SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2019 VOL. 28 NO. 5
SOLUTIONS FOR ELDERLY INMATE CARE BATTLING THE OPIOID EPIDEMIC
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COLLEGE OF DUPAGE HELPS JUVENILES IN DETENTION AT ILLINOIS YOUTH CENTER EARN COLLEGE CREDIT Six youth in secured care at Illinois Youth Center Warrenville began college this fall at College of DuPage in Glen Ellyn. Through a longstanding partnership with COD, the youth are enrolled in five credit hours of courses this semester with additional offerings available in the spring. Access to education has the ability to change lives, said Heidi Mueller, director of the Department of Juvenile Justice, according to the Daily Herald. "Youth in the juvenile justice system need to believe that they
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have a future and the adults around them need to nurture that belief and see their potential as well. The faculty at COD dedicate their time to not only teaching these kids, but to showing them they are worthy humans with exponential potential," she said. The courses were piloted last year with a hybrid schedule of IYC Warrenville youth attending classes at their facility and on COD's Glen Ellyn campus. Given the success of the pilot, this year students are taking all available courses—College Success
Skills, Career Development, Short Stories and Speech—on the COD campus. Mueller said that through its partnership with COD, the Illinois DJJ is able to fulfill its vision of creating a prison-to-college pipeline for all youth centers under their jurisdiction. "At DJJ, we found ourselves with this sort of positive problem of increasing the number of youth graduating from high school while in our care—seeing that light and motivation turn on in them as they start to realize their potential —but not having a lot of postsecondary options for them. College of DuPage has provided them with
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the opportunity to continue on with education and has given them the confidence to reach for their hopes and dreams," she said. After years of COD criminal justice students volunteering at the youth center to gain professional experience, the idea of the college credit partnership program developed. Haen-Darden secured a Resource for Excellence Grant, funded by the COD Foundation to launch the pilot. The partnership between COD and IYC Warrenville is one of many efforts implemented by the Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice to effectively reverse the school-to-prison pipeline. The youth who participate in postsec-
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ondary education options have a statistically lower chance of reoffending and re-entering the system, Mueller said. "What's so important about this particular program at COD is that it provides the youth not only with the educational instruction, but with this normative experience of actually being able to go on campus and experience what college life is like," she said. "Once our youth start to realize they are smart and that this path can be real for them, they become so incredibly focused and motivated." SEATTLE, KING CO. LEADERS RELEASE 4-POINT PLAN TO ADDRESS REPEAT, VIOLENT OFFENDERS The working group created by Seattle and King County leaders in response to the widespread problem of repeat, violent offenders has released a four-point plan to address what they're calling "high barrier individuals." Mayor Jenny Durkan, King County Executive Dow Constantine, King County Prosecuting Attorney Dan Satterberg and City Attorney Pete Holmes made the announcement Sept 12, according to www.q13fox.com. The pilots include: a comprehensive place-based treatment center at the “West Wing” of the King County Jail; a “rapid re-entry connector” program to plan for the release of people from jail; “HB probation” to provide better support and accountability; and “case conferencing” by law enforcement and services staff to develop a coordinated plan for the most high-impact offenders. The pilot programs will start late this year and early next year and come after months of reporting on violent, repeat offenders
and the impact they're having on downtown businesses and across King County. A breakdown of the four programs are as follows. Pilot Program 1: Enhanced Shelter with On Demand Behavioral Health Services. Under this pilot program jointly funded by the city and King County, the county will create a 60-bed, 24/7 enhanced shelter that will provide on demand behavioral health, supportive housing, and case management services on the second floor of the King County Correctional Facility West Wing. Services will be focused on people whose combination of long-term homelessness, unmet behavioral health needs, and lack of consistent connection to services and community brings them into frequent, expensive, and unsuccessful contact with the criminal legal and emergency medical systems. A total of $4 million will be allocated for capital and additional $800,000 for program operations. The city and county will share these costs evenly. Durkan’s proposed budget for 2020 includes $2 million for capital and $400,000 for operating costs. Pilot Program 2: Rapid ReEntry Connector Currently, King County Jail Health Services provides limited reentry/release planning services to certain people who are in the King County Jail for more than 72 hours. Release planning staff assess behavioral health, physical health, housing, and other supportive service needs and connect people to appropriate services in the community upon release from custody. Yet most people booked into jail are released within 12-48 hours
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and cannot benefit from release planning. This pilot would begin to address the lack of release planning services available for those who rapidly exit the facility. The program would embed a reentry planner position within Jail Health Services who would triage people for services from an array of relevant programs such as LEAD, West Wing Enhanced Shelter, as well as community-based treatment, services, and housing. The city is also providing additional funding to increase capacity for in-jail substance use disorder assessments. Durkan’s proposed 2020 budget adds $212,500 for the pilot program. The program is expected to begin in early 2020. Pilot Program 3: HB Probation The HB probation pilot program would feature a smaller, specialized caseload for Seattle Municipal Court probation counselors who have training in harm-reduction and trauma-informed care strategies for a group of high barrier clients. The counselor will be able to introduce graduated sanctions, offer small incentives for positive behavior, meet with people off-site (away from the courthouse) and schedule more frequent review hearings with judges. Balance suspended jail sentences may be offered to provide people the opportunity to have their jail sentence shortened if the client is willing to engage in chemical dependency treatment. The probation counselor’s expertise in working with high-needs clients will involve case coordination with other service providers including treatment providers, diversion personnel, Veteran’s Affairs, and others. 8 CORRECTIONS FORUM • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2019
Mayor Durkan’s 2020 Proposed Budget adds $170,000 for this pilot program. This new funding would be paired with up to $120,000 of additional Municipal Court resources. If approved by City Council, the program could begin as soon as late 2019. Pilot Program 4: Case Conferencing & Support by Seattle’s City Attorney’s Office A case conferencing approach with support by the Seattle City Attorney’s Office will be responsible for coordination across systems and programs, addressing those high barrier offenders involved in diversion programs, court programs or post-sentencing probation, and working both at a macro level to assess whether existing and proposed pilot programs are working and on individual cases—working to make a meaningful, holistic positive changes in the lives of the people who populate the list and the communities impacted by their behaviors. Durkan’s 2020 Budget adds $150,000 for an additional Assistant City Attorney position in the Criminal Division to ensure the ability to provide better outcomes and efficient case management. The program is expected to begin in early 2020. IOWA PROGRAM ADDRESSES THE GROWING NUMBER OF GIRLS IN JUVENILE DETENTION More girls are in juvenile detention now than 10 years ago, according to the Davenport Juvenile Detention Center. A local program in the city is working to address the trend, plus a problem that comes with it: the lack of adequate programming, according to a news report at news station
www.kwqc.com. Like many of the girls at the juvenile detention center, 17-yearold Taliya Sountris was referred into the Women's Leadership Program. She was arrested for being in a car with someone who had a gun, drugs, and alcohol. The group was started four years ago by Sheri Flack, a juvenile court officer, after seeing a rise in girls entering the system. "Girls nowadays are struggling with more violence than they have in the past, more fighting, involved in maybe some gang-related activities that we hadn't seen maybe 10, 15 years ago," she said. The ten-week program is for girls 12 to 17 years old that are either on probation or have a first offense. The group focuses on careers and it provides speakers who come in and talk about their jobs. Another area of focus is giving back to the community. Recently, the group visited a nursing home. They brought a tray of homemade cookies and cards. Seeing the change is why Flack says they continue the program. "We need a lot more services for girls, and I think they get overlooked quite a bit. Their programming is much different than it is for boys," she said. For Sountris, this group has given her a second chance to turn her life around. "It does make it better to come here, just because you are away from out there. You don't got to focus on nothing," she said. With that focused attention, the hope is that these young women can succeed in turning their lives around. The program has had 41 referrals and 31 girls who have completed it.
