Corrections Community

Upcoming PREA Webinars from PRC

S. Cairns — Wed, 15 May 2013 20:13:00 GMT

The National PREA Resource Center (PRC), operated by the National Council on Crime and Delinquency through a cooperative agreement with the Bureau of Justice Assistance will be offering several PREA webinars during Spring 2013. Check the the PRC website for the most up-to-date information. All are free to attend. From the PRC Website:

Audit Instrument
The PRC is working with the DOJ to finalize the audit instrument for the PREA Standards for Juvenile Facilities, which will be available sometime early this summer. The audit instruments for PREA Standards for Community Confinement Facilities and Lockups will be in development this summer and available in the fall of 2013.

In June 2013, the PRC will train the first group of auditors to be certified by the DOJ and prepared to audit facilities by the beginning of the first audit cycle: August 20, 2013. Participation in this training is by invitation only; future trainings will be open to all qualified individuals via an application process. Details about the application process and required qualifications will be posted on the PRC website when available.

The PRC will host a webinar to explain the instrument and the auditing process on Thursday, June 13, 2013, from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. (EDT). Click here to learn more. Click here to register.

You can find additional information on the auditing process as well as the complete instrument here.

WEBINARS

Crafting Your Program: PREA and Inmate Education in Jails, Part II
Tuesday, May 28, 2013 (1:00–2:30 p.m. EDT)
Click here to learn more. Click here to register.
The National PREA Standards: Implications for Human Resource Practices in Correctional Settings
Thursday, May 30, 2013 (2:00–3:30 p.m. EDT)
Click here to learn more. Click here to register.
Introduction to the PREA Audit Instrument
Thursday, June 13, 2013 (2:00–4:00 p.m. EDT)
Click here to learn more. Click here to register.

Archived Webinars

A complete list of archived webinars can be found here.

For additional resources from NIC – PREA/Offender Sexual Abuse

JusticeHome: Home-Based Alternative Incarceration Program Approved in Brooklyn

Susan Powell — Thu, 09 May 2013 15:15:00 GMT

On May 8, 2013, the Kings County District Attorney Charles J. Hynes and the Women’s Prison Association announced the launch of the JusticeHome program. This program is a “home-based alternative to incarceration, for women, particularly those with children” aimed at reducing incarceration costs and recidivism among female offenders. The program is based on the Drew House Model, which was opened in 2008, and has been evaluated by Columbia University as a model that should be “scaled up and replicated” to serve more families.

Find more on this topic at NIC Women Offenders and Women Offender Programs.

Get To Know NIC: Amanda Hall

Tom Reid — Tue, 07 May 2013 15:00:00 GMT

Amanda Hall is a correctional program specialist in the NIC Academy Division. Before joining the National Institute of Corrections in June 2012, she was a 10-year employee of the Indiana Department of Correction. While at IDOC, she held a variety of positions including director of training (Parole Division), program director (Community Corrections Section/Grant Act), and director of case management (statewide). She has a strong background in juvenile services. Ms. Hall was a regional field coordinator (RFC) in the central region under the NIC Regional Training Initiative for three years, and returned as an RFC alumni facilitator for the region. Ms. Hall also has experience as a technical resource provider for NIC. She is a graduate of Indiana University/Purdue University (Indianapolis) with a degree in criminal justice, and is an honorably discharged veteran of the United States Navy. She holds memberships in a wide variety of professional organizations.

Responsibilities at NIC

Ms. Hall manages a variety of NIC Academy Division training programs including Management Development for the Future, Unleashing Your Leadership Potential, and Essential Skills for New Supervisors. She also manages the southern region of the NIC Academy Division’s Regional Training Initiative. Under the Division’s Learning and Performance Initiative, she authored “Correctional Learning and Performance: A Vision for the 21st Century”and served as a trainer/facilitator for NIC satellite/internet broadcasts and webinars on learning and performance for correctional staff. She is now developing a leadership/management program for custody managers, and is adding additional blended delivery strategies to Management Development for the Future. Ms. Hall also manages technical assistance events in her area of expertise.

