Does Family Reunification Work? (Wed. Jan. 14, 2008 10:00 - 11:30 a.m.)

California’s Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation fully funds the Chowchilla Family Express to bring families to visit at the two women’s prisons in Chowchilla, Calif.  The basics of the program, expected and unexpected outcomes, the successes of bringing more than 2,600 people to visit in their first year, and how they collaborate with corrections leadership and statisticians to effectively manage the program and further study this population to show the efficacy of family visitation will be presented. Directors of programming, wardens, visiting staff and anyone interested in programming for reentry should attend. 

Moderator: Eric DeBode, Program Coordinator, Center for Restorative Justice Works, Chowchilla Family Express, North Hollywood, California

Speakers: Tina Hornbeak, Director, Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, Female Offender Programming, Sacremento, California; Suzanne Jabro, Executive Director, Center for Restorative Justice Works, Chowchilla Family Express, North Hollywood, California

The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation recognizes the need to support all inmates, male and female in their ongoing efforts to sustain or develop relationships with their children.  In our opinion, Family Reunification does work.  The question is what does it work to accomplish?

The answer is Family Reunification, which:

• Improves inmates and their family relationships
  
• Improve the quality of inmate behavior during incarceration
  
• Improve the process of healing for both the inmate and family
  
• Improves staff satiety
  
• Assist inmates in their transition to the community
  
• Breaks the generational cycle of incarceration
  
• Provides society with safer communities by returning productive inmates as parents and citizens to society
  
• Reduces Recidivism

3rd Day Visiting Program

Division of Adult Institutions

The workshop explored the idea of “gender responsiveness”

Statistics demonstrate that the highest levels of repeat offenders were those who did not participate in family re-unification programs while incarcerated.

The aim is to increase the number of contact visits within corrections facilities.

Child friendly spaces were created in prison visiting areas.

More parent and child interaction was encouraged.

Staff was trained to accept that contact between parents (offenders) and children was okay.

Social Workers were introduced as part of the regular corrections staff.

An inmate as an incentive earned an extra day of visitation for good behavior.  

Chowchilla Family Express

Offered in lieu of a third day of visiting that was earned as an incentive.

Enable children and family to visit female offenders by providing transportation once a week. The system is funded partly with grants, but mostly by donations.

Why is it successful?

• Good for kids – children do better if they visit an incarcerated parent
  
• Good for parents – incarcerated parents tend to get fewer write-ups
  
• Good for society – inmates that are visited tend to be better adjusted upon reentering the community.

The Chowchilla Family Express is a part of the “get on the bus” program.  For more information visit http://www.getonthebus.us" www.getonthebus.us.

Blogged by Sgt. Adam Wright, Orange County (FL) Corrections Department

Thinking Our Way Forward to Organizational Evolution! (Wed. Jan. 14, 2009 (10:00 a.m. - 11:30 p.m.)

Presented by the Academy Division, National Institute of Corrections

What will our world be like in 5 years? 15? 25? What will the future bring in our corrections settings? A shrinking or growing inmate population? Water shortages that impact operations? Increasing or decreasing government budgets? Increased demand for a specialized workforce in corrections? An increase or decrease in the general population of the U.S. from which to draw staff members? “Forward thinking” refers to a process/set of processes that includes monitoring issues that are important to an agency’s success; analyzing the trends these issues are taking; and developing possible scenarios based on such analysis In this interactive workshop, participants will experience “forward thinking” or 

futuring processes applied to our correctional settings. This enables agencies to create a roadmap to their most desirable future. Although the future cannot be predicted with absolute certainty, adoption of futuring processes will place organizations in the best position to ensure their success. 

Speaker: Leslie S. LeMaster, Correctional Program Specialist, Academy Division Technical Assistance Manager, National Institute of Corrections, Academy Division, Aurora, Colorado

Sharing what Federal Bureau of Prisons  (BOP) and the National Institute of Corrections (NIC) are doing to put together resources for us to use in terms of forward thinking and implementing them in our agencies. We started looking at forward thinking work at NIC in 2006 and had first set of resources rolled out in 2007. Getting ready to role out our first e-course next month.