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BY M.J. GUERCIO, CONTRIBUTING EDITOR
The Software Advantage From pre-trial to parole, diverse ways software lends support to your agency.
TECHNOLOGY
has improved every aspect of modern life by way of computers, robotics and even artificial intelligence. According to a recent Smithsonian magazine article, many companies already deploy this simulation of human intelligence by machine. For example, American Express uses AI bots for customer service, Google developed a method in which AI diagnoses heart disease faster and more accurately, and hedge funds use AI to beat the stock market. This cutting-edge technology has given these companies an advantage, and an invaluable tool—the same advantage that software gives the corrections industry—an advantage that improves efficiency, organization and decision-making. Software undeniably provides a 10 CORRECTIONS FORUM • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2019
diverse set of applications across the justice system. Modern day applications assist in everything from corrections management to inmate health care. Daily operations are supported by software, and community supervision and risk intervention are also given a boost with its power. In fact, every aspect of the justice system is strengthened by computer software, from the pre-trial process through parole.
Comprehensive JMS InCustody is a comprehensive jail management system by Sun Ridge Systems, Inc. that is reported to be easy to learn and use. InCustody increases efficiency by streamlining the booking and release processes. It includes total management of bookings, questionnaires, offenses, property, cell assignments, medical
records, and visitations. It also provides a comprehensive report/case management system that includes disciplinary and hearing information, use-of-force, and photos. Most notably, the data entered into InCustody can be searched for building statistical reports. bryan@sunridgesystems,.com, 800.474.2565, sunridgesystems.com
Officer Assistance Guard1 technology is transforming corrections management by providing reliable software
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ing and offender movement capabilities, additional features include: virtual grease board, configurable dashboards, activity scheduling, visitation, customizable classification, conflict notifications, facility inventory, and much more. PTS can also provide an integrated photo-capable handheld activity tracker used for identification, activity logging, watch management and more. inforequest@ptssolutions.com, 888.831.5151, www.ptssolutions.com
Jail Management DXC Offender360 is built on a Microsoft platform, and the solution is designed for state and local justice and public safety agencies. This feature-rich software solution
and hardware solutions to over 1,100 correctional facilities nationwide, the company says. The software is specifically designed to assist correctional officers through documented cell checks and suicide watches, automated officers' tasks, real time location, movement history, RFID (radio frequency identification) wristband scanning, duress alarms, mobile tracking, and compliance reporting. sales@guard1.com, 216.595.0890, www.guard1.com
OMS Wizards and Workflows The all new PTS Platinum Offender Management System utilizes wizards and workflows, thus making it one of the easiest to use and to learn offender and facility software systems, according to the firm. Along with traditional book-
tablet to a personal tablet, allowing them to access their eMessages and purchased media. This solution helps reduce staff involvement and increase efficiency, the company reports. www.jpay.com
Automate Information Sharing is designed for jail management, and it also includes modules to support pretrial and community corrections. Always current, Offender360 modernizes jail management and delivers flexible configurability within a turnkey software solution, adaptable to unique operational processes. It delivers system-driven automated workflow, alerts, mobile access, reports, dashboards and real-time data analytics. dxceclipse@dxc.com, 877.744.1360, www.dxc.com/dxcoffender360
Upgradeable Rental Model Tablet The Securus “Make Mine” feature for the SecureView Tablets is a solution for jails that want a community tablet rental model. Rather than having staff distribute dedicated tablets to each offender daily, incarcerated individuals can use any of the SecureView Tablets available in their living unit and upgrade that
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Tyler Alliance connects public safety and criminal justice systems to improve information sharing and enhance decision making. From dispatch operators, police on patrol, fire departments, and emergency services to
corrections staff, probation officers, court clerks, trial judges, and prosecutors, Tyler Alliance seamlessly connects Tyler solutions across departments, agencies, and jurisdictions to help increase safety, automate processes, save time, and reduce errors. cjsales@tylertech.com, 800.431.5776, www.tylertech.com
Learning Management System GTL’s Learning Management System allows inmates to access a vast catalog of content on the Inspire tablet and complete CORRECTIONS FORUM • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2019 11
coursework at their own pace. Instructors can assign and incentivize various modes of learning, customizable by needs. Grading, reported in real-time, allows administrators to generate reports and Certificates of Completion. New partnerships have made available substance abuse treatment and additional vocational courses designed to help each individual address his or her unique needs. Education@gtl.net
Staff Scheduling Software ScheduleAnywhere online corrections officer and staff scheduling software gives managers and staff 24/7 access to real-time schedules. The software ensures each shift and post is properly staffed with qualified employees in accordance with mandatory staffing levels. Managers can review schedules remotely, and
instantly communicate with staff to fill open shifts. Employees can request overtime and submit schedule requests online. Managers can accept or deny the request, and the schedule is instantly updated. info@scheduleanywhre.com, 800.874.8801, ScheduleAnywhere.com
Community Corrections Management Corrections Manager is a case management software for community corrections re-entry organiza12 CORRECTIONS FORUM • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2019
tions. Generate regular ad hoc reports to visualize data and make actionable decisions. The platform is a modern, customizable, efficient platform built by community corrections case managers. info@correctionsmanager.com, www.correctionsmanager.com
parole, etc.). The Case Manager provides a strong foundation for evidence-based practice by assessing level of supervision and tying that to individualized case plans and client activities. Views are person-based, letting you manage holistically across cases, and you
Community Supervision The Northpointe Suite from equivant is a comprehensive case management and decision-support platform with optional modules that are easily activated and configured for your needs. Select from the industry’s top risk/needs assessments to drive level of supervision, case planning, and program/service involvement. The Northpointe Suite includes
can easily collect all data, track compliance, apply consistent responses to violations, upload and generate documents, automatically remind clients of important milestones, and report all progress and outcomes. Case Manager can stand alone or be combined with other Northpointe Suite modules from equivant. katie.brachel@equivant.com, 800.406.4333, www.equivant.com
Community Assistance CFive Catalyst’s positive reinforcement and gamification tech-
full support for pretrial release as well, with phase-specific assessments that quickly inform decisions and set appropriate levels of supervision. For problem-solving, the Northpointe Suite has a wide array of assessments and screeners that target criminogenic needs along with complete intervention planning and collaborative case oversight. katie.brachel@equivant.com, 800.406.4333, www.equivant.com
Supervision Case Management The Northpointe Suite Case Manager is a robust application for community supervision agents regardless of criminal justice phase (diversion, probation, VISIT US AT WWW.CORRECTIONSFORUM.NET
niques—the use of game design elements in non-game contexts—take community supervision to a new level. Catalyst’s one-of-a-kind functionality makes it ideal to assist your clients through their supervision, the firm says. Plus, Catalyst’s behavioral modification and rehabilitation platform helps empower clients to make positive behavior and lifestyle changes, increase timely communication, reduce FTAs (failure to appear) and incorporate support from mentors, friends and family. As a new vision for supervision, the company is offering pilot programs. 949.260.3002, cfive.com
Objective Classification Classification is essential to the operation of an orderly and safe jail and it’s a prerequisite for meaningful program planning for inmates. Northpointe Suite Classification is an evidence-