Professional Interests

Ms. Hall has a passion for making a difference. She came to NIC as an opportunity to reach a wider audience for sharing the vision of what can be, and to influence and assist a greater correctional community. She wants to be in the forefront of further professionalizing the corrections industry, particularly through the power of training. Ms. Hall says, “Everybody calls it training, but it is really learning and performance. Learning and performance always need to be linked if we hope to make a difference. The key is in the design. If you want to hit the target of changing performance, you need to design it in up front!” Her focus is in applying the thinking behind evidence-based practice to the training environment, especially the design phase, so it yields “research and evidence-based learning.”

Fun Facts and Hidden Talents

Amanda Hall is deathly afraid of heights. In the Navy, she was a parachute rigger and had to jump out of an airplane with a parachute she had rigged herself. She did. Once. Only once. But she passed her proficiency test. Her hidden talent is planning events like weddings and parties, and she is a wiz at arranging artificial flowers (since they don’t object to hot glue guns like real flowers might.)

Join the Event – What's Blooming at NIC!

Susan Powell — Mon, 06 May 2013 14:14:00 GMT

On May 15 and 16, 2013, the National Institute of Corrections (NIC) will hold four 50-minute online workshops on learning and performance. These interactive workshops are intended for professionals responsible for any and all aspects of learning and performance in the corrections field.

Day One – May 15

Plant the Seeds for Learning and Performance
Master Gardeners: Leadership Cultivates Performance

Day Two - May 16

Learning Plans and LMS: Your Farmer’s Almanac
Grow Your Learning Garden

Download flyer for additional details

NC4YC Webinar: Monitoring Conditions from the Inside and Out: Developing Comprehensive Quality Assurance and External Oversight Systems

S. Cairns — Thu, 02 May 2013 15:00:00 GMT

Join this free webinar, Monitoring Conditions from the Inside and Out: Developing Comprehensive Quality Assurance and External Oversight Systems, hosted by The National Center for Youth in Custody (NC4YC). This webinar will address efforts to improve conditions for youth in confinement. It will cover external oversight and quality assurance methods to help justice agencies identify key areas to reform. It will also include input from youth and families.

Webinar Description:
Efforts to improve conditions of confinement for youth can all too easily collapse under their own weight if meaningful systems of internal quality assurance and continuous improvement systems are not established. Equally important, external oversight can help juvenile justice agencies identify key areas to reform within institutions; the American Bar Association, for example, recently promulgated a resolution calling for the establishment of independent oversight entities for correctional and detention facilities. While many systems struggle to develop methods to track and reform conditions issues, the good news is that several effective internal quality assurance tools and external oversight models exist. This webinar, the fifth in the NC4YC series on improving conditions of confinement, will provide strategies for creating, implementing, and maintaining internal quality assurance and continuous improvement systems and external oversight measures, including efforts that value and incorporate input from youth and families.

Moderator:
Will Harrell, JD, LL.M., Lead Federal Monitor (Ohio), New Orleans Department of Public Safety Ombudsman for the New Orleans Juvenile Detention Center, former Chief Independent Ombudsman for the Texas Youth Commission, JDAI Self-Inspection Team New Orleans, Houston and Harrison County, MS, former prison investigation team member for the United Nations Mission in Guatemala, NC4YC Working Group Member

Panelists:

Dr. Kelly Dedel, Federal Monitor in Ohio, Los Angeles and Mississippi, JDAI Team Leader for Montana, national expert on quality assurance and continuous improvement

Professor Michele Deitch, University of Texas Law School and LBJ School of Public Policy, national expert on independent oversight

Jason Wang, Wang Enterprises, former youth resident and first Youth Ombudsman in the Texas Youth Commission

Shari Wolf, Performance and Quality Administrator, Ohio Department of Youth Services, Performance based-Standards State Coordinator

Date & Time:
Wednesday, May 22, 2013 2:00 PM - 3:30 PM EDT

Resources:
Register here

Find more on this topic at NIC Juvenile Justice Resources.

