1. Victor Souders Latrisha Denise Green

2. Goals of the Program:  To decrease the recidivism rate of offenders by 50% over a five-year period through comprehensive case management and the coordinated delivery of services;  To promote public safety by reducing the threat of harm by released offenders to the community to which they return.  To reduce costs associated with criminal case processing, re-arrest, and probation violations.  To provide immediate comprehensive assessments locally  To reduce dependency upon using the jail for consequences related to client instability, thereby reducing the overall average daily population, and the average length of stay in the jail.  To introduce offenders to an ongoing process of recovery designed to achieve total abstinence from illicit/illegal drugs; and make this available in the local community.  To promote self-sufficiency and empower offenders to become productive and responsible community members

3.  CARE Program (CARE)—an offender reentry program utilizing best practices in the prisoner reentry field, including comprehensive case management, coordinated service delivery and mentoring.  There are many more supportive local programs and organizations involved in the CARE Program that, with pooled and coordinated resources, bring individual and program success to all invested participants. CARE connects clients to need-based services, which address a multitude of issues focusing on expanding the strengths of the participants and utilizing assets in the participant’s lives and in the community.  The service delivery plan for CARE participants is specifically designed and managed for offender risk and needs based upon evidenced-based screening and assessment tools. Gaps in existing services are being identified and programs will be developed to address those gaps. In this way, CARE provides a full complement of services ranging from assessment to intervention and support.

4.  Initial Screening Eligibility Requirements: Those individuals who are not residents, not convicted or not willing to voluntarily participate in the CARE Program will be deemed ineligible for the CARE Program at the Initial Screening Form stage of the program. Applicants can be screened multiple times. Target Population Verification: Those individuals who meet initial eligibility requirements will be eligible to receive services as a CARE Client, applicants must meet the following criteria:  Must be a Winona County resident;  Must be an offender convicted as an adult in criminal court;  Must, upon release from custody, plan to reside in Winona for a minimum of ninety (90) days;  Must voluntarily participate in the program, including the signing of releases of information for program providers;  Must be identified, via a validated assessment instrument, as having a risk of reoffending;  Must not be a level 3 sex offender;  Must not have been enrolled in the CARE Program within the last 90 days; and  If a state prisoner, must be within thirty (30) days of release

6.  In order to insure CARE clients are receiving an adequate amount of case management, we allow for up to thirty clients per case manager.  Clients who are unresponsive to meetings and check-ins, may be considered dormant to allow for more attention to go to the clients who are actively participating towards achieving their success story.  After a period of 90 days, if the dormant selects to remain out of contact with CARE case managers, his or her client status will be removed.

7.  Each client’s specific program length and termination are decided on a case-by case basis.  Program Length: The minimum recommended time for client participation in the CARE Program is six months from the date of release from custody, subject to professional override from the CORE Team  Graduation: Clients who demonstrate significant stability in the majority of the areas listed below, as characterized by a reduction in the client’s LSI-R score in conjunction with the client’s achieved CARE Plan goals, will be deemed to have successfully completed the program (successful termination):  pro-social lifestyle;  housing;  personal finances;  employment/vocational (as appropriate);  substance use not disruptive to lifestyle;  mental health and/or emotional stability  Clients who successfully complete from the program are awarded a Certificate of Completion

8. Termination from the program may occur by death of the client or as listed below. Voluntary Withdrawal: A client who specifically states that he or she does not want to continue in the program will be deemed to have voluntarily withdrawn from the program. No Contact Withdrawal: A client who fails to remain in contact with CARE Staff, despite reasonable efforts of CARE Staff to contact the client, will be deemed to have withdrawn from the program Safety Reason Withdrawal: Any physical violence, serious verbal assault or terroristic threat by a client against CARE Staff may result in automatic termination from the CARE Program. Other Withdrawal: CARE Staff may make a verbal motion to terminate or suspend a client from the CARE Program. Termination/suspension is determined by the CARE Team by majority vote. If the CARE Team agrees that there is a basis to grant the Motion for Termination, reasons will be documented on a Termination Form which is sent to the client in question; and the client will be removed from the program. Aftercare: Depending on the client, aftercare may be needed. It may include on-going support such as participation in an aftercare support group. Clients may access CARE Staff for occasional short-term support.

9.  Reduction in recidivism;  Number of client graduations;  Increased employment and education opportunities;  Increased payment of child support;  Increased housing opportunities;  Reduction in drug and alcohol abuse; and  Increased participation in substance abuse and mental health services.

10.  First Quarter  Publicity and CARE distinction  CARE staff designed and presented multi-media presentations that would educate public and criminal justice participants about what the CARE Program is (and is not)

11.  Second Quarter  The JJA (the advisory board for the CARE Program) has accepted an ongoing responsibility for identifying gaps in services and barriers to the successful implementation of the program  Developing an organized process to coordinate client needs with donors: liaison between CARE and the local faith-based community/Poverty Roundtable to coordinate such requests.  Need for a flexible fund to cover incidental client expenses, such as fees for taking a GED, which are not otherwise covered by other funding sources: A Flex Fund was created through the grant.  Need for more streamlined communication between CARE and Human Services Financial Staff of client’s jail status and application needs for obtaining Medical Assistance eligibility: Two DHS financial workers have been identified as CARE contacts.  Need for earlier Rule 25 determinations: A backup social worker has been trained in performing Rule 25 determinations and will rotate with the regular social worker in attending CARE Team Meetings.  Funding of medications for those who are incarcerated and employed (the jail does not cover these costs): Grant funds are available for those in need, upon recommendation of CARE Staff, as situations arise.  More thorough screening of mental health needs for jail inmates: A local mental health provider has provided Human Services with a proposed contract for conducting on-site Diagnostic Assessments.  Lack of appropriate phones on which potential employers could leave messages for CARE client job applicants (some have no phones; others would use a friend’s phone, etc): A local college has donated the use of voice mailboxes for CARE clients to be used for leaving messages.

12.  Third Quarter  Housing for applicants has continued to be problematic. Fortunately, the Fresh Start facility (which provides Group Residential Housing to former inmates) opened up 10 bed slots in this quarter. Unfortunately, the demand for this housing continues to exceed the supply. CARE Staff continues to work with area landlords, and other GRH funded homes for other housing opportunities  Another barrier is the availability of state health insurance. Because of the funding cuts to GAMC (General Assistance Medical Care), many of our CARE clients have been forced to convert from GAMC to Minnesota Care. In addition to the financial problems created by the Minnesota Care fees charged to clients, there has also been a lengthy delay in getting clients qualified for Minnesota Care (2-3 months plus), which has resulted in delays in treatment and prescription fills. Grant and county funds are being used to fill the gaps in coverage.  Transportation also continues to be a problem. Available funding for medical appointments has been cut. While the CARE Program is utilizing public transportation and other available transportation, some of these options are not feasible for clients who live in rural areas. CARE Staff is working with a local transportation provider, SEMCAC, to secure services for medical- related transportation.

13.  If you would like more information about the Winona County CARE Program, please contact:  Latrisha Denise Green or Victor Souders at: 507-474-2687