based tool from equivant that considers staff and inmate safety, public safety, orderly and equitable processing, and complete compliance with inmate’s rights, all while protecting the facility against potential litigation. Objective classification helps identify specialized circumstances, mental health issues, keep-away considerations, etc., and provides staff with a rational basis for their decisions. jessica.brimhall@equivant.com, 800.406.4333, www.equivant.com
Jail Management System SallyPort is a web-based, enterprise class, fully agency-configurable jail management system developed exclusively to meet the 14 CORRECTIONS FORUM • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2019
management needs of local, city, and county-level jails. Easy to use software makes the process of booking and detention fast and simple. It works seamlessly with records management systems, commissary systems, inmate telephone systems, and other thirdparty applications to promote information sharing and automation of many of the booking and record-keeping tasks of any size detention facility. 1.205.949.9900, www.blackcreek.com
Jail Classification Workshops With over three decades as practitioners and researchers, equivant’s Northpointe team is focused on helping maintain a safe, secure environment that protects inmates, staff, visitors, and ultimately the entire community. Instruments, including the nationally-recognized Decision Tree, are at the forefront of the objective classification movement. To assist jails in building their own evidencebased environment and inmate behavior management plan, equivant hosts focused workshops throughout the U.S. to help educate jails that have, or are considering, implementing a Classification unit. jessica.brimhall@equivant.com, 800.406.4333, www.equivant.com
Custody Management Northpointe Suite Custody Management provides an evolved approach to jails and other detention centers looking for a sophisticated, yet uncomplicated, platform to manage all aspects of facility operations and
oversight. Bringing together data analytics, policy compliance, and decision support, this system from equivant includes all the tools you need for objective inmate classification; compliancy tools for PREA (prison rape elimination act); pretrial management; screeners for mental health, suicide, and PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder); program eligibility criteria; complete resident tracking and progress; risk/needs assessments and reentry planning and management. jessica.brimhall@equivant.com, 800.406.4333, www.equivant.com
MEDICAL Electronic Health System Transform your correctional healthcare operation with TechCare corrections-specific electronic operating system and health record. Designed specifically for correctional facilities, TechCare automates healthcare
workflows in compliance with national standards to improve quality of patient care. Integration of critical systems ensures access to real-time data and reporting for complete oversight and accountability. Enable your clinical team to spend more time with patients and less time on non-clinical administrative
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duties with TechCare by NaphCare. techcaresales@naphcare.com, 844.849.3211, techcareehr.com
Electronic Medication Administration Black Creek’s Electronic Medication Administration Record (eMAR) is an electronic medication administration recording solution designed specifically to reduce the amount
of time spent on documenting the administration of medications in a correctional environment. Using Black Creek’s eMAR, clinicians can quickly and easily document medication administrations, vital signs, and other observations. Alerts are displayed immediately on the eMAR screen and can be transmitted via email or Black Creek’s intra-agency messaging application. The Black Creek eMAR utilizes a computerized barcode scanning process that dramatically improves medication dispensing speed and efficiency while increasing accuracy. sales@blackcreekisc.com, 205.949.9900, www.blackcreekisc.com
Health Integration System Electronic Health Records (EHR) play a crucial part in the delivery of health care within a corrections environment. Comprehensive EHRs should not only provide functionality such as medical and mental health charting, dental charting, medication administration records, and various other clinical capabilities that are essential to your
daily operations, they should also possess a robust integration engine. Integration and coexistence with other computer systems is an integral part of EHR installation. This includes interfaces with the Jail Management System, pharmacy, laboratory, radiology, and even other systems such as the Health Information Exchange or Hospital EHRs in order to send/receive clinical and demographic data electronically without the need to reconcile this data manually. Michael.Jakovcic@fusionmgt.com, 732.218.5705, www.FusionEHR.com 16 CORRECTIONS FORUM • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2019
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BY MICHAEL GROHS, CONTRIBUTING EDITOR
Elderly Inmates Their numbers are increasing at an astonishing rate. What are the considerations in housing them?
Dr. John May, Centurion’s Chief Medical Officer, points out, “The simple fact is that many correctional facilities were built for young males and without consideration for ADA accommodations or long-term care placement and care for these individuals.” It is estimated, furthers architect Dave Redemske at HDR, Inc., an Omaha-based firm that specializes in engineering, architecture, environmental and construction services, that by 2030, a mere decade away, the elderly inmate population in the U.S. is anticipated to be 400,000. (In 2016 there were 164,400 elderly prisoners in state and federal prisons, according to a PEW
AS
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study.) On top of that, when it comes to inmates, being elderly is globally considered to begin at 55 because of lifestyle and the fact that inmates “age faster.”
Chronic Issues
Dr. Tom Lehman, Corporate Medical Director at Wexford Health, notes that the aging inmate population includes a higher percentage of patients with comorbid ailments including heart disease, stroke, cancer, COPD, dementia, and renal failure. As a result, these inmates require more clinic visits, prescription drugs, physical and occupational therapy, lab work, x-rays, MRIs, and CT scans. May furthers that older people are also
typically on more medications, develop more complications, require more specialty and inpatient services, and are more prone to injury, falls, and abuse. While many of the health care providers can provide geriatric care, the math has changed. “The resources necessary for the care of 2,000 healthy young men is a fraction of the resources needed to provide care to 2,000 elderly inmates with multiple chronic disease conditions and increased risk of dementia and mobility issues.” Among the biggest concerns, says Redemske, is housing. There are two primary classifications for the elderly population. Mainstreaming is keeping the elderly inmates with the younger
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PHOTO COURTESY OF HDR © 2013 ROBERT BENSON
CHCF-Stockton is a 1,722-bed intermediate, medical and mental health care facility for inmate-patients of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) prison system. The project is designed to create a healing environment based on principles of evidence-based design, which contribute to improvements such as decreased lengths of stay and reduced infection rates. Shown here is a typical housing unit dayroom with natural light from light monitors and outdoor rec yard.
ones. Congregating is putting the older inmates together. The thought was that with congregating, there was a better order of magnitude, but older inmates sometimes felt segregated. When mainstreaming, older inmates might have a calming effect on younger ones, but the older inmates also might be victimized. Some issues are corrections specific, such as accessing the top bunk and getting to the dining hall. In correctional facilities, chronic conditions happen at a higher rate and are often cooccurring. Treating such conditions is a costly endeavor, especially if the inmate is not treated on site. Usually, says Redemske, states that do not have a large elderly inmate population contract with local services, which requires two correctional officers to accompany inmate patients to appointments. Furthermore, he says, during his yearlong study of inmate medical care, he learned that such additional costs were not tracked very well and overtime costs were lumped into transportation, so recordkeeping 20 CORRECTIONS FORUM • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2019
was difficult to determine. May points out that there is an expectation that correctional facility health care providers will provide care onsite as much as possible. Few states have established programs to utilize community nursing homes or have a designated facility for skilled nursing care. “It is difficult to find community nursing homes and dementia units to accept incarcerated patients as Medicaid beds are already limited to begin with for community patients, and there is a stigma that exists of mingling offenders with community patients. Thus, these inmates simply are managed as best as the facility can muster resources.”
