New Teacher Training

New Teacher Training

Teachers in the CDCR Program must be “resource literate” in order to help parolees transition back to the community from the custody environments they are used to. This training will identify community partners available to students.

California Standard for the Teaching Profession 6:

Developing as a Professional Educator:

6.3 Working with communities to improve professional practice

6.5 Working with colleagues to improve professional practice

Our Partners are called: Community Based Organizations (CBOs)

These are: EDD, PACT, SAP and SASCA

As seen on the intake form:

Community Transition. . .

Where do parolees go after they complete our programs?

To Work To Day Treatment, Short or Long Term

Residential Treatment To get their GED To School or Training Programs To Mental Health Services

Who provides these services?

Community Based Organizations (CBOs)

CBOs include but are not limited to:

Faith-based treatment programs Residential Multi-Service Centers (RMSCs) Sober living homes Family support centers Low cost health care and family planning

services/clinics Employment planning services

Many have one thing in common. . .

They are partially or fully funded by monies set aside (via grant, state/federal government allotment) for low-income participants, drug addicts, homeless people and/or parolees

Some have arrangements with parole to maintain a certain number of slots/beds just for parolees

To maintain those monies, they must show some measure of success over time or those monies are bid on by other vendors who say they can do it better

CBO: Day Programs

Day Treatment/Outpatient – Client/Students arrive in the morning for treatment and return home in the evening

Other non-drug treatment day/night programs include:

Homeless shelters Education and retraining programs Employment preparation programs Literacy programs Housing preparation programs for the homeless

CBO: Short Term Residential:

These are usually less than 30 days of intensive, live-in treatment designed to prepare clients for all aspects of drug-free living on the outside; they are usually therapeutic communities (TCs), participants have little to no contact with the outside world

CBO: Long Term Residential Treatment: Highly structured with daily therapy groups, twelve

step meetings, encounter-type groups, consequences for poor behavior

Senior residents are paired with new clients Clients spend anywhere from three months to two

years based on individual needs Minimal contact with the outside world Levels of freedom increase with the mastery of

obstacles in treatment

These programs involve TOTAL immersion, others do not. . .

CBO: Sober Living Centers

Very low structure Clients can work in the outside world and

maintain relationships with those on the outside

Must obey a curfew Clients follow basic rules, such as, “No

“fixing” (using), fraternizing or fighting” Clients usually attend a prescribed number of

meetings and attend one or two required process groups per week

CBO: Detoxification Programs (Detox): Usually one to two weeks in duration, where

drug addicts can “kick” or withdraw from their drug of choice. Some must withdraw physically, others must withdraw psychologically and physiologically Always precedes short or long-term treatment Relapsers are welcome They can be difficult to get into due to waiting

lists These are ideally followed by residential

treatment

Residential Multi-service Centers (RMSCs): Try to be “one-stop-shops” for those in need,

drug addicts, parolees, families May include any combination of services, for

example, drug treatment (detox, short to long term treatment), literacy lab, employment counseling, health care resources and so on

Some clients move through phases where they partake in all aspects of the RMSC before graduating

Parole Agreements:

Parole has agreements which help to provide necessary services for parolees. In addition to STAR, CLLC, ICDTP, PSAP, here are some others:

P3 - Parolee Partnership Program (see list) Proposition 36 Employment Development Department (EDD) PACT – Police and Corrections Team SAP – Substance Abuse Programs (in prison only) SASCA – Substance Abuse Coordinating Agency

Parolee Partnership Program (P3):

What is it?

P3 is a substance Abuse Network Program in which Parole pays rent for six months to a CBO to provide services to a particular parolee

How do I find out about it in my area?

Refer the student to his or her agent to sign up and start when his or her STAR attendance concludes

Proposition 36:

What is it?

This program originated through the courts and allows first and second time drug offenders to go to a local, residential drug treatment CBO instead of jail. Parolees convicted of sex offenses, arson or other violent crimes are not eligible for this option.

How do I find out about it in my area?

This determination is made through the court and the agent, teachers do not need to pursue it. The parolee’s agent will make these referrals.

Employment Development Department (EDD)What is it? The EDD is a federal agency that provides

employment planning, training and retraining to those in need, including parolees. There is often an EDD representative on site. EDD finds employers who will hire parolees and pays part of the parolee’s paycheck as an incentive for employers to hire parolees.

