Closing the Revolving Door
Pivotal Partnerships and Collaborative Services for Men's Reentry Success
Lindsay Smith, Dr. Jennifer Lerch, Allen West, and Dr. Faye S. Taxman
On average, about 10 million individuals are admitted to jails per year (Minton & Zeng, 2021). These individuals, especially those with repeated jail incarcerations, are disproportionately of lower socio-economic status, are less educated, unlikely to be employed, and have greater health needs (e.g., substance use disorders, mental illness) (Jones & Sawyer, 2019). The ability of jails to address these needs is essential to improved success once individuals return to the community. For one jail in Prince William County, VA, the adult male reentry program takes a multifaceted approach using wraparound services to meet individuals’ needs and adequately prepare them for reintegration. This reentry program is built on three important themes in effective pre-release planning efforts: supportive relationships, continuity of care, and forms of structure (e.g., stable housing, steady employment) (Kendall et al., 2018).
Prince William Manassas Regional Adult Detention Center (PWMRADC)
Prince William County has roughly 500,000 residents, 41% of which are white, 25% are Hispanic, and 20% are Black (U.S. Census Bureau, 2020). On any given day, there are 500 incarcerated individuals in the PWMRADC. The recidivism rate of reentering individuals from the jail is 47%. To address this recidivism rate, the PWMRADC offers 38 programs for both incarcerated men and women. However, the reentry dorm for adult men only, has an additional 42 programs to improve their chances of success. Reentry dorm programs include: Alcoholics Anonymous (AA)/Narcotics Anonymous (NA), Phoenix House, Microsoft Training, Fatherhood Initiative, Housing Locator, National Counseling Group, VDOT Flagger, and Virginia Cares.
Bringing the Reentry Dorm to Fruition
Captain Allen West designed the reentry programming in 2009 when he was the program coordinator for the men’s units. He and his wife, a senior probation officer in the county, were discussing the needs of men revolving in and out of the criminal legal system. Captain West recalls discussing that “there really has to be some connection from jail to the outside” because “guys need transportation, ID, employment” and more. He recognized the need to supply individuals with the all the necessities that would support their success after release from the jail. These seeds of an
idea coupled with Captain West’s passion to see the men passing through his unit be successful were the beginning for what is now the Reentry Dorm.
As with any new program, gaining resources was a challenge. To start building the necessary pool of resources, the jail’s administration began hosting resource fairs in 2011 with supportive vendors who can connect individuals in the jail to services for their reentry planning efforts. Captain West has admitted “it’s like planning a wedding” every six months. The perseverance of these events has allowed it to grow to the point that by October 2019, 41 vendors were present in the PWMRADC gymnasium for the bi-annual event.
After the resource fair gained popularity, an evidence-based policy team began in the county, with the goal to analyze how individuals moved throughout the criminal legal system from contact with the police, through the court process, into jail and eventually reentry to the community. This team chose to have a reentry subcommittee that submitted two ideas: a one-stop shop facility in the community for system-involved individuals and Captain West’s idea of a reentry dorm in the jail. His idea came to fruition as a quicker fix and with a smaller budget, $3,500 to be exact. The layout of the program as planned included:
• An assessment,
• Assignment to a path (depending on men’s needs), and
• Connection to services.
This plan adopted a more holistic approach for everyone—after assessment, assign every eligible individual for the reentry program to a set number of classes and then assign additional classes to men based on their individualized needs, because “everyone has different needs” exclaims Captain West. The Reentry Dorm opened in 2016.
Building the Reentry Dorm
Inside a jail environment, living and working to maintain security and promote rehabilitation is a balancing act. For Captain West, this meant consideration of the limited budget, target population, program layout, dorm location, case management roles, and available services that the reentry dorm could provide men.
Design Decisions
Where is it going? The location of the dorm “was easy really,” because there is a building with other programs and dorms in it already, and so “it just made sense” to put the dorm there, according to Captain West. The size of the dorm was a challenge though because pods can hold up to 70 men which is far too many, but the linear style dorms can only hold eight to ten men and that is not enough space. That is why the mod, which can hold a maximum of 33 men is just the right size for the reentry dorm. This spatial capacity is essential because it is a 90-day program, since they seek to place men in the dorm at about 120 days out from reentering the community.