Cost Concerns
Naturally, cost is a primary concern. Says Lehman, “To prevent the need of sending frail, elderly inmate patients out for their care, many facilities are looking to pay to bring mobile service companies onsite. Others still are paying to build appropri-
ate, dedicated areas in their health care units or facilities to provide specialty chronic clinics and lab work, etc.” As May points out, the lion’s share of correctional health care dollars are spent on the last months of an inmate’s life. Correctional systems’ health care budgets have been slashed over the past decade, yet patients’ needs continue to increase as they age in the system. Young, healthy offenders are able to enter programs and get out on good time and other incentives, but the mentally ill and elderly tend to remain in the system and are alienated or separated from family. “They simply cannot survive in the community with the hurdles of housing, securing a job, and/or food insecurity, let alone following the rules of accessing health care in the community, such as arranging transportation and setting up appointments all over the map with specialists on one side of the state and their mental health provider at the other end. It has been our experience that patients have
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sought refuge and security by remaining in the correction system rather than trying to fend for themselves in the outside world even if they have Medicaid in place.”
Mental Health/Dementia
Mental health is a primary concern with elderly inmates. For one, says May, social isolation becomes increasingly problematic for aging prisoners who are not able to participate in regular activities. They can withdraw, develop depression, and become less agile. Says Lehman, as the population of inmates increases in age, so does the prevalence of dementia. This is difficult to manage in a jail or prison. “Fortunately all of our facilities have mental health professionals to work with this population along with medical providers to provide a holistic approach for the care of this population. Yes, it is better to house geriatric inmates in a specialized unit or facility. Dispersing a correctional agency’s elderly population across multiple sites can result in duplication of services (and associated increased costs) and decrease in the quality of care provided. By centralizing the location, Wexford Health can implement rigorous and ongoing education for all staff involved. Clinical and operation training (including sensitivity training) for staff members that interact with a geriatric population on a daily basis is a vital part of ensuring that these inmates receive respectful supervision.” May refers to dementia as the elephant in the room. “Classification and medical systems are often not doing enough screening, nor do they have enough resources to develop objective data to support supplemental budget requests while fighting legislatures that do not support the priority. While it is onerous to screen individuals and these individuals tend to be difficult to manage for both security and medical, changing ‘business as usual’ becomes necessary. These folks tend to get infractions and decompensate in restricted housing, yet still they pose a risk of self-injury or to others. A tendency to isolate can be increasingly problematic for demented persons and likely increases their deterioration against their needs.” Paul Nagashima, AIA, LEED AP, associate vice president, design principal also at HDR, notes other considerations that have been coming down the line, especially in California. As a result of Assembly Bill 109 and Law 1170, jails are now taking in those with longer sentences. One inmate is in for 42 years, which means he will serve a minimum of 21 years in a facility not intended for long-term stays. Nagashima notes that with older inmates, it is not just a consideration of such details as stairs but also smaller things. Stakeholders don’t talk enough about acoustics. Therapy is based on conversations, and inmates need to hear the clinician but don’t 22 CORRECTIONS FORUM • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2019
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want everyone else hearing. There are also bigger considerations. If an inmate is in the yard, and they are ordered to hit the deck, it could be bad. Getting up could be worse. Recruiting and retaining staff is becoming more difficult. COs have even complained about new recruits’ poor social skills due to phones. Nagashima agrees that mental health is a huge issue, as is comorbidity. Furthermore, treatment is much more complex when it comes to such things as dialysis. “Having a process and a facility is a serious challenge.” He furthers that there is now a whole other classification of inmate that requires much more from the staff. If staff is not trained in mental health problems, they might think the inmate is just being non-compliant and throw him or her in solitary “which is the last thing they need.” Prisons may have been designed for young men, but time stops for no one. Retrofitting facilities, says May, is often expensive or limited due to space constraints, though some facilities have been able to dedicate living areas to elderly persons, eliminate bunk beds, brighten the environment with new lighting and images, improve access to programs, introduce crafts, and provide more opportunities for direct supervision. “On the other hand, when the opportunity for new construction is available, modern designs can be transformational and therapeutic. While still adhering to all security concerns, innovative designs allow more open space, recreation areas, natural light, outdoor spaces, accommodations for disability and fragility, social interaction, and activities. Simple features such as electrical outlets near beds for equipment such as CPAP machines, call buttons in rooms, or flat surfaces without stairs can improve the safety and functionality of spaces for elderly persons,” May adds. That is pre-
cisely what HDR has done for the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR).
Elder Care Design
HDR worked closely with CDCR when the department was under a court order to deliver a constitutional level of medical care. Among the primary steps, says Nagashima, was taking an interdisciplinary team approach
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and considering the patient part of the team. A problem, he says, is patients need to take more responsibility. Inmates are generally told to do everything when incarcerated. “This didn’t help when they got to the community.” The California Health Care Facility-Stockton is designed to be like a village. There is a Medical Street, a Low and High Acuity Mental Health Street, and a Main Street. Inmates can go to
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ALL FACILITY PHOTOS COURTESY OF HDR © 2013 ROBERT BENSON
CHCF-Stockton is designed to consolidate facilities for long-term medical inmate-patients, as well as acute and intermediate mental health inmate-patients in one central location. Medical Street, where inmates can go to appointments and get back to their units on their own, features shade canopy, mister cooling system and wayfinding graphics.
appointments and get back to their units. A study was employed so inmates could navigate not only the campus but the medical system as well. (Surprisingly, 40% were found to be color blind.) The study also found a significant amount of illiterate inmates and those who did not speak English. In such cases, inmate patients can navigate by relying on shapes and numbers. The village, says Nagashima, was designed so as to not look like facilities in “The Shawshank Redemption” in which characters Brooks, and to a lesser extent, Red, had become institutionalized. The village has plenty of natural light, a rec space, counseling, and negative pressure rooms. Nagashima points out that psychotropic drugs can make it difficult to deal with the heat. The village has mist sprayers and water fountains available. Everything was designed by “real24 CORRECTIONS FORUM • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2019
ly thinking ahead.” There are suicide-proof grab bars by the sink and nurse call buttons. It is tricky, he says. Facilities need to be robust to withstand abuse, but there is a move to soften such things. More attention is being given to light and furniture than ever before. “Interior designers are very important. Color choice is based on evidence-based information.” Facilities like the one in Stockton represent a reason Wexford Health recommends specialized housing for the geriatric inmate population. Centralized housing is more easily modified to accommodate inmates with mobility issues such as widening doorways, showers and bathrooms to easily accommodate wheelchairs; installing sufficient and appropriate lighting; and utilizing low-level bunks/beds and other fall preventive modifications. Things can change quickly. Says Nagashima,
once HDR had built a unit, and a section had to change from being medical to mental care before it even opened. The switch was not a problem. So what should be done? Lehman advocates for increased education and training of health care personnel in prisons and jails regarding geriatric care; training on the specialized needs of elderly inmate patients for security personnel/corrections officers; a coordinated, collaborative review of the health care; and operational infrastructure for jails and prisons. May further recommends that criteria should be developed and utilized across correctional systems to allow for alternative sentencing so that offenders can remain in the community while only serious violent offenders are held behind the walls. One thing seems certain. As Redemske points out, “There is no ‘do nothing’ solution.” %
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BY DONNA ROGERS, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
As the opioid drug giant prepares to settle a lawsuit over the health epidemic, corrections agencies struggle to overcome addiction within their populations.
