Reentry Services Project Shelley Ford, MN Department of Corrections Sally Dandurand, Reentry Services Project June 2008, Connecting Youth to Success 1

Funding 1 st four years- Grant from the MN Department of Public Safety Match funds from the Clay County Collaborative Program is currently funded by the Clay County Collaborative Next 2 years – Clay County Collaborative and a grant from the MN Department of Public Safety-Office of Justice Programs ( Problem-Solving Partnership Grant ) 2

Program Needs & Goal Needs of the community: lacking a coordinated response to juvenile offenders returning to communities from out of home placement Target population: offenders between the ages of transitioning to home communities from out of home placements Goal: improve public safety by preparing incarcerated juvenile offenders for successful reentry from criminal justice placements to communities 3

Outcome Goals-Next 2 years Reduce recidivism by improving strengths and reducing risk/needs of juvenile offenders transitioning to their home communities by incorporating a three phase design to ensure continuity in services from placement to the community Strengthen families of youthful offenders to facilitate youth adjustment and transition to the community Improve collaboration, coordination and access to community resources for high risk youth and their families 4

Program Structure and Process 2 Transitional Coordinators (TC’s) work closely with 3 MN DOC Probation Agents in Clay County  YLS/CMI completed at 3 intervals during the program  MAYSI-II is used to identify potential mental health problems Transitional case plans are matched to risk/needs and strengths Service and referral emphasis on education and family issues Flex funds used for services, items and activities Program was designed to continue 6 months after youth returns to the community, but this is flexible Traditional probation services continue after program end 5

Advisory Committee Joint advisory committee with Restorative Justice 30 members from 24 different agencies in the community involved with youth Meets quarterly to review projects 6

Evaluation Independent evaluation through North Dakota State University Department of Criminal Justice and Political Science Date collected by Transitional Coordinators, Probation Agents and evaluators Comparisons both pre-post (e.g., YLSI scores) to a similar sample of probationers in Becker County, MN (Recidivism) 7

Data Client background  Demographics  Offense and out of home placement history  Indicators of violence, substance abuse, school and mental health issues Referrals and services  Numbers and nature of referrals for services and referral and service outcomes 8

Data continued Program Activities  TC and PO contacts with clients, parents and agency partners  Meetings, case reviews  Drug testing, sanctions, rewards and use of flex funds  TC time spent with clients Program Outcomes  Compliance rates with transitional case plan goals and tasks  Changes in YLS/CMI risk/needs and strength scores  Technical violations, re-arrests, and additional out of home placements 9

Client Background Cases closed: n=107  Mean age upon return to the community: 16.4  Sex: 72% male  51% white, 24% Native American, 23% Hispanic, 2% African American History of Antisocial Behavior and Other Problems  67% had a history of violence  77% had a history of substance abuse  74% had a history of mental health issues  88% had a history of school issues  98% had a history of multiple risk factors (2 or more) and 33% had all four factors 10

Offense, Probation and Placement History Average number of offenses prior to placement: % had at least one prior felony offense 52% had a prior persons offense On average clients spent 17.4 months on probation prior to returning to the community after their most recent placement 96% of clients were on indefinite probation 57% of clients were on maximum or intensive supervision upon release back to the community On average, these clients had 3.3 out of home placements, 1.4 of these were 30 days or longer On average clients have spent an average of 197 days in out of home placement upon entering the Reentry Services Project. 11

Program Activities Clients spent an average of 7.6 months in the program TC’s averaged 38 contacts with clients, 15 parent contacts and 13 agency partner contacts Probation Officers averaged 10 contacts with clients, 7 parent contacts and 15 agency contacts 86 clients were subjected at least one drug test during program participation. 50% had no positive drug tests, 24% had one positive drug test and 26% experienced two or more positive drug tests. RSP youth were significantly less likely to test positive than comparison youth, even though they were more likely to be tested and tested more often On average TC’s spent 51 hours with each of these clients 62% of females participated in gender specific activities 41% of minority youth participated in cultural programming 12

