Governor’s Re-Entry Council – One Year Old and Counting
In May of 2007, Oregon’s Governor Ted Kulongoski signed an Executive Order creating the Re-entry Council. The goal of the Council is to examine changes in the government’s policies and practices in order to encourage the success of formerly incarcerated people returning to the community. The Council consists of 21 members: directors from many state agencies, former Senator Vicki Walker (now Chair of the Parole Board, her seat is currently vacant), Representative Kevin Cameron, representatives from the Oregon Association of Community Corrections Directors, the Oregon State Sheriffs Association, the Oregon District Attorneys Association, the Oregon Criminal Defense Lawyers Association, the Oregon Judicial Department, the Oregon Association of Chiefs of Police, and social service providers that concentrate on offenders’ transition.
The Council works collaboratively to identify and minimize the barriers that people find when transitioning out of incarceration. They agreed to focus their initial work in four priority areas: employment, housing, continuity of health and mental health care, and re-entry resource centers. Workgroups were convened with subject matter experts in each of the four areas to assess barriers and develop strategies to address those barriers.
The Council released its “One Year Later” report earlier this year, outlining its first year accomplishments. The following is an edited version of that report.
Communication and Education
The Council created a web site so that their work can be shared with Oregonians.
Both judiciary committees, along with the Public Safety Strategies Task Force, hosted a special hearing to learn more about state and national initiatives to improve success following incarceration.
Statewide Transition Network
A new statewide network was formed, including prison-based and community corrections-based individuals working on re-entry and transition. The purpose of the network is to improve release planning and information sharing. The network set these goals:
- Improve the content of release plans
- Create consistent processes for reach-ins
- Create a process to deliver information at intake about conditions of supervision
- Offer training so that people know how to find information in the electronic case files and also guidelines for entering information into the electronic case notes.
Identification
The Department of Corrections and the Department of Human Services worked together to streamline the process of getting Oregon birth certificates to people prior to release from prison.
The Social Security Administration and the Department of Corrections have signed a Memorandum of Understanding so that replacement social security cards can be provided to people prior to release.
The DOC and the DMV began a pilot program in which inmates are transported to the DMV so that they can be issued state photo ID cards prior to release.
Re-Entry Programming
The DOC now offers a transition curriculum in all regional release facilities. Topics include employment skills, success on supervision, family relationships, financial management, and being a good renter. (Learn more at http://oregonreentry.wikidot.com/road-to-success-re-entry-program.)
A faith-based re-entry curriculum has been introduced within DOC prisons. This program is designed to assist participants prepare for the challenges and opportunities of reentry by tapping into the sacred stories, teachings, and traditions of their own faith.
A new gender specific cognitive change/re-entry program for women was begun in 2008. Each participant completes a minimum of 197 curriculum hours. Programming includes three hours of facilitated class and one hour for homework for four days per week for six months. Transition planning is an important component of the program.
Services to Veterans
All veterans known to the DOC are contacted by ODVA prior to release so that the array of services available to veterans can be made available during transition.
Upcoming Work
At their April 1, 2009 meeting, the Council decided to begin implementation work on the following re-entry strategies:
- Employment: 1) Increase returnee employability by improving, verifying and certifying technical/work skills and soft skills; 2) Increase access to WorkSource Oregon Center resources inside and outside prisons.
- Continuity of Care: 1) Ensure that individuals returning to the community from prison who have serious health and/or behavioral health needs will leave custody with an appointment with a community provider, a transition plan that addresses health and/or behavioral health issues, including pro-social support systems, and records will be accessible to health care providers in the community; 2) Ensure there is an identified advocate available to assist with the application process for benefits for which a person returning to the community from prison may be eligible.
For more information about the Governor’s Re-Entry Council, visit their website at:
This article originally appeared in the Summer 2009 issue of Justice Matters.
