Steering Committee Meeting
April 18, 2005
9:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Facilitating Susan Gibel & Paul Herman, Center for Effective Public Policy
Attending
MCORP Minutes 04/18/05 – Page 11 of 11
Susan Allan – DOC
Jeri Boisvert – DPS
Lynda Boudreau – DHS
Luis Brown-Pena – DEED
Chris Bray – DOC
Tim Lanz – DOC
Ken Merz – DOC
Jody Pepinski – DOC
Amy Roberts – Education
Jeff Shorba – Courts
Cherie Shoquist – Housing (AM)
Diane Sprague – Housing (PM)
Doug Stang – Health (AM)
Mike Tripple – Health (PM)
Reggie Worlds – Veterans
MCORP Minutes 04/18/05 – Page 11 of 11
Absent Dave Ellis, DOC
MCORP Minutes 04/18/05 – Page 11 of 11
Welcome
Chris Bray began with an introduction of Department of Corrections staff joining the committee:
§ Tim Lanz, Transition Program Director
§ Ken Merz, Director of Administrative Services (Community Services)
§ Jody Pepinski, Employment Coordinator
Along with Dave Ellis, these three subject matter experts will provide a broad perspective and knowledge of reentry and transition services within DOC. Susan will provide process support to the steering committee, assisting with meeting facilitation and coordination between meetings, to keep us moving and on track.
Clark Dyrud was recently appointed commissioner of Veteran’s Affairs; Clark joined the meeting to introduce the new Veteran’s Affairs steering committee representative, Reggie Worlds. Reggie has experience with both small and large counties in Minnesota as a service coordinator, and has already been working with several prisons.
Chris then introduced today’s facilitator, Susan Gibel, from the Center for Effective Public Policy. Susan assisted the Minnesota team at the collaboration workshop in Washington DC last year. Paul Herman will be providing insight throughout the day from his perspective of working with other groups who have struggled with these issues.
Meeting Goals
Collaboration takes time to build; we began by talking about our various perspectives, to make sure that we understand each other’s piece in the process. The goals of this workshop are to:
· Discuss and identify the common clientele of the Minnesota Comprehensive Offender Reentry Plan (MCORP) Steering Committee’s partner agencies;
· Establish a common vision and mission for the future work of the committee; and
· To prepare a work plan that will guide the work of the committee for the immediate and long term future.
Common Clientele
Who Are We Talking About?
§ Majority: Supervised releases – under supervision of field
q Intensive
q Routine
q Halfway house
q Juveniles (parole)
§ Minority: Discharge or expiration (of sentence), no supervision authority
§ Specialized conditions:
q Civil commitment of sex offenders to state hospitals
q Strict supervision
q Routine supervision
§ Release violators vs. initial release – difference in approach
§ County releases
q From jails & other county variations
q Probation only sentences
Primary Clientele – The Offender
Housing
§ Access regular affordable housing, may jeopardize family housing
§ Either landlords screen out offenders or if landlord doesn’t screen, then potentially you’re putting the offender back in the neighborhood
§ Supportive housing for offenders with mental health and chemical issues
§ Finding rental $$ - have rental assistance available
§ Counties have homeless prevention programs, collaborative, but don’t prioritize offenders (families, youth, etc. are priority)
§ Issue: not having a network, a specific person to go to, identify landlords that will rent
§ Initiative to end long-term homelessness (26% have a criminal background)
§ $$ + support services
§ Leverage federal funding, having a criminal record precludes several federal programs; feds see it as state’s responsibility
§ Felony record precludes offenders from access to some funding
Public Safety
§ Fund a variety of services ($60 M)
§ 5 reentry programs
§ Substance abuse courts
§ Prevention programming (front-end)
§ Crime victims are primary clientele
§ Restorative justice efforts are community level
§ Treatment in prison
§ Offender ID in facilities
Health
§ License facilities (nursing homes, hospitals, assisted living) so that care is appropriate
ü If they are aware of offender status
ü Issues with other residents
ü Confidentiality is an issue unless they’re civilly committed (seeking clarification in the HIPPA law)
§ Specific programs and funding for HIV, TB, etc. – treatment at county level
§ Department is contact for reportable diseases, track
§ Ryan White Planning foundation decides were federal $$ go; prioritize where more effective outcomes can be expected
§ Set-aside or variance for various licensing boards
§ Birth certificates needed for photo ID
§ Women’s, Infant and Children (WIC) assistance
§ County level programs, like home health care
Veterans Affairs
§ Provide medical assistance (priority group #5)
§ Screening for HIV, TB, mental health, DD2 14 access
§ Compensation for service-connected injuries (high percent of Vietnam vets)
§ PTSD for Vietnam vets
§ Non-service connected pension ($846/month)
§ Housing at Vet’s homes (transitional and permanent programs)
§ MN assistance council for Veterans; housing is being added in St. Cloud and metro
§ MH & CD counseling
§ Outreach in institution: target is 90 days before release so they have benefits when they walk out
Education
MCORP Minutes 04/18/05 – Page 11 of 11
§ Adult basic education
§ GED prep
§ ESL
§ Literacy
MCORP Minutes 04/18/05 – Page 11 of 11
§ Education is the largest program in facilities
§ Preventive and restorative justice
§ After-school grant at MCF-Red Wing
§ MNSCU – should they be a part of this?