Program Activities Activities addressed the following 5 reentry components: Obtaining and retaining employment or education Maintaining a stable residence Successfully addressing substance abuse issues Successfully addressing mental health and physical health issues Establishing a meaningful and supportive role in the community 13

Outcomes Goal- 75% compliance rate with transitional case plan tasks  Outcome – 77% of client’s case plan tasks were considered complete upon exit from the Reentry Services Project. The majority of tasks were in the areas of employment, leisure/recreation, substance abuse, personality/behavior, and education Goal- 20% reduction of the YLS/CMI risk/need levels  Assessments were done upon return to the community and upon program completion  Outcome- risk/need levels declined 12%. Reductions were greatest in the domains of Education/Employment, Personality/Behavior and Leisure/Recreation Goal- 20% increase in identified strengths on the YLS/CMI  Assessments were done upon return to the community and upon program completion  Average strength scores increased 44% from the return to the community to the end of program participation 14

Recidivism 54% of clients had no probation violations while participating 58% of clients experienced no new charges during program participation and during the follow up period ( average 28 months) 40% of youth remained offense RSP youth experienced better recidivism outcomes then comparison youth in a neighboring county Greater contact between parents and staff was related to lower recidivism 47% experienced no new out of home placements while participating 50% of new placements were short term ( less than 30 days) 58% of new placements were the result of technical violations, 24% the result of new charges and the remainder was for protection of the client or unknown reasons 15

Additional Findings The RSP was implemented as intended Surveyed youth/ parents felt time spent w/TC’s was “about right” Partner surveys indicate satisfaction with the program and indicate the mentorship provided to youth and the professional and committed staff as strengths of the program Time spent with youth was approximately evenly shared between surveillance and mentoring Reentry programming had consistently positive effects among minority youth, those with more extensive offending histories, and higher risk youth RSP youth were significantly less likely to spend time on adult probation, less likely to experience a new criminal contact or experience a new long term out of home placement than comparison youth 16

Cost-Benefit Analysis Program has cost approximately $4,415 per youth These costs were partially recovered within the first year after release from placement and were fully recovered within 2 years Within 3 years of release from placement the net benefit of the program was $7,600 in reduced juvenile justice processing costs per youth Cost benefits have contributed to ongoing community support in the way of funding, in-kind services, etc. 17

Addressing Gaps Beginning the RSP immediately after a youth enters placement, to provide a seamless system of service and consistent case management throughout placement, release and transition to the community Addressing negative family dynamics that interfere with a youth’s transition home by identifying, developing and linking families to informal and formal supportive services, thereby strengthening families, improving parenting skills and facilitating youth adjustment Increasing collaboration of community groups and programs that can pool resources and services to youth and families. Developing new partnerships with community agencies serving high risk youth. For example, partnering with a local alternative school to co-facilitate a cognitive behavioral group as a part of a sober school track 18

Case Study 15 year old Hispanic female – charged with Domestic Assault 90 detention treatment program at WCRJC Anger management Education Chemical Dependency, physical health and family issues Employment Positive Leisure/Recreational activities Community Involvement 19

Client Achievements 96% of clients did not have high school diploma or GED upon entry. 53% regularly attended school and 24% sporadically attended during program participation. 8 completed GED 22% of clients were homeless at some time during program participation and only 6% were homeless upon completion Employment was appropriate for 88% of clients, of which 89% searched for a job, 65% were employed at some time and 41% were employed upon program completion 44% of clients regularly attended CD treatment and 54% of clients with a history of substance abuse were “clean” upon program completion 48% of clients with a history of mental health issues received mental health services while participating in the RSP. 50% of families participated in at least outing and 39% were involved in services 20

Other Activities Helped organize multi-cultural events Surveyed the community for the Wilder Foundation to identify homeless youth Participated in the Helping America’s Youth Regional Conference Helped facilitate Family Anonymous group Trained in the Top 20 Thinking, Learning and Communicating program Presented at local schools on youth issues Gender specific activities Volunteering in the community 21