Who is eligible? Decisions had to be made about whom to allocate the limited resources. The first set of eligibility was to target men who are about 120 days from release so they could participate in entirety for the 90 days of programming. As Captain West pointed out, “if there is a guy who is unsentenced, he goes to court tomorrow, and suddenly his charges are dropped and he gets to go home, then what?” Even though the individuals with shorter stays are not targeted by the Reentry Dorm, the jail does offer as many resources as they can in these rushed situations, so men are less likely to come back. For men with shorter stays (i.e., 30-60 days), they have a fast-track program for them to attend classes and obtain as much as they can to set them up for success on the outside.
The second key factor about who is eligible for the Reentry Dorm is behavior within the jail. Captain West indicated that he does not reward unruly behavior and therefore, men cannot have any negative behavioral incidents for the majority of their time incarcerated to be eligible. They cannot be classified as either high- or medium-security level at the time of entrance to the program; therefore, they must be considered low-security. This classification
scheme is based not only on facility behavior, but also the type of offense that led to incarceration. He calls it “tough love,” but it seems to work according to him. The other men who do not meet eligibility criteria receive pamphlets with the same information; they just do not have access to the special classes within the dorm.
He explained that there is really three layers to how reentry planning at PWMRADC works:
How will it be funded? The minimal budget covers the bare necessities to run the programs offered to incarcerated men in the dorm, such as school supplies (e.g., pens, paper, books). Additionally, there is a commissary fund for incarcerated individuals’ programming needs. Occasionally, local churches will also pitch in to buy supplies for the jail. Now the jail pays for IDs and birth certificates for men in the reentry dorm (i.e., ID = $16, BC = $12.50). Captain West asserted that it is all about the give and take when it comes to deciding on how to fund the dorm’s programming. For example, there is one program where an organization offered to supply a teacher for free if the jail bought the books. However, there are some classes where the books are over $15, so they opt for the cheaper version of the course. This is what they did with both “Decision Points” and “Thinking for Change” programs.
Operationalizing the Design
Identifying individuals for the dorm. Dorm staff produces weekly reports so that they know who has been sentenced the week prior. With this, they can figure out how much time each man has left to serve in jail and then decide to place them in the program or not. Then they use a static proxy risk tool (i.e., age at first arrest, number of arrests, current age at time of booking) to figure out their risk-level. If they are a medium- to high-risk level, then they are eligible for the reentry dorm. This is a separate measure of risk from the security classification. The choice for medium-risk individuals here is based on predicting recidivism once an individual leaves the jail and follows the Risk, Need, and Responsivity (RNR) principles to provide more intensive services to those at higher risk.
Getting individuals into the right programs. Captain West and his team recognized the need to assess individuals for their needs so they could match them to the programming most needed. Captain West sought a data driven approach to identifying needs. To do this, they partnered with researchers at George Mason University’s Center for Advancing Correctional Excellence (GMU-ACE!) to adopt the RNR Simulation Tool’s Assess an Individual (AAI) instrument. The RNR AAI tool is an online, decision-support tool that helps staff assess what an individual’s needs are and provide programming recommendations and priorities based on the individual’s risk of recidivism and needs. The dorm staff conducts an interview style discussion using the RNR AAI questions and immediately receives a report summarizing identified strengths, critical needs (e.g., housing, food stability), criminogenic needs (e.g., cognitions), and additional needs (e.g., family reunification). The dorm staff use this information to build the case plan using the individualized program recommendations and needs of the individual. Additionally, in this conversation, the staff learns what the individual’s priorities are so this can be incorporated into the agreed upon case plan as well.
The case planning for the dorm is overseen by a Sergeant in the jail specifically assigned to the dorm. Case planning includes preparing for the following:
• Obtaining legal documentation,
• Employment readiness,
• Vocational training,
• Health and wellness,
• Substance abuse,
• Life skills,
• Prosocial relationships,
• Transitional support,
• Finances, and
• Transportation.
The case planning is essential to both getting individuals in the most appropriate programming within the jail as well as setting individuals up for success with robust connections in the community. However, staffing limitations makes it challenging to keep up with the workload. Captain West sought a solution for this challenge by posting a job for volunteers and interns, specifically for the purpose of handling reentry case management tasks. The role of the volunteers and interns is to meet with residents 45 days out before they are released to link them to services.
