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What
is the CSOSA/Faith-Based Partnership?
More than 2,500 offenders will return home to the District of
Columbia from prison this year; nationally, more than half a million
prisoners will be released. These individuals come back to our
neighborhoods with little support and few skills to build a
productive, crime- and drug-free life.
They need help meeting basic needs, such as housing, employment and
health care. They often find it difficult to adjust to everything
that has changed since they left.
As the cornerstone of our
community, faith institutions have a long history of reaching out to
those in need, particularly to prisoners. By linking returning
offenders with institutions and individuals who embody strong
values, positive relationships, and hope, the Faith-Based Mentoring
Initiative complements the message of personal accountability and
change that is the focus of community supervision. The
Partnership’s initial focus has been mentoring. In the coming year,
we hope to grow our network of support services available to
returning offenders through the city’s faith institutions.
Men and women of all faiths are
invited to join us in this endeavor.
How
is the CSOSA/Faith Community Partnership structured?
CSOSA has designated three clusters within the city to provide
mentoring and other resources that faith-based institutions may be
able to provide.
·
Cluster A: Wards 7 and 8
·
Cluster B: Wards 5 and 6
·
Cluster C: Wards 1, 2, 3, and 4
Cluster Coordinators and Outreach Coordinators work collaborative
with member faith institutions in each cluster to
·
Link offenders with programs that
address their needs; and
·
Recruit, train, and support volunteers
who will establish individual mentoring relationships with eligible
offenders.
When
Does Re-Entry Begin?
PRISON: Re-entry planning
begins when the offender enters prison. During incarceration, the
Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) provides a
number of reentry programs for eligible offenders. Service areas include
vocational training, substance abuse education and treatment, health
and nutrition, employment, personal finance/consumer skills,
information/community resources, release requirements and
procedures, and
personal growth and development. For more information, see
www.bop.gov.
To increase the opportunities
for DC offenders, CSOSA has facilitated videoconference Community
Resource Days for offenders at the Rivers Correctional Institute in
Winton, North Carolina, the BOP facility with the largest number of
DC offenders (approximately 700 of more than 6,000
DC inmates). The videoconferences enable DC-based housing,
healthcare, employment, and education providers to present
information to
soon-to-be released offenders.
TRANSITION: Roughly half of DC inmates
returning from BOP custody to CSOSA supervision transition from
prison to the community through
a Residential Reentry Center, commonly referred to as a halfway
house.
CSOSA places Community Supervision
Officers (CSO’s) from its Transitional Interventions for Parole
Services (TIPS) units in five Residential Reentry Centers located in
Washington, DC and operated under Bureau of Prisons contracts.
Community Supervision Officers assigned to TIPS begin assessment and
case planning with offenders prior to release. Transition through a
Residential Reentry Center increases an inmate’s opportunity to
develop a sound reentry plan and connect with necessary services in
the community.
COMMUNITY
INTEGRATION:
The most intensive portion of CSOSA’s direct role in
reentry takes place after release from prison while an offender is
on parole or supervised release. CSOSA emphasizes offender
accountability and opportunity through risk and needs assessment,
close supervision, treatment and support services, and partnerships
designed to increase CSOSA’s resources to supervise offenders and
meet
the diverse needs that the population presents.
How
does the CSOSA/Faith-Based Partnership provide mentoring and other
services?
The Faith Based Initiative provides mentoring and other services to
meet the needs of the offender. Through mentoring, CSOSA links
returning
men and women with members of the faith community who offer support,
guidance and assistance during the offender various phases of
reentry. During the transition from prison to neighborhood,
offenders can be overwhelmed by problems, both large and small.
Mentors work with the CSO
to assist the offender to recognize and solve these problems. Most
importantly, mentors provide individual support and guidance. They
facilitate
the offender’s connection to, and acceptance by, the caring
community of a faith institution. In short, they assist in bridging
the gap between
prison and community by welcoming these men and women back home and
by helping them to get started with a new life.
Mentors and Cluster Outreach Coordinators also provide information
on community resources and assist with referrals and placements.
Many participating faith institutions open other services they may
offer to returning offenders, particularly in Family Reunification,
Pro-Social Skill Development, Job Coaching and Relapse Prevention.
Who
is Eligible?