In
early September OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma reached a tentative settlement with 22 state attorneys general and more than 2,000 cities and counties that sued the company over its role in the opioid crisis of the past two decades, reported the Washington Post. Under terms of a plan that has been under discussion for months, the firm’s controlling family, the Sacklers, would relinquish control of their Stamford, Conn.-based company. Purdue would declare bankruptcy, turn over assets they claim are worth $10 billion to $12 billion, and
resurrect the company as a “public benefit trust” whose main purpose would be to produce addiction treatment and anti-overdose drugs. The deal was said to be worth up to $12 billion, including a guarantee of $3 billion payment from the Sacklers over seven years. But as we went to press, about half the attorneys general opposed taking the deal, saying that the guaranteed $3 billion is not enough. (The deal’s value depends on Purdue assets that may be smaller than current estimates, some have said.) A provision of the bankruptcy plan would include special protections for the Sackler family
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fortune; however if lawsuits against the wealthy family aren’t halted, the Sacklers ‘may be unwilling—or unable’ to contribute billions to the drugmaker’s bankruptcy as planned, Purdue said in a court filing on September 19. Further, about $4.5 billion of the settlement deal is based on the assumption that the Food and Drug Administration will approve a trio of “rescue drugs” that Purdue has in the works. Those include a generic form of Suboxone, used to treat opioid addiction; an inexpensive version of naloxone, the drug that first responders and others carry to reverse overdoses; and the drug CORRECTIONS FORUM • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2019 25
nalmefene, which Purdue is developing to reverse overdoses from illegal street drug fentanyl, which is 50 times as potent as heroin. The divide over the settlement broke down largely along party lines, with most Republican state attorneys general in favor of it and Democrats largely opposed, according to the Washington Post. The states openly opposing the deal—including California, Connecticut, North Carolina, New York, New Jersey, Maryland and Pennsylvania—could take their objections to bankruptcy court and tie up the proceedings
for years, some experts said. “This apparent settlement is a slap in the face to everyone who has had to bury a loved one due to this family’s destruction and greed,” said Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro. “It allows the Sackler family to walk away billionaires and admit no wrongdoing.” On the other hand, in addition to 23 states, four territories supported the deal. Ken Paxton, AG of Texas, said it would “secure billions in funding to address opioid addiction across the nation, and permanently remove the Sackler family from the pharma-
Instituting a MAT program while incarcerated in conjunction with community counselling post-release has shown to be an effective treatment strategy. 26 CORRECTIONS FORUM • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2019
ceutical industry,” said the Washington Post. Another major concern is that the deal relies in significant measure on the assumed value of Purdue’s assets and the sale of its global drug company. States opposing it fear that these values may be overestimated and that some of the settlement money may never materialize. In a similar suit, still pending is the mammoth federal case in Cleveland against other drug manufacturers, distributors and retail pharmacy chains, known as a “multidistrict litigation” or MDL. In that case, the lawsuits from cities, counties, Indian tribes, hospitals and other groups have been consolidated. Judge Dan Aaron Polster has presided over that litigation, urging the parties to settle before trial so that money can be funneled quickly into drug treatment, emergency care, law enforcement and other local needs. In the near future, the lack of a Purdue Pharma deal would have a dire effect on current addiction recovery efforts, where cases could drag on for years in bankruptcy courts. Yet, on the flip side, an imminent settlement with the company could shortchange states of the billions they need in the years to come to fight this ongoing battle. We will follow the pending/approaching outcome with keen interest. The battle is nothing new to corrections officials who have been battling the opioid epidemic for years. Latest federal figures show the prescription drug epidemic has taken more than 200,000 lives via overdoses since 1999. An additional 200,000 deaths are blamed on overdoses from heroin and fentanyl smuggled into the country from China and Mexico. The first wave began with the increase of prescription opioids in the 1990s, followed by second wave in 2010 involving increasing overdoses of heroin. The
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third wave began in 2013 with agencies having to react to significant increases in addiction and overdose deaths involving synthetic opioids. Here is how two of those inventive agencies have determinedly fought back to overcome the opioid epidemic that touches those within their walls.
Missouri’s Medication-Assisted Treatment Plan The Missouri Department of Corrections is working with several partners across the state to address the growing problem of opioid and heroin overdoses. Missouri Governor Eric R. Greitens has called the opioid crisis in Missouri a public health crisis that is overwhelming law enforcement, health care and social service providers. As a first line of defense, Missouri DOC is employing Medication-Assisted Treatment or MAT to assist incarcerated individuals with substance abuse disorders. MAT is an evidence-based practice that combines pharmacological interventions with psycho-social treatment programs and recovery supports. For individuals with substance use disorders, MAT has become an essential part of a comprehensive array of services available to people struggling with addiction to alcohol and other drugs. In collaboration with the Missouri Department of Mental Health, Gateway Foundation and Corizon Health, the Division of Offender Rehabilitative Services facilitates the provision of one type of medication intervention to offenders in treatment for alcohol and opioid use disorders in order to help the prevention of relapse prior to release, according to the department. After release from incarceration, offenders receive MAT in the community for a duration to be determined by medical professionals in consultation with counseling professionals. Vivitrol is an injectable form of naltrexone that, when used to assist in the treatment of opioid or alcohol use disorders, can reduce the cravings associated with withdrawal and relapse. After substance use disorders screening, education and medical testing in the treatment centers, eligible offenders who volunteer to participate receive their first injection of Vivitrol several days prior to their release. After release on probation, parole, and in 3-4 weeks after their first injection, the offenders continuing in outpatient substance use disorders treatment will receive a second injection of Vivitrol. Offenders in treatment who are receiving medication may, with a doctor’s order, switch to one of several other medications (such as buprenorphine or methadone) that are also effective in the treatment of opioid use disorders, the department says. At this time, eligible offenders returning to St. Louis after completing institutional substance use disorders treatment may volunteer to receive both case management services and a pre-release injecVISIT US AT WWW.CORRECTIONSFORUM.NET
tion before commencing outpatient services in the community. The services, both in the institutional treatment centers and the community are provided by Gateway Foundation through a contract with the Missouri Department of Mental Health. Gateway works in partnership with New Beginnings Alt-Care in St. Louis and Rediscover and Heartland Behavioral Health in Kansas City to foster effective continuity of care. The department is currently working with Gateway Foundation to increase the use of MAT with offenders with alcohol and opioid use disorders prior to release. In addition, the Division of Probation and Parole is working with community substance use disorder treatment providers to establish strategies in order to enhance the treatment process, especially for those who are under probation, parole and conditional release supervision and have a history of opioid use, the department notes. The division will identify the best evidence-based treatment available within in the community for these high-risk individuals and develop a process of referral for those to enter community treatment when available. For several years, staff members from the Division of Probation and Parole and the Division of Offender Rehabilitative Services have met monthly with members from the Missouri Department of Mental Health to discuss the quality
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of treatment that is provided within communities. This group will continue its efforts with a more intense focus of combating the opioid crisis in Missouri and developing the most effective treatment plan for individuals under supervision.