Enroll in NIC's Learning and Performance Spring Thaw VILT Series!

Leslie LeMaster — Wed, 01 May 2013 19:27:00 GMT

Enroll in NIC's Learning and Performance Spring Thaw VILT Series!

Registration is now open in the NIC Learning Center (http://nic.learn.com ) for our two day Learning and Performance Spring Thaw - What's Blooming At NIC Virtual Instructor Led (VILT) event scheduled for May 15 and 16, 2013 (see descriptions below)! The two, 50 minute sessions each day will tap into some of the latest thinking into practice in the Learning and Performance field and cultivating the resources to tap into them! Register for one, two or all four VILTS - it's your choice!

To enroll in this VILT event, log onto http://nic.learn.com and Log-in (upper right hand corner of the screen) (or create an account if you don't already have one). Then, click and follow the Catalog drop down menu at the top of the screen to the virtual instructor led training program you wish to register for in the Learning Center. Click on the course name you are interested in, and click Enroll and follow the required procedures. If you need help, click the Help/Support drop down menu at the top of the screen. As with all NIC Virtual Instructor Led Training, there is no cost for your participation.

To participate effectively in NIC's WebEx virtual training requires a telephone, preferably with a headset, and a computer with an internet connection. We ask you to join each training session at least 10 minutes prior to the start, in the event you encounter connectivity issues.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

Day One - May 15, 2013

"Plant the Seeds for Learning and Performance"

13A6103

8am PT / 9am MT / 10am CT / 11am ET

A Virtual Instructor-Led Training via WebEx

Audience

This virtual instructor led training is intended for professionals responsible for any and all aspects of learning and performance in the corrections field.

Course Description:

Just as seeds require certain elements- sun, soil, water- to become plants, a successful learning program requires certain elements to produce performance. This workshop will explore research regarding learning and how we can use the research to improve corrections training practices.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

"Master Gardeners: Leadership Cultivates Performance"

13A6104

9am PT / 10am MT / 11am CT / 12pm ET

A Virtual Instructor-Led Training via WebEx

Audience:

This virtual instructor led training is intended for professionals responsible for any and all aspects of learning and performance in the corrections field.

Course Description:

What is correctional leadership's role in staff development and performance? Through the book: DRiVE by Daniel H. Pink we will explore what motivates staff performance. We will look at how leadership can support the heart of motivation- autonomy, mastery, and purpose- through the mechanism of learning and performance. And we will discuss how learning is supported through your leadership and agency culture.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Day Two - May 16, 2013

"Learning Plans and LMS: Your Farmer's Almanac"

13A6105

8am PT / 9am MT / 10am CT / 11am ET

A Virtual Instructor-Led Training via WebEx

Audience:

This virtual instructor led training is intended for professionals responsible for any and all aspects of learning and performance in the corrections field.

Course Description:

NIC has been expanding the way it uses its Learning Management System (LMS) to better serve the needs of our constituents. The goal is to allow customers to create their own learning experience, much like backyard gardeners choose what to plant and harvest. NIC's innovative Learning Plans are customized to guide learners through professional development.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

"Grow Your Learning Garden"

13A6106

9am PT / 10am MT / 11am CT / 12pm ET

A Virtual Instructor-Led Training via WebEx

Audience:

This virtual instructor led training is intended for professionals responsible for any and all aspects of learning and performance in the corrections field.

Course Description:

Join this session so you can make the most of NIC's resources by digging into the NIC website and cultivating a garden of learning resources at your fingertips! We will explore what is available to you at the touch of a mouse click; What and how you can request resources from NIC; How to join and participate in our online corrections communities; How to subscribe to updates to the NIC website; How to access the NIC Knowledgebase; and how to cultivate your own resource garden by browsing NIC Projects links!