CSOSA targets individuals who
have job retention difficulties, unstable living arrangements, or
lack family/social connections and support for mentorship through
the Faith-Based Initiative. To be eligible, an offender must have
·
Six months or more remaining under
supervision;
·
Scored in the medium to high risk level
on the CSOSA Screener; and
·
Maintained compliance with CSOSA’s drug
testing schedule for the previous three months.
Individuals with an untreated mental health condition or charges for
sex offenses or violent felonies are not eligible. CSOSA provides
specialized
and intense services to such individuals.
Can
an offender who is on probation and who has not been to prison get a
mentor?
In certain individualized cases, CSOSA will match an offender who
has not been to prison with a mentor. A CSOSA Community Supervision
Officer (CSO) may request placement of an individual who meets the
above eligibility criteria. The Mentoring Service Liaison
Coordinator (MSLC) receives all referrals and performs an
eligibility review. If eligible, the Cluster Coordinator recommends
to the MSLC an appropriate mentor match based on mentor profiles
maintained by the Cluster Coordinator. After an orientation, the
offender and the mentor meet each other and the
mentoring relationship begins.
How
does a returning person in a Residential Reentry Center meet his/her
mentor(s)?
Mentors and mentees meet for the first time at a Family Support
Meeting. The mentee’s family members or significant other(s) is/are
invited to this meeting. The meeting is arranged within the first
few weeks of the offender’s transition from a Bureau of Prisons
institution to a Bureau of Prisons Residential Reentry Center in
Washington, DC.
Following this initial meeting, the mentee and mentor(s) will
communicate at least once per week. Two weeks prior to release,
CSOSA staff, the
mentor group and the mentee will review and discuss the initial
supervision plan. At that point, the offender will set up an
initial post-release
meeting with his/her mentor(s).
How
often, and where, will the mentee meet his/her mentor(s)?
Mentors are required to meet with the mentee for at least two (2)
hours per week. Meetings are held in public places such as
participating faith institutions or CSOSA facilities. Mentors also
meet monthly with the Cluster Coordinator or Outreach Coordinator to
share resources and to strengthen the work of the cluster.
How
long does mentoring last?
Ideally, the relationship that emerges between an offender and his
or her mentor(s) will last a lifetime. Initially, mentors are asked
to make at least a
six-month commitment.
What
kind of activities will the mentor and mentee do together?
A
mentor’s fundamental role is to support the mentee in responsible,
crime-free behavior. He or she is there to help the mentee make the
right
choices, and to let him/her know if the mentee appears to be making
wrong ones.
Choices of activities are largely up to the mentee and the mentor(s).
The relationship may center on a specific issue such as job
coaching, or may
be more general, providing the mentee with someone with whom he or
she can talk. During the early meetings, the mentee and the
mentor(s) will discuss how mentoring can be most helpful. The
mentee may be invited to attend social or entertainment events with
the mentor(s). The mentor(s) shall not lend or give money or
significant gifts. While the mentor may offer to help with a
transportation need (through their faith-institution) or accompany
the mentee to an appointment, he/she is also free to decline to do
so.
What
happens if the mentee and mentor do not get along?
CSOSA recognizes that occasionally a match will not work smoothly.
In that case, the CSO and Cluster Coordinator will work with the
mentee and mentor(s) to determine if the matter can be resolved or
whether another match would be more beneficial.
Will
a mentor meet an offender’s family?
At the initial family support meeting the mentor will meet the
important people in the mentee’s life. Subsequent interaction is
largely up to the
mentee and the mentor. Mentees may or may not find it helpful to
use the mentor as a sounding board or intermediary in some family
issues. Mentees and mentors should discuss what works best for them
and keep the CSO informed.
Does
having a mentor mean that the offender must attend church?
Mentors are active members of faith institutions and believe
strongly in the value of spiritual connection and ministry. By
agreeing to participate
in the Initiative, the mentor agrees to respect the mentees’
religious beliefs and values. The mentor(s) may invite the mentee
to attend religious services and related activities. Mentees are
free to decline such invitations.
What
is the relationship of the mentor with community supervision
officer?
The mentor(s) and the CSO will have regular contact. In addition,
the mentor is aware of the conditions of the mentees’ release. The
mentor is obligated to report any violation of those conditions to
the CSO. The mentor is also aware of confidentiality requirements
and shall not divulge
any confidential information to inappropriate persons. |