Rhode Island, An Early Adopter Earlier this year, Rhode Island DOC’s MAT program had shown such positive results that they were inundated with calls from other agencies asking them for assistance. One of their partners, Brown University, reached out to a production company about creating a video to capture all of the information that gets repeated over and over again in these calls. The resulting video by Path8 Productions tells the story of the proper way to administer both Methadone and Suboxone, and can help guide other agencies when introducing their MAT program. Rhode Island DOC established a treatment/MAT program in 2016, and as of 2018 it was the only state to screen every individual who comes into the correctional system for opioid use disorder, and to offer, along with drug counseling, all three types of drugs approved by the Food and Drug Administration to treat addiction—methadone, buprenorphine and naltrexone. It is part of Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo's strategy to reduce opioid overdose deaths in the state. (It should be noted that Rhode Island has the advantage of being a small state with a combined jail and prison system, so that everyone who is incarcerated comes to the same campus. When an inmate is transferred from jail to prison, there is no disruption in treatment.) While prisons have long offered medication-assisted treatment to small subsets of inmates, such as pregnant women, many prisons in the U.S. do not offer it at all, 28 CORRECTIONS FORUM • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2019
according to a November 2018 report on NPR. At the time of the report RIDOC was treating approximately 275 inmates and pretrial detainees with medication-assisted treatment behind bars. "It's just ludicrous that we have a whole population of people who are by and large incarcerated because of their disease, and we have an effective medication treatment for the disease and we don't give it to them," Dr. Josiah Rich, director of the Center for Prisoner Health and Human Rights at the Miriam Hospital in Providence, told NPR. Rich was one of the experts tapped by Raimondo to identify where best to direct resources to bring down the state's overdose deaths. He made the case for a prison program, given the high death rate among people recently incarcerated. "This is a population of the most severely impacted, the most advanced stages of opioid use disorder—the people who have taken the greatest risks and gotten caught up in the system," Rich furthered. While in prison, the inmates' opioid use usually ends, and so does their ability to tolerate high doses of the drugs without overdosing, as prison officials are aware. "Then you get released into a very stressful situation with a lot of triggers, and you typically relapse," Rich says. "And if you relapse back to the same level you were using, you're set up for overdose and death." This is what drove the Rhode Island Department of Corrections to offer medication-assisted treatment not just to people coming into prison, but also to those who began serving their sentences before the program existed. Eight to 12 weeks before their release, inmates with histories of addiction are offered methadone, buprenorphine or naltrexone to ease their transition back to society, beginning with very low doses. The NPR broadcast details that the very real possibility of relapse
and overdose is in the foremost of the men’s minds as they prepare to be released, as many of their friends in fact have overdosed and died after leaving prison. Inside RIDOC, the program is run by CODAC, a behavioral health care organization that also runs substance abuse treatment programs outside the prison, with locations across Rhode Island. Prisoners who enter the program remain clients when they exit prison, with treatment outside typically paid for by Medicaid. Discharge planners from CODAC help the inmates get organized for that transition. While still inside, offenders have appointments set up for counseling, doctors and other services. In prison they are receiving medication and they will continue seamlessly after they are released. According to NPR, early reports from the program are promising. In a study published in JAMA Psychiatry in spring 2018, researchers found that overdose deaths among people who had recently been imprisoned dropped sharply in the first six months of 2017 as compared to the same period the year before—nine deaths, compared to 26. Patricia Coyne-Fague, then acting director of corrections [now director] for Rhode Island, recognizes that even with medicationassisted treatment, people will stumble and make mistakes— even end up reincarcerated. Still, she defends Rhode Island's $2 million annual expenditure with the argument that the program saves lives. "Sometimes there can be a negative attitude about whose lives we are saving," she told NPR. "But everybody belongs to somebody. And so, while they may have committed a crime and deserve to be incarcerated, they're still human beings. And if we can keep people from dying, that's a good thing." %
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BY DONNA ROGERS, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Reentry Programs That Work Latest reentry progress reports from the field
Career readiness training offered by Indiana DOC is among many programs it offers, including manufacturing skills, cosmotology and carpentry.
LAST
year marked the 10th anniversary of the Second Chance Act. The bipartisan landmark legislation has provided funding to many communities that have embraced a change in criminal justice policy that highly regards successful reentry into the community. SCA helps state, local, and tribal governments and nonprofit organizations in their work to reduce recidivism and improve outcomes among people who have been in the criminal justice system. Since its passage 10 years ago, SCA has supported more 30 CORRECTIONS FORUM • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2019
than 900 grants for adult and youth reentry programs, as well as systemwide improvements to help jurisdictions better address the needs of people who are incarcerated, according to Reentry Matters: Strategies and Successes of Second Chance Art Grantees, November 2018. The brief emphasizes three overall components vital to successful reentry and provides examples of each. It also recommends the type of offenders best targeted for assistance: “The practices used by these programs reflect a growing body of research that shows that targeting people
who have a medium to high risk of reoffending and tailoring services to meet certain needs has the greatest impact on lowering rates of recidivism.” According to Reentry Matters, the first area vital to offender’s success are the factors that influence a person’s criminal behavior—including characteristics and circumstances such as thinking patterns, substance addictions, or peer groups—also influence their likelihood of reoffending and determine their reentry needs. Focusing on these areas to create a strategy for each case and identifying individualized interven-
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tions has been found to have the greatest impact in reducing recidivism. Education level and corresponding employment, housing, treatment for addictions and mental illnesses, as well as family support are all part and parcel of these primary reentry needs. A RAND Corporation study (Davis, Bozick, et al, 2013) funded by an SCA grant found that, on average, people who participated in correctional education programs were 43 percent less likely to recidivate upon release and 13 percent more likely to secure employment than those who had not participated. An example is the Michigan Department of Corrections (MI DOC) Computer Service Technician Program, funded by the SCA. Men who are between 12 and 24 months from their release date are eligible to apply for training in essential skills needed for careers in the information technology field, according to the
brief. Participants gain industryrecognized credentials by completing the Jackson College Computer Technician certificate program, where they also earn credits that can be used toward future college enrollment. In addition, the MI DOC partners with the Detroit School of Digital Technology to provide post-release services that assist program graduates with finding employment and enrolling in post-secondary education classes. The program operates in two facilities, both of which have designated classrooms with new computers and equipment, and uses a prosocial model—a therapeutic intervention technique designed to reinforce positive social behaviors. In one facility, all participants are housed in the same unit to create a cohesive environment that allows for group study time and peer interaction, while the other location offers unlimited access to the computer classroom during
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school hours. Hands-on training in computer labs in both locations aims to prepare participants for taking specific technical exams upon completion of their pre-release college courses. As of May 2018, 78 program participants had been released from prison; 59 had been back in their communities for at least 6 months, Michigan DOC reported. At that time, none of the 78 released participants had returned to prison due to new crimes, 35 were employed, and 35 who were still seeking employment were assigned case managers through the Detroit School of Digital Technology, the brief said.