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Register Now: APPA Conference in July

Susan Powell — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 14:00:00 GMT

From the American Probation and Parole Association:

The American Probation and Parole Association invites you to be a part of the premier Training Institute in the community corrections industry. APPA's 38^th Annual Training Institute will convene in Baltimore, Maryland, July 28-31 at the Hilton Baltimore located at 401 West Pratt Street. The Institute is not to be missed if you are someone who works in the areas of pretrial, probation, parole, juvenile justice, treatment, social work, education or training, victims services, residential programs, judicial systems, pre and post release centers, restitution, law enforcement and public policy development.

Attendees will have the opportunity to select from over 80 accredited workshops, six Intensive Sessions and listen to and be inspired by two dynamic general session speakers. In addition, attendees will have the opportunity to participate in six scheduled networking opportunities in the Resource Expo. By browsing the Resource Expo, attendees will experience first-hand the latest and greatest products in the community corrections industry.

While at APPA, join our National Institute of Corrections (NIC) Specialists at these selected workshops and sessions or at booths 210 and 212:

Dosage Based Probation as an Effective Intervention,
Measuring What Matters: Outcome and Performance Measure for the Pretrial Service Field,
Pretrial and Probation: What is the Same and What is Different in Risk, Supervision and Legal Status – What You Must Know,
Strategies and Skill Sets for Working with Women: Applying a Trauma-Informed Approach.
LGBTI – Having That Difficult Discussion, (backup)
Offender Employment Retention: A Conversation with the Experts. (backup)

Webinar Addresses Effective Connections to Community Treatment

Susan Powell — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 14:14:00 GMT

Join this free webinar, Creating a Strong Foundation for Effective Connections to Community Substance Abuse Treatment, hosted by the National Reentry Resource Center, in partnership with Treatment Alternatives for Safe Communities and the Addiction Technology Transfer Center Network. This webinar will be the first in a series of five webinars entitled: Best Practices for Engaging and Retaining Formerly Incarcerated Individuals in Community Substance Abuse Treatment. These webinars will provide “best practices for engaging and retaining clients in community substance abuse treatment, including effective transition planning and case management and effective strategies to link to community treatment and to partner with probation and parole”.

Part I: Creating a Strong Foundation for Effective Connections to Community Substance Abuse Treatment

This webinar will discuss how jurisdictions can create strong foundations for effective connections to community treatment through a comprehensive reentry process. The webinar will also address the important role that family involvement and support can play in a recovering persons transition from incarceration to the community.

Presenter:
Phillip Barbour, Master Trainer, Center for Health and Justice at Treatment Alternatives for Safe Communities

Moderator:
Kati Guerra, Policy Analyst, Council of State Governments Justice Center

Date: Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Time: 2:00-3:30 p.m. ET

For additional resources from NIC – Reentry and Substance Abuse Treatment

Celebrate National Correctional Officers' Week May 5 - 11, 2013

jgustfsn — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 14:02:00 GMT

In 1984, President Ronald Reagan signed Proclamation 5187 creating "National Correctional Officers' Week." The first full week in May has since been recognized as National Correctional Officers' Week to honor the work of correctional officers and correctional personnel nationwide.

In 1996, Congress officially changed the name of the week to National Correctional Officers and Employees Week. The names of 585 correctional officers are engraved on the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial. These courageous heroes are forever remembered, and their light continues to shine through their memory, and through the selfless men and women who continue to serve each day.

President Reagan's original proclamation

OJJDP/NC4YC Webinar: Family Comes First

S. Cairns — Sun, 21 Apr 2013 19:50:00 GMT

From OJJDP/NC4YC:
The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention and the The National Center for Youth in Custody (NC4YC) will present the Webinar ""Family Comes First: Transforming the Justice System by Partnering with Families".

Date & Time:
Wednesday, May 8, 2013; 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. ET

Webinar Description:
In recent years, family engagement has come to the forefront of juvenile justice system reform. While much progress has been made, system officials and stakeholders still face challenges building effective partnerships with families. On this webinar, presenters will review a new Campaign for Youth Justice report on a nationwide study of best practices in family-system partnerships, showcase examples from jurisdictions that have been intentional about infusing family voice into their systems, explain five features of a transformed juvenile justice system, and introduce the FAMILY Model, which jurisdictions can use to assess their own systems from a family perspective.