Data-driven approach supporting the dorm. Working with the
GMU-ACE! partners, Captain West sought to create a data-driven approach to creating an ongoing assessment of the individual’s needs within the dorm and the feedback about the dorm operations. Quarterly, the research team provides a summary of the needs data collected from the RNR AAI. This provides the reentry jail staff with an aggregate level assessment of the individuals within the dorm so they can assess if there are any changes in the needs. This allows the jail to be proactive in adding or removing programming based on any changing population needs. For example, these reports revealed a larger than expected need for mental health treatment. Seeing this trend, the jail was able to respond by seeking the appropriate services to come into the jail to assist.
Furthermore, Captain West desired to receive feedback straight from the men who entered, completed, and reentered from his program. This launched the idea to create satisfaction surveys of the program. Through these, invaluable information has been collected and then used to improve the services offered to men in the program. Generally, feedback about the dorm has been positive. The most consistently preferred programs are: Freedom Speakers, Decision Points, VDOT Flaggers, and ServSafe. “Decision Points” has consistently been a favorite of men in the jail, and Captain West explained that it really shows the men that jail staff care about them. It is a unique course in that correctional officers are the ones teaching the class, so it places them in a different role than they normally play within the jail. In this way, residents are face-to-face with sworn officers who they are able to learn from first-hand, which often does not happen in jail programming.
The jail administration revels at how well the reentry dorm turned out because “it is a good fit for the fluidity of the jail” according to Captain West. Similarly, the men in the program enjoy its benefits as well.
Key Components for Success
Always be ready to adapt. The reentry dorm staff built in mechanisms for continuous improvement through assessing individual needs and collecting satisfaction feedback surveys. This meant they must be prepared to adapt as needed. This allows for the dorm to continuously be improved. For instance, Captain West and his team recognized a spike in behavior incidents in the reentry dorm, but they identified the potential source as the individuals’ stress levels regarding the reentry process. Sergeant Baker, a reentry dorm staff member, noted that individuals are worried about reentry. She said they fixed this problem by adding more targeted classes to help individuals, such as stress and anger management. It is important to remember, “reentry is a process and not a finite event” (Berghuis, 2018).
Meet individuals where they are to get them what they need. Motivation and buy-in are always a concern when providing services within the jail. As Captain West said, they are about to get out and they are not in here for that long usually, so they really have to want to do the programs and improve for it to count or matter. Otherwise, they are just going to get out and do what they want. For the program to work, they must change their mindsets and behavior for when they get back into the community. The dorm is set up to meet individuals where they are in life and get them support that will help. By working with individuals on both their assessed needs and their individual priorities, they hope to engage individuals so they see the benefit of the services provided. Captain West wants all the men to do well but recognizes that not everyone will fully benefit; however, he hopes they learn something along the way. “These really are wraparound services” that offer the opportunities that wouldn’t exist otherwise.
Building strong community partnerships. Captain West believes in inter-system support, where once a target population has been identified, their needs must be fully dissected. Through community collaboration, the appropriate resources can be collected to effectively meet their needs. This effort would not be possible without the community partnerships that have been formed. For this reentry dorm, they have not only connected men to resources on the outside
through the resource fair, but they have connected the jail with a research partner. Through effective collaboration, this university partner helps Captain West and his team track the progress of the reentry dorm, evaluate it continuously, receive regular feedback, and help to improve it when necessary. This partnership has also helped Captain West to solve an understaffing problem. With student interns from George Mason University, the reentry dorm participants receive more frequent access to reentry planning case management. In the long run, the intentional relationships built through the jail administration’s desire to help this population, gives men in the reentry dorm the tools necessary to ease the challenges of reentering into society.
Advice to Other Reentry Programs
Clear eligibility and expectations. When your agency is considering a specialized reentry program, it is recommended that specific eligibility criteria and expectations for behavior be set up and enforced from the beginning. This will potentially prevent early behavior problems.
Find a way to continue the support after jail. Captain West recognizes that in the past entire families might become incarcerated. When they get out and people are in need, they may simply return to what they know to obtain what they need. This puts them at risk to return to the jail. Captain West wants to break this cycle. It is about building a community of resources in the jail and gaining the support of the community on the outside which can make all the difference. A system of collaborators is what truly makes “wraparound services” beneficial for individuals returning from jail. Currently, the jail reaches out to individuals after release at 5-, 30-, and 90-days post-release to check-in and see how they are doing. This requires extra staff time (always a limited resource) but makes a real difference to ensure individuals can stay connected to resources. For many, the community programs and probation/parole are their only source of support.