How do I find out about it in my area? Ask parole staff where the local EDD rep. is and meet

with him or her. They sometimes have offices onsite

Parolee Outpatient Clinic (POC)

Many sites have an onsite psychologist to assist students in coordinating their mental health needs.

The psychologist sees parolees by appointment but will usually try to fit someone in if a teacher or agent identifies an immediate need.

Develop a strong relationship with the onsite POC!!

Police and Corrections Team (PACT)

What is it? PACT orientation meetings are held at parole

offices weekly around the state and are designed to introduce newly released parolees to services in their areas. Reps. from each program attend and give brief presentations. Any parolee who fails to show up to the PACT meeting is immediately considered a “Parolee at Large” or “PAL” and arrested by the PACT police and agents.

PACT:

How do I find out about it in my area?Agents will direct you and there may be a PACT

Coordinator at your site. Teachers can ask the PACT Coordinator (a PAII) to visit the classroom and perhaps speak to students about resources. They are usually happy to do so.

How to Connect with PACT:

Meet with or call the PACT Coordinator for your area, as for information, give him or her yours

The phone is a powerful tool, cold calls are okay! Establish a contact person there Tell them what you do and that you refer your

students to them Ask them to send/drop off their program’s information

(i.e. flyers, brochures) Send or give them our program’s brochure

If you can. . .

Go to the PACT Meeting if it’s at your site: Most local CBOs attend and leave

information If you can’t go, see if you can get

someone to collect information for you or get the PACT handout if there is one (see sample today)

Find out if parolees are allowed only once at orientation or if they can return to PACT again and again

Substance Abuse Program (SAP):

What is it?

Substance Abuse Programs or “SAP” refers only to drug treatment programs held within prison facilities.

How do I find out about it in my area?

STAR teachers don’t make these referrals but it is important for teachers to know this for the Intake form and for general discussions with the class.

Substance Abuse Services Coordinating Agency (SASCA)What is it?

SASCA is an agency that coordinates with parole to provide substance abuse programs to parolees. Parolees released from ICDTP are required to complete 30-days of residential aftercare (free to them) and then 60-days of voluntary residential aftercare in the community, both provided through SASCA. PSAP program participants are also offered a 90-day voluntary stay in sober living through SASCA also.

Research Findings. . .

In a report to the legislature dated July 1, 1988, the California Department of Corrections (CDC) identified four major reasons for parole failure:

1. Lack of Literacy

2. Substance Abuse

3. Lack of Employment

4. Lack of Housing

Recent Findings. . .

In a more recent study conducted at Irvine University (serving as an independent evaluator) of students in the STAR Program, two groups showed success:

Students who graduated the program Students who returned to STAR 2-4 times

regardless of whether or not they graduated

What does this tell us?

More is better!

Substance abuse and a lack of employment, housing and/or literacy are each issues which exacerbate each other for the parolee.

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs – If basic survival needs aren’t met, people cannot move on to higher order thinking like “quality of life” issues and/or spirituality

Note: Remember the importance of spirituality and personal reflection in building a program of recovery

A Continuum of Services. . .

The STAR finding tells us that a continuum of services increases a parolee’s chance for success.

The longer they stay, the better their chances!

Note: “Success” is defined as a lack of parole violations and/or returns to custody for up to a year after attendance in STAR.

What can we do?

How do you find out about CBOs in your site’s community? Go to PACT Meetings if you can Yellow Pages Resource and Referral

Numbers Parole Agents and Parole Office Staff Word of Mouth City and County Directories Rainbow Directory

What should you know about them?

What do parole agents think of it?

What is the program’s mission?

Read, check the newspaper or do an Internet search. . .

Who is your best source when learning about CBOs?

Your Students. . .

Have them share experiences during Community Transition Planning and/or Street Sheet updates

How were they treated? What were they expected to do? Why did or didn’t they stay? How long did they have to wait to get in?

The More You Know. . .

The better you can direct, reassure and advise your students on what to do after STAR.

Students can begin the process while in your class by getting on the waiting list for their chosen program

Tools for Familiarizing Students with CBOs, EDD and PACT Resources: Wall of Information Risk Assessments Community Transition Planning Cooperative Learning, have students share in

partnerships or groups about their experiences in treatment in the past, this will help to clear up misconceptions and facilitate peer inputbbb