Panelists

Neelum Arya, Assistant Professor of Law, Barry University School of Law
Wendy Luckenbill, Recovery and Resiliency Specialist for Children, Youth, and Their Families, Community Care Behavioral Health Organization
Shaena Fazal, National Policy Director, Youth Advocate Programs, Inc.
Liane Rozzell, Founder and Executive Director, Families & Allies of Virginia’s Youth

Resources:
Registration is available online.

Find more on this topic at NIC Juvenile Justice Resources.

Register Now: ICCA Conference in September

Susan Powell — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 13:00:00 GMT

The International Community Corrections Association (ICCA) will hold its 2nd annual conference, One Criminal Justice System with Many Decision Makers: Working Toward A Shared Vision, in the “What Matters” series on September 9-12, 2013 in Reno, Nevada.

This conference will provide two tracks: Public Policy and Operational Policy. The public policy track will focus on bodies of knowledge that can inform decisions defining what the system intends to produce and why those measurable outcomes are desired. This broader, public policy speaks to the effectiveness of the criminal justice system. The relevant research informs "release decision making" for pretrial and post adjudication populations. It also informs decisions linking risk of new crime and offender management for plea agreements, orders of the court as-well-as responses to violations of conditions.

The operational track will focus on how current bodies of knowledge and evidence informed practices increase the likelihood of increasing public safety. This track speaks to the effectiveness of linking risk, responsivity, dosage of specific intervention, to case management and effective supervision.

In challenging times, the blending of these two tracks will facilitate and support an effective, collaborative criminal justice system with a shared vision. Both tracks will be designed and applicable to all those interested and invested in “What Matters” in Community Corrections.

Webinar -- Making 'What Works' Work for You: Evidence-Based Components and Adaptation

Susan Powell — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 15:33:00 GMT

Join this free webinar from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), in collaboration with the National Juvenile Justice Evaluation Center (NJJEC), – Making 'What Works' Work for You: Evidence-Based Components and Adaptation. NJJEC panelists will discuss how to use research-based strategies and techniques in new contexts and how to adapt model programs for local circumstances. This Webinar will help service providers improve current programs and identify research-based practices to address new issues or problems.

Date: April 25, 2013 from 2 to 3:30 p.m. ET

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For additional information from NIC on Evidence-Based Practices and Juveniles

Boston Marathon -- Aftermath Assistance

Susan Powell — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 14:14:00 GMT

By Donna Ledbetter, Research and Information Services Division, Writer/Editor

In the aftermath of the Boston Marathon bombing earlier this week, NIC would like to provide you with resources to find assistance in coping with the tragedy and assisting investigators who are trying to find the source(s) responsible for the bombing.

For crisis counseling, contact the Disaster Distress Helpline sponsored by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration by calling 1-800-985-5990, by texting TalkWithUs to 66746, or by visiting http://disasterdistress.samhsa.gov.

Marathon attendees with information or visual images of the explosion are asked to contact the Federal Bureau of Investigation by e-mail at Boston@ic.fbi.gov.

In addition, there are resources available from NIC to help with crisis intervention and response should an emergency situation occur in a correctional facility. Please consult these resources for more information:

Training

Crisis Intervention Teams: A Frontline Response to Mental Illness in Corrections

Leadership in Times of Critical Incidents (e-course)

Video

Crisis Intervention Teams: An Effective Response to Mental Illness in Corrections

Systematic Approaches to Emergency Preparedness Affecting Correctional Communities

Publications

Crisis Intervention Teams: A Frontline Response to Mental Illness in Corrections (Lesson Plans and Participant Manual)

Corrections and Mental Health: An Update of the National Institute of Corrections (Crisis Intervention Teams)

A Guide to Preparing and Responding to Prison Emergencies: Self-Audit Checklists, National Survey Results, Resource Materials, Case Studies

A Guide to Preparing and Responding to Jail Emergencies: Self-Audit Checklists, National Survey Results, Resource Materials, Case Studies