Approaches for Specific Populations In addition to recognizing individual needs, programs can also tailor services based on common needs among population groups. Correctional and reentry interventions are more effective
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Recidivism Rates at Historic Lows in Indiana The current recidivism rate at Indiana DOC— the country, with some 80% of offenders with sub33.78 %—is the lowest in years, and has a lot to stance use history. IDOC tries to scrupulously to do with the corrections staff that have worked to treat that issue while offenders are there, Dean give offenders that leg up over their years of incarsays, by individualizing programing, dosage, numceration, says Alexis Dean, executive director, ber of sessions, etc. It can take several attempts to Programs and Re-Entry Readiness. gain longtime sobriety, she details, and IDOC Of course the same challenges to reentry exist offers a strong catalog of treatment services to for IDOC as elsewhere in the country. She relates overcome the range of addictions offenders face. three barriers to successful reintegration they most A third foremost challenge is the housing issue. frequently encounter: stable housing, addiction “We likely never have all the housing we need and employment. If those released are not gainfuland want,” Dean acknowledges, “but we do have ly employed—and not just with the lowest wage strong partnerships within our community assisjobs—they are more likely to return, she says. To tance placement, keeping a finger on the pulse of overcome that IDOC “does an extensive amount organizations with availability.” of work with [those in prison] to skill them up Other tools they employ are step-down incarand combat the felony issue that forms a barrier cerations, so those released can work for a time to employment.” while still under supervision and save for indepenIn 2012, the state of Indiana dent housing. IDOC partners created the Hoosier Initiative with community organizations for Re-Entry (HIRE) program who provide free legal aid to under the umbrella of the try to reduce fees offenders Department of Workforce owe, getting them fiscally on Development. In 2019 the protheir feet. Some offenders also gram and mission moved to qualify for fiscal housing assisthe IDOC. HIRE’s aim is to tance. And in recent months, help returning citizens reinteDean has also heard about grate into society by providing employers considering providworkforce readiness training ing housing to those in their and partnering with Indiana Rchard Taylor is a dual program graduate of employment. Indiana’s Ivy Tech Community College. businesses to create a pipeline A lack of housing is often a of skilled workers. IDOC works deal breaker. Dean cautions, with the DWD to scrutinize careers paths and pre“We can’t have expectations that they can be fully dict if the training offered is for sustainable jobs functioning members of society if they don’t have that will exist in five to 10 years. In addition HIRE a place to lay their heads and feel safe.” works hand in hand with parole to track how In the past in corrections we just incarcerated many returning citizens are employed and the people and hoped that they would make changes wages they earn. on their own, furthers Dean. “But we’ve found The employers provide firm commitments of that to be truly successful we need to identify the jobs, sometimes prior to release. “Our leadership risk that contributes to their criminal behavior, applauds companies for taking a chance, for sayand then find programmatic solutions so that we ing ‘yes, I’m willing to hire someone with a can successfully release them to the community. felony.’ This challenge takes a lot of trust on the On the flip side, we need a community that’s willpart of the employer,” Dean asserts. ing to accept them.” Only several weeks ago, she relays, a gentleman In an unforgiving society, to accept a felon may who had been incarcerated since his early 20s be easier said than done, this writer notes. Dean worked with his HIRE coordinator on workforce responds that, in her decade-plus years in the readiness prior to release. Now in his mid-40s, he field, she has found that probably the best way to had had scant experience with the hiring process, change society’s opinion is to have them view yet he secured employment at a warehouse prior firsthand someone that has turned their life to release. Now he was calling his coordinator around. “To see what goes on in our facilities, from the outside to leave a voicemail message people attending vocational training, people in expressing his gratitude for giving him the confischool, in recovery, in cognitive-based classes—it’s dence to interview well and land the job. not people just laying around like they see in Moving on to a second major challenge, the movies. The ability to see that turnaround is what opioid crisis has hit Indiana as hard as the rest of tends to change the most opinions.” —D. Rogers 32 CORRECTIONS FORUM • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2019
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at reducing recidivism when they account for characteristics such as the age, race, ethnicity, gender, or geographic location of a target population (Bonta and Andrews, 2007.) Targeting population variants, such as youth, women, tribal communities or rural jurisdictions, for example, have shown to improve success rates.
Systemwide Strategies The third approach SCA grantees use to build successful reentry programs is systemwide strategic planning and collaboration to examine and improve practices, build staff capacity, and better prioritize resources to have the greatest impact on recidivism, according to Reentry Matters. “Unlike grants that support programming for a small subset of the population, statewide programs can empower agency administrators to impact recidivism through sustainable policy and procedural
indiana Department of Correction Commissioner Rob Carter lends support to offenders in the reentry program at the Westville Correctional Facility.
changes, cultivate their workforces, and establish their states as national models of innovation and interagency collaboration.” Several examples of positive change across public agencies and governments were highlighted in the brief. First, the Iowa
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Department of Corrections (IDOC) brings together representatives from the governor’s office, state policymakers, and corrections leaders to set measurable systemwide recidivism-reduction goals and to develop practical, Continues on page 37
CORRECTIONS FORUM • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2019 33
BY BILL SCHIFFNER, CONTRIBUTING EDITOR
ACFSA 2019 Shakes Things Up in Memphis IMAGE COURTESY OF THE GUEST HOUSE AT GRACELAND
Conference brings on the latest in food service.
The Guest House at Graceland in Memphis, Tennessee, hosted the September ACFSA conference.
ust over 350 corrections professionals who serve in the prison food service industry recently convened in Memphis to check out the latest products, developments and best practices in delivering food service behind bars. This year, the Guest House at Graceland in Memphis, Tennessee, hosted at the Association of Correctional Food Service Affiliate’s (ACFSA) 2019 Annual International Conference and Vendor Showcase, which was held September 22-25. The theme for this year’s event was 50 years of being “all shook up,” as ACFSA celebrated its 50th anniversary. Situated only steps away from Elvis Presley’s Graceland Mansion, The Guest
J
34 CORRECTIONS FORUM • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2019
House at Graceland was the perfect location for the show as the event welcomed a host of timely session topics that included: ReEntry: What Can We Do to Help Them on the Outside; Nutrition with ACFSA’s Ask the Dietitian’s Panel; Digitized Menu Data and e-Technologies for Revolutionizing Food-Shopping Decisions; Recruitment and Staffing Retention; and Food Inspection and Compliance. There was also an interesting session on the pitfalls of purchasing new equipment, remodeling and designing a new facility. Kicking off the conference was keynote speaker Brandon Edwin Chrostowski, an American chef, restaurateur and politician from Cleveland, Ohio. He is the
founder, president and chief executive officer of EDWINS Leadership and Restaurant Institute, a non-profit organization that acts as both a French restaurant and a culinary institute located in Cleveland’s Shaker Square. The eatery, which trains and is largely staffed by former prison inmates, was the subject of the 2017 Academy Award-nominated documentary short, Knife Skills. Chrostowski shared stories and spoke about his life’s mission to change the face of reentry in the United States. In addition to workshops and sessions, here is a sampling of some the new products and services that were showcased at the conference.