Human Services
§ License facilities and programs
§ Indigent and poverty level programs (general assistance medical care, etc)
§ If family income qualifies:
ü Minnesota Care for lower income
ü Medical assistance eligible
ü Housing
ü Childcare
ü Job training
ü Cash and food assistance
ü Transportation
§ Child support collection
§ Supportive housing
§ Chemical treatment
§ Mentally ill
§ Father programs
§ Foster care programs
§ Release planners for persistently mentally ill
§ Fund SSI outreach (county level)
Employment
§ Looking for work
§ Business services
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ü Phones and voice mail
ü Copying
ü Fax
ü Computers
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§ Liaison between employment and job seekers
§ Assessment
§ Job development
§ Case management
§ Workshops (3 – 4 hours)
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ü Job preparation
ü Transition
ü How to deal with emotions
ü Resume prep
ü Networking
ü Job search tools and interviews
ü Soft skills
MCORP Minutes 04/18/05 – Page 11 of 11
ü Self-employment (Small Business Association and Department of Labor)
§ Job matching through MN Job, Inc.
§ Outreach to community through community organizations
§ Visit prisons
§ MN Fidelity bond programs:
ü Insurance to employers to decrease fear in hiring ex-offenders
ü Earned tax credit program to help offenders get jobs; use as a sales tool
§ Partnerships with community agencies, employers
§ Proposal to provide job training to DOC
§ Referral services to rehab, education, assessment
Courts
§ Supervision violation and hearings & release are part of DOC
§ Commit a new crime
§ Setting conditions for probation
§ Drug court: intensive program with accountability to the court, teams of practitioners, emphasis on keeping offenders out of prison and in treatment
§ Community/mental health court (Hennepin): low level, repeat violations use treatment instead of prison, deal with mental health issues, setting conditions for probation
§ Hennepin has domestic abuse court
§ Supreme Court has CD task force
§ Nevada, Ohio and Florida have reentry courts
Secondary Clientele
§ Crime victims
§ Reparations – to specific victims
§ Restititution – collected from DOC offenders, assigned specifically and for a general victims fund
§ Presence in the facilities – crime victims impact
§ Victim-offender mediation, restorative justice activities
§ Community notification
§ End of confinement review for sex offenders
§ Parents of offenders
§ Veterans benefits for dependents, service-connected
§ Unemployment insurance
§ May take offender’s children, access services
§ Offenders may live with parents, community notification
§ Safety issues
§ Ongoing counseling, MH issues
§ Confidentiality issues re: health issues prior to placement
§ May lose eligibility for low income housing, etc.
§ Children
§ Safety issues
§ Foster care
§ Caregivers for children of women in federal prison
§ Supportive housing programs
§ Reunification
§ Healthcare & subsistence
§ Service-connected, VA benefits
§ Youth employment programs
§ Special education, not specifically targeted
§ School homeless liaisons
§ Parenting programs in facilities
§ Transition and permanent housing programs
§ Spouses/Significant others
§ VA dependent funding
§ Domestic violence issues
§ Chemical health /MH programs
§ Deduction from employment for child support
§ Subsistence
§ Employers
§ Restitution
§ Workplace safety issues
§ Mediation services for retention
§ Diminished # of workers
§ Community notification
§ Child support collection
§ Unwillingness: needs education
§ Credibility
§ Liability
§ Insurance and tax credit
§ Training investment
§ Vocational rehab, with VA, pays salary for up to a year
§ OJT and shared work programs
Mission and Vision
A recent study showed that successful companies have 8 significant characteristics in common; two of these are:
§ They came together about a clear, elevating vision
§ They had very clear mission statements
The vision statement says to the community “This is what we want to do”. The vision is lofty, not likely to be achieved in 6 months; it’s the preferred future.
The mission is only part of the vision. Part of its purpose is to describe how you will know when you get there; it describes success. Mission statements are specific statements about what you’re going to do and when.
Goals are the “How’s”; interim goals are project objectives.