Responding to a High-Profile Tragic Incident Involving a Person with a Serious Mental Illness: A Toolkit for State Mental Health Commissioners (article)

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For additional resources on Crisis Intervention

Get To Know NIC: Panda Adkins

Tom Reid — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 15:00:00 GMT

Panda Adkins is a correctional program specialist in the NIC Jails Division. Prior to joining the National Institute of Corrections in December 2012, she was a 16-year employee of the Davidson County Sheriff’s Department Corrections Division, where she began her career as a corrections officer. She next served as a case manager, and then became the Davidson County work release manager. Panda has a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice degree from Tennessee State University, and a Master of Science from Cumberland University. She is a Certified Jail Manager with the American Jail Association, serves as an accreditation auditor with the American Correctional Association, and is certified as a Global Career Development Facilitator.

Responsibilities at NIC

Ms. Adkins manages services to Indian Country jails and the following training programs: Jail Administration, Jail Resource Management, and Jail as a Part of County Government. She also coordinates a variety of technical assistance for local jails.

Professional Interests

Panda is an advocate of education and training for jail practitioners. She has conducted corrections-related training for her own agency, her community, and national audiences. She has seen first-hand how education has empowered jail practitioners to make effective decisions in meeting their challenges and moving their jails forward.

Panda sees the jail as an integral part of the community. She believes community members need to be more aware of the jail and its potential for having a positive effect on the local community. Panda enjoys involving local organizations and citizens in the jail--from basic volunteer work with inmates to using inmate labor for community projects and providing services to inmates to help them reintegrate into the community after release.

Virginia Hutchinson, NIC Jails Division Chief says, “Panda is a welcome addition to the NIC staff. She has a passion for corrections, and she looks forward to working with jail practitioners nationwide. Her expertise, experience, positive energy, and love for training make her a tremendous asset to NIC and the jails we serve.”

Fun Facts and Hidden Talents

Yes, her first name is Panda. It is not a nickname. She was once offered a recording contract (for a single and a video) as a rapper as the result of a “rap” she wrote as part of a creative writing class she conducted with offenders.

Did You Know: NIC's Knowledgebase / Solutions

jgustfsn — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 15:18:00 GMT

The National Institute of Corrections responds to thousands of requests for corrections-specific information every year. When we get questions that we think others might find of interest, we add the answers to our Knowledgebase Collection.

A knowledgebase is a centralized repository for related information about a particular subject. A Knowledgebase is not written in stone. New articles are added and old articles that are no longer relevant are retired on an on-going basis. An NIC Knowledgebase is comprised of current, concise, and digital documents that provide a brief introduction to a subject. Our Knowledgebase Collection is always accessible on-line so you can find the information you need, when you need it. This means that you can learn about issues faster, retrieve solutions you’ve found before, and ensure that you are using your time productively.

Currently there are over 80 entries with more being added every week. Recent additions have addressed:

Some of the more popular topics are:

Suggestions are always welcome. If you know of an item that would be a good addition to an existing Knowledgebase, send us an email at support@nic.zendesk.com. If you are having difficulty locating information on a particular subject, please let us know. You may find your answer in our next Knowledgebase!

Lessons Learned: The Santa Cruz County Story

Susan Powell — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 15:36:00 GMT

By Daniel Macallair, Scott MacDonald, Mike Males, and Catherine McCracken, June 2012, The Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice (CJCJ)

As in all California counties, justice and corrections officials in Santa Cruz County, California, recently were faced with the need to respond to state policy changes through AB109, the state's 2011 legislation that transfers responsibility for supervising some inmates from the state to counties.

Santa Cruz County agreed to participate in a Jail Alternatives Initiative, a collaborative partnership with the Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice, the Earl Warren Institute on Law and Social Policy at the University of California, Berkeley Law School, the Santa Cruz County Probation Department, and the Placer County Probation Department. The project included an intensive data analysis conducted by CJCJ in conjunction with the Santa Cruz Probation and Sheriff Departments and the Superior Court.