The Future The reentry dorm staff are continuously working to build partnerships to help bring the resources necessary to support successful reentry. Captain West hopes to increase the number of vocational programs offered in the reentry dorm. They are implementing “Skill Source,” which will offer an employment center in the jail. They have a grant through Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) which offers $3,000 to individuals incarcerated to go toward training and certificates that will support employment. It is offered to pre-release and work-release individuals currently. They also intend to focus more heavily on mental health, substance use, and veterans-related issues in the future.
Further, Sergeant Baker noted the importance of hiring more staff for reentry purposes. Additionally, continuing to build the buy-in from outside organizations is paramount because then the jail does not have to hire full time reentry staff to run the same programs internally. A future idea to expand the support provided is to have staff on the outside who can offer office hours to those individuals released from the jail so they can have help when needed.
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Lindsay Smith is a doctoral student in the Criminology, Law, and Society department at George Mason University. She works as a Graduate Research Assistant at the Center for Advancing Correctional Excellence! (ACE!) under the direction of Dr. Faye Taxman and Dr. Danielle Rudes. She earned her Bachelor of Art’s degrees in Psychology and Sociology from the University of Missouri and her Master of Art’s in Criminology, Law, and Society from George Mason University. For more information, her email is lsmith67@gmu.edu.
Dr. Jennifer Lerch is a Senior Associate at Justice System Partners (JSP). Her research focuses on organizational change, system evaluation, behavioral interventions, substance use, community corrections, and reentry. She works to design, develop, implement, and evaluate legal systems to help address organizational and individual needs, and has expertise on system mapping, measuring disparities in the legal system, the risk-need-responsivity model and has trained community providers and legal system practitioners across the country. For more information, her email is jenlerch@justicesystempartners.org.
Captain Allen West is currently the Director of Classification and Treatment at the Prince William-Manassas Regional Adult Detention Center. He is a former Correctional Supervisor with the
Virginia Department of Corrections and has been working in the local jail capacity since 2003. With over 25 years of correctional experience, he oversees the Classification Department, Medical Department, Mental Health, Work Force, Work Release, and inmate programming. In addition, he manages a 90-Day all-inclusive prerelease program. For more information, his email is awest@pwcgov.org.
Faye S. Taxman, Ph.D., is a University Professor at the Schar School of Policy and Government at George Mason University. She is a health service criminologist who has conducted experiments to examine different processes to improve treatment access and retention, to assess new models of probation supervision consistent with RNR frameworks, and to test new interventions. The Society for Implementation Research Collaboration (SIRC) presented Dr. Taxman with the Mission Award for collaborative research in 2022. For more information, her email is ftaxman@gmu.edu.
References
Berghuis, M. (2018). Reentry Programs for Adult Male Offender Recidivism and Reintegration: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, 62(14), 4655–4676. https://doi.org/10.1177/0306624X18778448
Jones, A. & Sawyer, W. (2019). Arrest, release, repeat: How police and jails are misused to respond to social problems. Prison Policy Initiative. https://www.prisonpolicy.org/reports/repeatarrests.html
Kendall, S., Redshaw, S., Ward, S., Wayland, S., & Sullivan, E. (2018). Systematic review of qualitative evaluations of reentry programs addressing problematic drug use and mental health disorders amongst people transitioning from prison to communities. Health & Justice, 6(1), 4. https://doi.org/ 10.1186/s40352-018-0063-8
Schlager, M. (2013). Rethinking the reentry paradigm: A blueprint for action. Durham, N.C: Carolina Academic Press.
U.S. Census Bureau. (2020). The American Community Survey 5-year Estimate.
Lindsay Smith (Graduate Research Assistant, George Mason University, Lsmith67@gmu.edu), Dr. Jennifer Lerch (Senior Associate, Justice System Partners, jenlerch@justicesystempartners.org), Allen West (Captain, PWMRADC, awest@pwcgov.org), and Dr. Faye S. Taxman (Professor, George Mason University, ftaxman@gmu.edu)