Forward thinking is not reacting. It is acting ahead to deal with situations. 

Session Objectives:

• Introduce concept of forward thinking in corrections settings
  
• Demonstrate some initial ideas on how to implement forward thinking processes in your organization.
  
• Share how BOP has implemented its own Forward Thinking Initiative, and its expected outcomes.

NIC has 200+ e-learning courses available now.  www.nicic.org 

Many Forward Thinking Courses available, and more will be available soon.

What is Forward Thinking?

What images, ideas or thoughts come to mind?

Audience input: planning ahead, seeing problems before they become problems, something that is predictive and prescriptive – what is the future going to be and will we be ready for it? 

Highly recommended good book to get you started: “Art of the Long View” by Peter Schwartz. Wonderful information and looks back to WWII and how we did forward thinking even back then. Book contains examples of companies that predicted future events and prepared for them.

NIC has examples on their website also.

Misconceptions about forward thinking:

It is not science fiction or predicting the future.

Forward thinking is not an exact prediction of the future, but what might happen in the future. FT can help you look at the many possible futures – from most desirable to least desirable. 

FT is a roadmap to help us determine our desirable future(s). 

Steps to FT processes:
Monitoring

Analyzing trends out there and how they might impact us and our business, and looking through trends to see how they fit into developed scenarios.

What is “forward thinking” as a concept into practice?

• Overarching set of processes – happens over time. Deliberate and focused, and must be supported. Must become a lens on everything you do.
  
• Monitoring issues 
  
• Analyzing trends issues are taking as time moves forward
  
• Developing and acting on possible scenarios based on analyses
  

What has BOP done? Projected outcome

“A strategy that plays a significant role in ensuring the BOP’s readiness to adapt to external factors and meet internal and external demands.” FT Forum Remarks, Sept 2007, Harley Lappin, Director, Fed BOP.

Fed BOP Workgroup Expectations:

Included people from all levels including “young talent” that didn’t think the same old way everyone else did. Empowered people to have tough conversations to even look at the sacred cows.  Developed 14 work groups to look at everything. 

Sept-07: 14 workgroups formed

Primary exploratory teams in 14 content areas formed

Half of teams trained in FTP at that time; then they train the other half of their team

BOP is here in their workgroups (Phase 1 and 2)

Each workgroup will apply FTP to their assigned content area

Reporting findings, research, trend analysis, and scenario development on assigned area; forward to FT Review Team. Workgroups have gone beyond just corrections based research; they are looking at resources outside the boundaries of corrections for information. 

Each team funnels info back into the greater BOP FTP process for dissemination and analysis. 

BOP using technology that allows them to have meetings without having to be face-to-face. Very successful for them. Even in light of current budget situation, they are still investing in this process. 

FTP – 3 phases:

• Issue identification/Validation
  
• Trend Analysis
  
• Scenario Development
  

Phase I: Issue Identification

BOP continually works on this. Now on 2nd round of issue identification. Using “STEEP”, a strategic business analysis model: 

• Social
  
• Technological
  
• Economic
  
• Environmental
  
• Political
  

BOP looked at issues including environmental issues, social impacts, technological impacts, and economic impact. Many different strategic frameworks can be used. Search Internet for other frameworks. 

Group Exercise

Let’s Try It Out!

Step 1 – Issue Identification

Brainstorm – globally

Groups will identify issues related to their core topic (STEEP)

What will trends be for our area in 25 years (the year 2034)?

Individually – 5 minutes

One idea per green card

Tape to wall – Then we’ll share!

[Audience members obtained green cards and markers to use for this exercise.]

Core topic for the exercise is the ECONOMY. Audience members wrote their ideas on the cards and then taped them to the wall.]

Audience gathered around the cards posted on the wall. 

Speaker: We are using a modified story boarding technique. One of the main principles of story boarding is that you just start globally – think big. For today’s exercise, I narrowed it down just to give us a look at how it works. 