Because of the county's work on a data-driven and structured decision-making approach, non-sentenced inmates make up about half of the Santa Cruz County jail population. Elsewhere in the state, that proportion can be as high as 70% or more.

According to the authors, "Santa Cruz’s story is reflective of an intentional effort by local stakeholders to improve the local justice system. Through the utilization of data-driven analysis, Santa Cruz justice administrators embraced a practitioner/researcher relationship to target specific areas within their justice system most amenable to significant changes. This case study demonstrates the county’s success in employing deliberate strategies to reduce jail occupancy. For example, the Santa Cruz Probation Department’s pretrial service program has allowed the county to maintain lower levels of non-sentenced individuals within their jail than the state average."

They continue, "If California’s other counties jailed their adult arrestees at Santa Cruz’s lower rate, approximately 43,000 inmates would be held in jails statewide instead of the current 74,000."

Download the case study here.

Motivational Interviewing: Join the Conversation

Tom Reid — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 15:19:00 GMT

It’s all about opening communication. It’s all about opening a pathway for the potential for change. It’s all about trying an alternative interaction style with offenders in the appropriate situation.

Motivational Interviewing Basics

Motivational Interviewing (MI) emerged out of the health/mental health services and substance abuse treatment milieu of the 1980’s. In those areas, it is an evidence-based practice used to address, and hopefully overcome, ambivalence toward personal change. It is not treatment, but it can get patients, clients, and offenders ready to achieve positive outcomes based on their own motivation, which can include readiness for treatment and life change. Some might call it a counseling technique, communication method, or a conversational style that is applied in the proper circumstances to tip the balance toward change and away from ambivalence for those experiencing problems in their lives. A key is listening for “change talk”, and to reinforce it whether it has to do with weight loss, quitting smoking, addressing substance abuse problems in the health/mental health care and addiction field, or, in terms of the criminal justice system and corrections, wanting to address issues that led to and facilitated criminal behavior and lifestyle.

Central to it all is the transfer of the motivation to change from the agent/officer/counselor to the offender so that it is client-based, not officer-based, motivation. This can involve a mindset adjustment in corrections professionals where previously the primary tools applied might have been confrontation, authority, surveillance, control, suspicion, and autocratic direction to now allowing a conversation to flow that internalizes the motivation to change in the offender/client. It is not used all the time, nor at any time, but at the right time.

Motivational Interviewing in Action

Elizabeth Craig, a member of MINT ( Motivational Interviewing Network of Trainers), says, “MI is a very successful technique to help people work through their own thinking about something that is bothering them. The agent/officer needs to resist the urge to jump right in with a solution, but be patient to allow them to arrive at a conclusion. It can work amazingly well, since it has more staying power than if it was my idea.” Craig continues, “MI is a skill to be included with a whole range of professional skills to be applied at the right time. The hardest thing for us is to fight the urge to tell clients what to do, but instead to allow them to arrive at a similar conclusion through a focused conversation.”

Michael Guevara, Correctional Program Specialist at the National Institute of Corrections, calls MI “simply a way to interact with folks to help them on the road to change. The goal is to get them to talk about it. It took the burden for change off of me as their probation officer, and placed the burden for change on them. My role changed: now they do the work and I help them explore the possibilities. My role is in listening more. I’m now in the helper role as they do the work.”

Motivational Interviewing is an Acquired Set of Skills

Like all skills, it might not come naturally to everybody. It can’t be learned in a 3 hour symposium; but you can learn “about it” that way. Acquiring the skill set takes a minimum of 5 days in training, then applying it while a skilled observer evaluates, critiques, and coaches, followed by on-going peer check-ins. Elizabeth Craig recommends “practice, practice, practice” and further feels “it is a perishable skill and you need to watch for ‘skill drift’ where you might start to rely on old habits when MI could work.”

