non-profit providers, volunteers and inmate resources to deliver valuable program facilitation. Connecticut’s experience suggests that in-reach efforts combined with service delivery post-release increased engagement and reduces recidivism. With this in mind, the agency incorporated in-reach efforts to foster pre-release relationships between community, parole, probation and the offenders. Upon entry to the Unit, each offender is assigned a rehabilitative path (or paths) based on assessed needs. Examples of pathways include: Recovery, Family Reunification, Positive Support Network, Educational/Vocational, Faith Based, Employment, Community Service, and Health and Wellness. These individual rehabilitative pathways sends the offender on a “journey” specific to their needs. On a larger scale, the intensive programmatic model within the Reintegration Center sent a distinct message to the overall offender population. The unit created a place, a somewhat privileged place, for those ready to get serious about going home, staying out of prison and becoming tax paying productive citizens.
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While planning the opening of the second Reintegration Center, the interest and success witnessed by the opening of the first unit sparked an idea to specialize the next unit. Specialization would mean targeting a specific population that would allow the department to monopolize on programming based on a population with similar backgrounds or needs. Hence, the opening of the Veterans Service Unit took place in early November, 2015, intentionally coinciding with the observance of the Veteran’s Day holiday. The fact that, on average, 600 male offenders or roughly 5% of the overall population has served in the armed forces supported the decision to focus on this particular group of offenders. The Veterans Service Unit is a collaborative effort between the Connecticut Department of Correction (DOC), US Veterans Administration (VA), Connecticut Vet Centers (VC), and the Connecticut Department of Labor (DOL) to support incarcerated adult men who have taken the oath to serve this country. This joint effort seeks to provide concentrated services specific to the needs of incarcerated Veterans while addressing barriers to successful reentry. Much like the first Reintegration Center, the Veterans Services Unit sought to create a self-imposed level of discipline amongst the participants. To assist with the goal, the unit also has a mission and vision created by the participants. Wall murals depicting American Eagles, combat boots, dog tags, and the symbols of the five branches of the service (all of which symbolized the pride associated with the US military), speaks to the level of buy-in needed from its members in order to create this specialized unit. To further support the theme and climate of the unit, many of the agency staff proudly requested assignment within this program based on their own personal military involvement. Programs offered in this unit include Life Skills, Art Therapy, Exploring Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome, Yoga, and Veteran Specific Employability Workshops. Since the inception of the unit, 96 offenders have discharged from the program to the community and just five have been readmitted. Although the theory and philosophy behind the Reintegration Centers are clearly well intended, it is important to measure the success of the participants through data analysis, maintaining statistics that track a return to custody by an offender, as well as other valuable statistics that speak to a change in behavior. The statistics below clearly indicate the success of the program to date. A total of 78 offenders have been released from the Reintegration Center and twelve have returned to custody, representing a 16% return rate.
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# OF RELEASES
CCRC Community Release and Returns 100 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0
18% 16% 14% 12% 10% 8% 6% 4% 2% 0%
Releases
Total Releases
Monthly Returns
Return
Our next phase of this reentry model produced the first Reintegration Center established to address the unique needs of the female offender population opened at the York Correctional Institution, followed by a Reintegration Center for male offenders displaying alcohol dependency and serving sentences for Driving Under the Influence (DUI). Future plans include establishing centers for both the youth and mental health populations, all of which add up to a new and improved emphasis on the concept of “Correction� at the Connecticut Department of Correction.
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