Ideas from audience cards:

Rise in youth crime

Recruitment

Lack of education and funding for education

Peer inmate education programs

Increase in compassionate release

Lack of funding because infrastructure is aging

Increase in incarceration rates

Lack of donations to faith-based groups may reduce programs

Lack of money to support social work

Alternative electric sources

Increased involvement in local detention areas

Upkeep, maintenance of facilities

Migration of populations to cities

Bilingual 

Alternative fuel sources

Universal economy

More technical resources

Homelessness increasing

Crime up

Funding for programs

Renewable energy

World wide fuel shortages

World wide food shortages

Pension/benefits changes 

China – the new auto industry

Jobs for all in alternative energy

Work at home

More public transportation

Zero budgeting

Workforce reduction

Less dependence on credit

Recycling

Expand knowledge in leadership 

More ideas were put on cards

Some ideas seem to belong together. Interesting that we do a wide-open brainstorming, but we still come up with some trend areas. Part of trusting the process. 

Step 2 – Clustering

Looking at what things fit together (from the brainstorming/story boarding cards). You don’t get rid of any cards. You just start placing them together in groups that seem to fit together. 

[Audience members turned loose to start grouping cards together.]

Speaker: Located clusters on the wall and outliers (lone wolf cards).

Step 3 – Issue Identification – Trend Statements

Draft trend statements from clustered ideas (we’ll research these).

Solid statements have a direction: “More/less…”  “Increase/decrease…” For example, If there is more/less of this, there will be more/less of this.

Class Exercise continues:

Green cards put into Cluster Areas, which are then used in this class exercise: Fuel, Technology, Home-based issues, Infrastructure, world economy, education, funding issues. 

Class divided into small groups and each group assigned a cluster area to draft trend statements.

Cluster groups reported out.

BOP had interesting discussions about telecommuting, and they are moving forward with it. Changed attitude from “we can’t do it,” to “how do we do it?”

Getting Ready for Intercession Work

• BOP would have done the trend statements via video conferencing over several sessions.
  
• Research draft trend statements.
  
• Share with others via email.
  
• Sources: Internet, books, periodicals, journals, contacts with academia, public/private organizations, etc.
  

Assists with issue impact

When they end one session, they always schedule the next one and make assignments. 

Resources:

http://www.nicic.org/ForwardThinking

Coming soon to NIC’s e-learning course – Thinking our Way Forward to Organizational Evolution – 2-hour seat time.

 

Blogged by Dr. Cindy Boyles, Administrator of Training and Staff Development, Orange County (FL) Corrections Department

Alternate Procurement Delivery Methods for Correctional Facilities (Jan. 14, 2009 8:00 - 10:30)

Steven E. Loomis

This workshop explored the contractual alternatives typically used to develop new facilities. Each approach has certain advantages and challenges. These will be reviewed in detail by a panel that includes experts from the design, construction, legal, and owner’s fields.

Moderator: Edward C. Spooner, AIA, Vice President, Design Services, The GEO Group, Inc., Boca Raton, Florida 

Speakers: Steven E. Loomis, AIA, LEED AP, Assistant Vice President, Justice and Public Safety Design Director, AECOM Design, Virginia Beach, VA;  Plus others

Brent Helmandollar, Hensel Phelps Construction Company, Chantilly, VA; William Porter, HSMM, Virginia Beach, VA

Resources: 

Design Build Institute of America -  www.dbia.org

ACA Planning and Design Guide

This workshop discussed the various procurement methods available to entities in the market to construct new facilities.  Legal considerations related to construction were discussed.

Choices:

1930 – 1980: Design-Bid Build

1980 – CM

1990 – Present: Best Value

Select procurement method

Review of procurement regulations and legislation

What choice is right for your entity?