Learn About MI

There are many resources available concerning the use of MI in corrections. Take a look at the items below as you begin to learn about Motivational Interviewing in corrections:

NIC Resources:

Motivating Offenders to Change: A Guide for Probation and Parole

Motivational Interviewing in Corrections: A Comprehensive Guide to Implementing MI in Corrections

Exercises for Developing MI Skills in Corrections

Motivational Interviewing (with a Criminal Justice Focus) Annotated Bibliography

Implementing Motivational Interviewing in Correctional Settings (DVD set)

Motivational Interviewing: An Introduction [Lesson Plan and Participant's Manual]

Motivational Interviewing Training (Lesson Plans)

Two Probation Officer/Offender Contact Sessions (DVD or view on-line)

Motivational Interviewing Resource Page

Motivational Interviewing: Overview (E-course)

Information Center Library Search: Motivational Interviewing

Other Resources:

Change Talk: Using Motivational Interviewing Techniques in Jail Programs

Ten Things that Motivational Interviewing Is Not

The Motivational Interviewing Page: Resources for Clinicians, Researchers, and Trainers

Motivational Interviewing Network of Trainers (MINT)

Motivational Interviewing: Resources for Trainers (MINT)

Motivational Interviewing

New in the Library: Evidence-Based Practice Resources

Susan Powell — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 14:10:00 GMT

What Is the Evidence? Evidence-based policy and practice is focused on reducing offender risk, which in turn reduces new crime and improves public safety. Of the many available approaches to corrections, a few core principles stand out as proven risk reduction strategies. Though not all of the principles are supported by the same weight of evidence, each has been proven to influence positive behavior change.

This bibliography is selection of EBP citations based on questions we receive at the NIC Information Center. They are organized according to:

Introduction: In the Beginning.

Principles 1 and 3: Assess Risk and Needs and Target Interventions--Risk, Need, Responsivity (RNR), and Dosage;

Principle 2: Enhance Motivation to Change;

Principle 4: Skill Training with Directed Practice (CBT);

Principle 5: Increase Positive Reinforcement (See Incentives and Sanctions/Contingency Management);

Principle 6: Engage Ongoing Community Support;

Principles 7 & 8: Measure Relevant Processes and Practices and Measurement.

Download the full document

For additional information on NIC’s EBP Resources and Evidence-Based Decision Making Initiative

A Country in Crisis: Launching a County/State Collaborative Forensic Mental Health Team—An Enhancement of the Sequential Intercept Model

Susan Powell — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 14:45:00 GMT

by Adam Hopkins, Lieutenant, Washoe County Sheriff’s Office, Reno, Nevada

A chance conversation about persons with mental illness was the starting point for a new collaboration between the Nevada State Medical Department and the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office. The resulting Forensic Mental Health Team (FMHT) has implemented new responses that keep mentally ill persons out of jail or help keep them from returning to jail through improved case management and service referrals at release. In this arrangement, the State of Nevada is providing case workers and other staff who operate on-site at the jail. Another element has been the reallocation of some chronic-care mental health system beds for use in acute care, providing an alternative to detention in jail for persons who need 24-hour care. The FMHT model is being implement in other countries across the state.

The author describes the steps taken to launch the multi-partner collaboration and provides recommendations for other agencies that may follow a similar path.

Download the full article here.

OJJDP Webinar To Address Sexual Abuse of Youth in Detention

S. Cairns — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 17:37:00 GMT

From OJJDP:
The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention is a component of the Office of Justice Programs in the U.S. Department of Justice. Just Detention International (JDI), with support from the Office on Violence Against Women, will present the Webinar "One in Eight: The Reality of Sexual Abuse in Youth Detention.

Date & Time:
On April 3, 2013, at 2 p.m. ET

Webinar Description:
This Webinar, designed for youth advocates, service providers, and others in the victim services field, will focus on the crisis of sexual abuse of youth in juvenile detention facilities. Presenters will discuss the offenses that most often result in the incarceration of young people, types of juvenile detention facilities, and the Prison Rape Elimination Act, as applied to these facilities. Community advocates and survivors of sexual abuse in detention are featured speakers.

This Webinar is the first in a three-part series on providing services to survivors of sexual abuse in juvenile detention.

Resources:
Registration is available online.

Find more on this topic at NIC Juvenile Justice Resources.