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Mobile Kitchens
and with the tight fitting door seal it has exceptional temperature retention. For easy loading and unloading, the doors on the cart open completely and there’s no center support so users have full access to the interior. This feature also makes it easy to clean for better sanitation. One of the most popular features is the high quality, long-lasting 8-inch proforma casters. There are two sizes of the Rhino Cart currently available and a third version will be introduced in the very near future. 1.800.956.5571, www.cookscorrectional.com
Kitchens To Go provides for lease or purchase, comprehensive mobile, modular, and containerized commercial kitchens for planned renovation or expansion, new construction, special
events, or immediate needs such as disaster response and recovery. Food service providers requiring flexible facilities to continue or expand operations when the primary facility goes off-line trust Kitchens To Go to guide complex projects. In addition to cooking capacity, cold and frozen storage, ware washing, dining space, restroom, laundry and office facilities can be provided. 1.630.355.1660, www.kitchenstogo.com
Meal Delivery System JonesZylon showcased its meal delivery system. The meal tray is a 5-Compartment Self-Stacking Tray that seals off each compartment and has underside compartment height to keep food from getting on the bottom. The trays are paired with small or large heavy-duty corrections grade carts
plies, janitorial supplies, consulting and design services. This year the firm has added laundry equipment, commissary supplies (non-food) and parts to their services and offerings. Federal Supply had its products on display in 12 booths and showcasing many items including a new private economy equipment line called Supera, which offers a full line of products for every facility’s pricing need. 1.888.623.4499, www.federalsupply.com
Federal Supply USA has traditionally been known for providing food services equipment, sup-
Design Specialties offers more than 50 products in various materials and colors. One of the products on display was its 5Food Compartment Tray with Flatware Slot. The tray is made
Insulated Delivery Cart Cook’s Correctional Kitchen Equipment and Supplies showcased its Rhino Cart. The Rhino Cart is a one-piece, highly durable, insulated plastic tray delivery cart. The Rhino Cart has many features
that fit a surprisingly large number of trays. The cart features long-lasting casters. Facilities can add a heat box right away or later to convert to a heated cart. 1.800.848.8160, www.joneszylon.com
Food Service Equipment
Insulated Flexible Stacker Tray
that make it ideal for the correctional environment. The unit’s fully insulated body provides extra strength to the cart for longer life
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of Xtremflex material that is said to be very flexible yet sturdy. The tray is reported to not lose its shape in the dishwasher and will not sag when filled with food. The material is recyclable, lightweight and the one-piece stackable or stackable with lid offers a domed underside, so food does not touch the bottom of the tray. It also provides optimum temperature retention with hot food compartments separated from cold food compartments. In addition, the material cannot be sharpened and, if melted, cannot be formed into a weapon. The company guarantees all their materials are FDA approved for multiuse in public food service. 1.800.999.1584, www.designspecialties.org CORRECTIONS FORUM • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2019 35
the manufacturer to their customers. 1.702.870.7600, www.globalfoodslv.com
Meal Service Products Plastocon is the premiere provider of meal delivery sys-
Tray Washers Insinger manufactures commercial warewashing equipment specifically designed for corrections environments. The Insinger tray washer was developed to wash and sanitize compartment trays and is the only NSF approved tray-washing system in the industry. By using a vertical spray pattern, tray washers remove debris that standard warewashers leave behind; compartment trays come out clean and sanitized with the first pass. Insinger’s security package is specifically designed for high-risk facilities; the security package replaces standard parts on the dishwasher with theft-proof components. The Insinger TRAC 878 Triple Tank Tray Washer cleans 878 trays per hour (based on 15inch tray). It was specifically designed to clean and sanitize compartment trays. 1.215.624.4800, www.insingermachine.com
Food Waste Solutions Salvajor’s
Water
Saving
36 CORRECTIONS FORUM • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2019
Package comes with everything facilities need to operate more effectively and efficiently. The patented operator sensor detects the presence or absence of the operator. The control then adjusts the water flow accordingly, reducing water usage by 80% when the operator is away. In addition, the food waste disposer will power off entirely if the operator does not return to the work area before the adjustable run timer expires. 1.800.725.8256, www.salvajor.com
Specialized Food Service Distribution Global Foods is a leader in specialized food service distribution in the United States. The company distributes food and related products to customers in 48 states and strategically sources products globally. The company sells food nationally to federal, state and county correctional facilities. It markets and distributes private label, signature brand items as well as substantially discounted special buys. The company understands the challenges faced every day by customers within the various prison systems and works hard to be a trusted vendor. Global Foods has long-standing strategic partnerships with many manufacturers. Direct purchasing allows the firm to bring significant cost savings direct from
tems to the correctional market. Their U.S. made product line consists of various sized insulated trays, correctional delivery carts, drying and storage racks and a full complement of smallwares, including reusable cutlery, to complement your meal service needs. With over 50 years of industry experience, the firm provides free consultation tailored to each institutions specific requirement. 1.800.966.0103, www.plastoconinc.com
Smaller Package Baking Mixes
JIFFY Foodservice has been manufacturing high quality, low cost baking mixes under its CMC label for the corrections segment for many years and now pack in six 5 lb. pouches, along with its 25 and 50 lb. bags. The company’s complete CMC lineup of baking mixes is backed by its commitment to quality, value and service. 1.800.727.2460, www.jiffyfoodservice.com
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Continued from page 33 data-driven plans to achieve those goals. In 2015, IDOC leaders partnered with the Iowa Department of Health Services to develop strong connections between prisons, community supervision agencies, and community-based mental health and substance addiction service providers. Through the collaboration, training provided through Iowa’s Statewide Adult Recidivism Reduction (SRR) program has resulted in widespread adoption of data-driven practices. Staff choose to override risk and needs assessments less than 10 percent of the time, meaning that they strictly adhere to data-driven practices in the vast majority of cases (statistics are as of June 2018). Another is a statewide, cross-disciplinary strategic plan developed by Nevada Department of Corrections (NDOC) that focuses resources on education and wrap-
around support for people released from prison who are at the highest risk of recidivism as determined by a validated risk and needs assessment tool. The NDOC director worked with the governor to mandate that their department, the Division of Parole and Probation, and the Department of Human Services all use the same assessment when working to target the risk and needs of the reentry population. The common assessment enhances efficiency by fostering more timely and accurate communication between the NDOC and community-based supervision and service providers. A reentry resource guide that can be used by case managers and community supervision staff lists communitybased resources organized by all 17 counties in Nevada, covering needs from clothing to employment services and transportation, in addition to treatment services.%
Job Search: Offenders Gain a Jump on Employment In September a digital job search application for incarcerated individuals has reached a milestone of more than 10.9 million job searches over the past 12 months. The employment platform JobView, which is from Securus Technologies and available on the SecureView Tablet, as well as on kiosks in 28 states, is designed to help incarcerated individuals identify employment opportunities prior to release so they can prepare for successful reentry. Studies have repeatedly shown that employment lowers the risk of rearrest for released individuals. One 2015 study from the Manhattan Institute revealed that “enhanced job-readiness training and job-search assistance helped reduce recidivism among non-violent ex-offenders by one-third, with rearrests dropping from 52% to 35%.” The tablet not only helps offenders stay connected to family and friends via email and media offerings, it allows offenders to work on personal rehabilitation with applications such as JobView, education, mental health and law library. Access to these self-help applications is permitted free of charge. JobView allows the incarcerated to create an action plan for reentry, and some even use it to find job opportunities for their family and friends. Use of the app is up, the company reports. In the last 12 months, it had an average of 135,000-plus monthly users, which is 31% higher than a year ago, as well as an average of 915,819 monthly jobs searches, up 74% from the previous year. In August 930,259 job searches were conducted, which is the largest amount of job searches in a single month since its corrections launch in 2009. The job search tool is now used in 30 states, assisting offenders in learning about types of available jobs and their requirements so they can gain skills while incarcerated and get a jump on securing a job soon after release. VISIT US AT WWW.CORRECTIONSFORUM.NET
AD INDEX Page No.
AUTOCLEAR/Control Screening ....................6 APPA AD .......................29 Black Creek Integrated Systems ....................13 Bob Barker....................39 Centurion .......................2 Corizon Health ...............7 Endur ID Incorporated .............16 Institutional Eye Care ...38 Keefe Group .................40 Lincoln Tech..................33 Medi-Dose Company.........4, 17, 27 NaphCare .....................23 Techcare .......................22 Point Blank Industries ....5 Securus .........................31 StunCuff Enterprises, Inc. ..........4 Swisslog Healthcare .....21 TrinityServices Group, Inc. ..................9 Western Union .............15 Wexford Health Sources ......................19 This advertisers index is provided as a service to our readers only. The publisher does not assume liability for errors or omissions. CORRECTIONS FORUM • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2019 37
New IV Connector Products
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New Silicone Games
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EHR System TechCare from Naphcare is a comprehensive EHR software system tailored specifically to the needs of correctional facilities. It utilizes a standard, proven architecture that scales with your facility’s demands. It successfully manages some of the largest correctional institutions in the country. The program connects all critical systems including offender management system, pharmacy, diagnostics, and food service. www.techcareehr.com, 1.800.834.2420
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38 CORRECTIONS FORUM • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2019
VISIT US AT WWW.CORRECTIONSFORUM.NET