Procurement method – Lump sum design bid build contract

Pros:

Maximizes and levels competition, 100% documents, owner’s concept perfected

Cons: selection primarily based on price, have bond will build, litigious, no constructability review by builder

Construction Management – At risk or Agency

Client has concept/hires design consultant/hires construction manager/ CM facilitates hire of contractor for owner for fee

Pros: Owner has 3rd party advocate/technical support/competition on the subcontractor

Cons:  More risk

Design and Construct:

Client has concept/hires design builder/design builder develops concept, documents, and builds facility

Pros: owner has one contract, Ability to draw upon DB team expertise at NTP, minimizes change orders, facilitates fast tracking, reduced owner risk, greater ability for owner to focus dollars

Cons: Price is a smaller evaluation factor, owner must be integral throughout the process, greater potential for substitutions

Project Delivery Systems

• Contractual Assignment of Responsibilities
  
• Responsibilities = Legal Duties
  
• Breach of Legal Duties = Legal Exposure
  
• Different Delivery Systems impose different levels of risk to owner, designer, and contractor
  

Dispute Resolution

• Litigation
  
• Mediation
  
• Arbitration
  
• Neutral

Selection of design and construction team

• Low bid – lowest cost
  
• Best value bid – weighing of cost and other criteria
  
• Qualifications – Based selection
  
• Cost is minimal, if any, factor

University of Texas System

Requirements for Statement of Qualifications – www.utsystem.edu/ogc/docs/constlaw/CM-RRFQ110402.com

• Respondent’s statement of qualifications and availability to undertake the project
  
• Respondent’s ability to provide construction management services
  
• Qualifications of construction manager at risk team
  
• Respondents past performance on representative CM-R projects
  
• Respondents past performance on U.T. system projects
  
• Respondents ability to establish budgets and control costs on past projects
  
• Respondents ability to meet schedules on past projects
  
• Respondents knowledge of current construction methodologies, technologies, and best practices
  
• Respondents ability to identify and resolve problems on past projects
  

Execution of offer

Request for qualifications for construction manager-at-risk

Acceptance of evaluation methodology:  By submitting its qualifications in response to this RFQ, respondent accepts the evaluation process and acknowledges and accepts that determination of the “most qualified” firm(s) will require subjective judgments by the Owner

• Legal risks to responder to RFQ
  
• Legal exposure this early in the process
  
• Mistakes
  
• Misrepresentations
  
• Changes of circumstances
  

Design – Build

Design – Build as project delivery method to implement “Best Value” contracting

Is there statutory/regulatory or other legal authority to contract other than by low bid (Design-Bid-Build)?

Different public entities have differing levels of authority

Legal risks to owner in evaluating qualifications for “Best Value”

• Conformity with authorizing statute
  
• Departure from low bid
  
• Subjective does not equal arbitrary and capricious
  
• Solicitations must set forth all “Best Value” factors to be considered and their relevant importance
  
• Bidders shall be treated fairly and impartially
  
• “Contractor’s Performance Rating”
  
• Contractor may respond

Who is the design – builder?

• One entity with in-house design and construction
  
• Joint Venture
  
• Contractor who sub-contracts with A/E design entity
  
• A/E design entity who sub-contracts with contractor

Some legal implications to owner of design – build

• Owner wants to look to design-builder, but…
  
• Owner should satisfy itself that design-builder’s contracts with its subs benefit owner
  
• Subcontractors/JV Agreements
  
• Indemnity
  
• Representations and warranties
  
• Insurance to back stop
  

In design – bid – build, two contracts

• Owner – architect
  
• Owner – contractor
  

Professional judgment of architect unambiguously in favor of owner

A bit of adversity between designer and contractor

In design – Build, one contract

Single point of contact/contract

Adversity between designer and contractor is essentially removed

That is the appeal, but…

Risk of loss of checks and balances

Owner’s responsibilities in design – build

Design criteria materials used in design – build are less developed that in design – bid –build

Construction can begin during design phase (fast track)

Design – builder has more flexibility to employ alternative methods than in design – bid – build

Owner must set forth its minimum requirements at outset

“Project criteria” are to provide Design – Builder adequate guidance for it to prepare designs

Per AIA design – build form contracts, owner must, e.g.:

• review submittals
  
• make periodic site visits
  
• reject non-conforming work
  
• inspect and ok Final Completion
  

In design – bid – build, owner could rely on its architect for these duties

• Construction manager – at – risk project delivery system
  
• Owner contract with A/E for design
  
• Owner separately contracts with construction manager – At –Risk for construction 
  
• “Best Value”
  
• CM, as contractor, makes contributions to design
  
• A/E unambiguously advises owner
  
• CM takes on risk of completion
  
• “At risk”
  
• GMP; and/or
  
• CM, as entity contracting with trades, assumes performance risk of completion

Construction manager agency

• To monitor design – builder
  
• To advise owner
  
• Agent has contract with owner
  
• Owner has separate contract with design – builder
  
• Re-introduces adversity potential between owner and design builder
  
• Is the CM-Agent (Owner) or design – builder responsible for a problem?
  

Who has what duties?

• (Dis)harmony in the owner’s two contracts
  
• Owner interference with design – build?
  
• Owner (through Agent) re-assertion of heightened level of control
  

Blogged by Sgt. Adam Wright, Orange County (FL) Corrections Department

Parenting Inside Out (Wed. Jan. 14, 2009 8:00 a.m. - 9:30 p.m.)

More than 1.5 million children under the age of 18 have a parent incarcerated in the U.S. and 22% of all minor children with a parent in prison are under the age of 5 according to the U.S. Department of Justice. Parental incarceration is related to a variety of adverse child outcomes, including emotional or psychological problems and school difficulties. The Children’s Justice Alliance will present its evidence-informed parent training program, Parenting Inside Out (PIO), the only parent management training curriculum designed specifically for incarcerated parents. PIO has demonstrated the potential to interrupt the intergenerational cycle of criminality and build behavioral skills for a pro-social life at reentry. PIO is the subject of an NIMH funded research study with results due winter 2009.

Moderator: Mindy Clark, Children’s Justice Alliance, Portland, Oregon

Speakers: Lauren Booth, Executive Director, Children’s Justice Alliance, Portland, Oregon; Cindy Duran, Parent Advocate, Pathfinders of Oregon. Portland Oregon; Lory Humbert, Superintendent, Oak Creek Youth Correctional Facility, Albany, Oregon

Talking about program called Parenting Inside Out, an initiative by a number of agencies in Oregon, with a focus on children whose parents are incarcerated. 

Cindy Duran

I grew up in Oregon and graduated from high school. Then used meth for next 14 years. Have 5 children, youngest is 21 now. Was arrested in 2000 while pregnant. Difficult for me to comprehend my situation and the impact on my kids. Did not really have any parenting skills. Did not really think about what it meant to be a parent. I was shoplifting and doing drugs, but not really thinking about my kids. They were with me during all of that. I didn’t just drop them off anywhere. When I went to prison, they were living with their dad.  Had opportunity to Parenting Inside Out. Curriculum was different. Focused on how to parent, how to handle discipline, be nurturing. Program gave me the skills I needed to focus on my children instead of just focusing on me. Helped me realize that I had not lost everything. I still had opportunities.  Got to interact with kids while in prison. Worked through issues with my son so he would accept me back into his life. I knew that in order for my kids to be able to stay with me after my release, I could not take them back right when I got out. There were things I needed to do, like find stable employment. I knew if I took them back before I worked on my things, I would loose them soon again. 

Lauren Booth

It was stories like Mindy’s that convinced us that we needed to develop a program.

What about the Children?

Children under 16 with an ever-incarcerated parent are twice as likely as other children to be clients of the Dept of human Services. They use more services than average Dept of Human Services client of the same age, suggesting family difficulties and personal problems.

They need contact with their parents; to have that relationship recognized and valued even under adverse circumstances. And – rather than being stigmatized for their parents’ actions or status – they need to be treated with respect, offered opportunity, and recognized as having potential.

Nationally more than 1.7 million children have at least one incarcerated parent. 63% of fed inmates 

What about the parents?

Parents who are able to maintain regular contact with their children during incarceration are less likely to re-offend once they have completed their sentences. 

Three Objectives of the program

• Reduce intergenerational criminality
  
• Reduce recidivism  
  
• Give offenders skills to be effective parents when they are inside an institution or in the 
  
• Community. 
  

Lory

I want to talk a little about how we got this curriculum off the ground.

We’ve been dealing with the issue of incarcerated parents for about the past 10 years.  We developed a multi-disciplined work group to talk about incarcerated parents. First product was “How to Explain Jails and Prisons to Children” – available on the Internet.

We knew that this population needed skill building, and that by offering this program, we would be helping the children. We brought together groups that had expertise in parenting. We did a national search for a packaged program that taught people had to parent from prison. We didn’t find anything in 2000-2001. We brought people together to develop this program. Pushed heavily in women’s prisons first. Now in all institutions. It can be modeled and packaged for different populations. Expected that inmates will go through the program if they participate in any programs other than just visitation. Use all of the time they have with their kids to practice the skills they learn, and be coached as they go along. 

Lauren Booth

Parenting Inside Out  - What is it?

Very detailed manual. Also involved parents in developing the manual.

Cognitive-behavioral parent management skills training program.

• Outcome based.
  
• Developed for CJ involved parent.
  
• Developed by interdisciplinary team
  

Parent Management Training

• Developed for high risk families and children

Elements of Parent Management Training:

• Positive reinforcement
  
• Communication
  
• Problem solving
  
• Monitoring
  
• Non-violent discipline
  

Added Recognizing and Understanding: Child’s Job; Parent’s Job – not using your past guilt to give in to everything your child wants – “tough love parenting” that is hard to learn. Also added co-parenting and healthy adult relationships. Learning how adult relationships affect children whether romantic or not. 

Three Versions:  Prison, Community, Jail

Implemented in 11 Oregon prisons

Available now nationally - Being used in San Fran city jails, PA jails and community-based programs, and other areas are looking at it.

Exercise they must do during week 6. Inmate must care for an egg 24/7. Make sure it is cared for and not injured. Staff had to become involved in reinforcing what was happening. After egg exercise, next week introduced to a stuffed animal, which becomes their pseudo-child after class. They carry animal everywhere they would take a child. If they go to work, and it would not be appropriate to take child, they have to find day care. Staffs help them come up with ideas. Might involve inmates interviewing other inmates to determine if they would be appropriate caregivers. Reinforced throughout by staff. 

Men in prison do the same exercises. For last 5 years men have been doing the same exercises. Staffs address any issues that might be harmful for “child” (egg or stuffed animal) by taking it back to child protection. Then work with inmate to review what happened. Translated into how inmates talk to each other. Before they ignored each other. Now they come together on rec yards and dining room to ask how their kids are doing.

Initially concerned about men in prison carrying around teddy bears. Let first pilot group decide. The men wanted to carry the teddy bears. Participation in the program is voluntary. After doing this program in men’s prisons for 5 years, they have only had 3 men decline the teddy bear. Upon graduation, the men often pass the teddy bear to their children and it represents the inmate to the child until the parent can return home. If the child is not at the graduation, the inmate may give the teddy bear to the child’s caregiver.

Cindy Duran

Three best things I learned:

Problem-solving piece – Parole Officer directed her to live in an area by a bar where she knew it was not a safe place for her to live and stay sober. PO told her to then go back to jail. She decided to find her own place to live, which she did.

Self-advocacy – she knew what she needed and she didn’t want to be just another ex-inmate. She wanted her case plan to be individualized to her, she knew what she was going to need, and she wanted a say in the outcomes for her.

Not taking for granted that someone else was taking care of her children when she was not there. Not being jealous of that, but just being grateful.

Got her associated degree recently, and now working with parents who are going through situation similar to her own. 

To order booklets:

Call 503-373-7604, ext 244

Or download order form at:

http://www.doc.state.or.us/transition_project/children/booklet.shtml

Blogged by Dr. Cindy Boyles, Administrator of Training and Staff Development, Orange County (FL) Corrections Department