Building on the phrase, “MCORP envisions a state in which ______”, vision brainstorming included:
§ We have provided offenders with permanent monthly income or employment, health care and education
§ Protection of offenders, victims, and general public’s rights; greater coordination, less duplication
§ Measurably enhanced public safety by successfully integrating offenders into MN communities
§ Every offender will have the skills, tools and environment needed to be successful
§ Dramatically improve public safety by having offenders and family receive necessary skills to be successful, productive community members
§ Provide income and housing
§ When recidivism is eliminated and offenders become productive citizens
§ Offenders transition to productive, law-abiding citizens
§ Offenders do not re-offend and become productive members of the community
§ Reduce recidivism in collaboration with other partnerships/businesses and enhance economic development through employment and self-sufficiency programs
§ No recidivism, correctional facilities are reduced, offenders are accepted and prosper in employment
§ Opportunity to live productive and purposeful lives independent of state programs
Please note that DRAFT vision and mission statements are on the following page.
These will be discussed and finalized at the next meeting.
Upcoming Grant Opportunities
Chris spoke briefly about the upcoming grant opportunities created by President Bush’s offender reentry funding legislation. Based on past criteria, critical components of successful applications will be:
q A collaborative structure
q Community, faith-based partners
The initial offering is to community entities. The DOC is creating a list of community, faith-based partners and has extended an offer of support to those contemplating application.
The next offerings will be coming to: Labor, DOC, Housing and Health. Information will be sent.
Minnesota Comprehensive Offender Reentry Plan (MCORP) envisions a state in which:
§ Offenders live purposeful, productive, law-abiding, healthy lives; and
§ There are safe communities.
MCORP will create a supportive infrastructure sufficient to reduce recidivism by:
§ Developing a strategic plan to identify and eliminate reentry problems and barriers by ______;
§ Implementing the plan by ______; and
§ Providing ongoing oversight, monitoring, and evaluation of that strategic plan.
What is the Work Ahead of Us?
The afternoon was devoted to working on the MCORP work grid. This document constitutes the roadmap for the work ahead; it is a fluid, living document that will be updated at each meeting. The 9 elements are:
Step 1: The system map and population profile
Step 2: Getting smart about best practice
Step 3: Assessing the current system in the following areas
· Assessment
· Programming
· Reentry Planning
· Supervision
· Violations
· Discharge
Step 4: Identify gaps in current practice
Step 5: Prioritize gaps
Step 6: Identify strategies to address the gaps
Step 7: Develop implementation plans including goals, objectives and a monitoring and evaluation plan
Step 8: Implement the strategies
Step 9: Monitor and evaluate the strategies
On the work grid, tasks tell us what we do and why. Setting dates keeps up the level of urgency.
Structure and Timeline
The steering committee determined the most efficient way to address the issues are by sub-committee assignments (at least initially; this may be re-evaluated later). Sub-committee assignments are noted on the work grid. It is the responsibility of the sub-committee chair to call the meetings and make reports to the steering committee.
There will be check-ins at each meeting on status, issues, etc. If a sub-committee foresees an issue with timeline, resources, etc., prompt notification to the steering committee is expected.
Chris and Susan will provide support to sub-committees as needed and as time permits. Please keep Chris and Susan apprised of any sub-committee meetings.
A template will be created to assist sub-committees in producing reports that are consistent and give the committee the information needed to proceed to the gap analysis.
Upcoming Agenda Topics
May 24 / 4th Tuesday, 9:00 AM - Noon / § Template for subcommittee reports§ Stakeholder/community partner involvement
§ Review population profile
§ Review DOC map
§ BP Topic: Risk, need, responsivity
June 28 / 4th Tuesday, 9:00 AM – Noon / § Discuss agency intersections on system map
§ BP Topic: Evidence-based practices in offender reentry
§ Update work grid, as needed
July 26 / 4th Tuesday, 9:00 AM – Noon / § Review completed system map
§ Review completed population profile report
§ Subcommittee updates
§ BP Topic: Missouri Overview
§ Update work grid, as needed
August 23 / 4th Tuesday, 9:00 AM – Noon / § Subcommittee updates
§ Schedule upcoming best practices topics
§ BP Topic: National overview of initiatives
§ Update work grid, as needed
September 27 / 4th Tuesday, 9:00 AM – Noon / § Final subcommittee reports
§ Begin identification of gaps
§ BP Topic:
§ Update work grid, as needed
October 25 / 4th Tuesday, 9:00 AM – Noon / § Finalize identification of gaps
§ BP Topic:
§ Update work grid, as needed
November 15 / 3rd Tuesday, 9:00 AM – Noon / § Prioritize gaps
§ BP Topic:
§ Update work grid, as needed
December 20 / 3rd Tuesday, 9:00 AM - Noon / § Prioritize gaps
§ BP Topic:
§ Update work grid, as needed
Additional Topics for Best Practice (BP) Presentations: