The Reentry Partnership provides an integrated service system to help prepare ex-offenders for successful transition from prisons and the streets to communities. Partners work with private, nonprofit, and other governmental agencies to maximize the effectiveness of essential service providers and cooperatively develop a comprehensive plan that supports those reentering our communities.
This document is posted to help you gain knowledge. Please leave a comment to let me know what you think about it! Share it to your friends and learn new things together.
Transcript
- 1 -
21st Century ONE STOP EX-OFFENDER MONITORING AND REFERRAL SOLUTIONS
One Entry Point for Reentry A.D Marta, Executive Director 340 S Lemon Avenue, Ste 2259 Walnut, California 91789 E-mail: [email protected] www.facebook.com/Onestopcompliancebureau
Our mission is to change the lives of ex-offenders and increase law-abiding behavior by providing services
to ex-offenders and to veterans to assist in their rehabilitation, offer a structured caring, program that will
enable them to remain crime and chemical free, while assisting them in addressing their personal issues,
and meeting their individual goals, in order to assure their successful integration as productive citizens.
OSPC is community based intervention service and the delivery of coordinated highly individualized
unconditional services that provides a one entry point for reentry services to those referred by the
Probation, Parole, Courts, Veterans Affairs and other agencies.
Our mission is coordination and delivery of a full range of services needed to stabilize the lives of ex-
offenders and veterans to assume a productive role in their communities
WHY ONE STOP RESOURCES:
Our Reentry network was uniquely developed to meet the needs of ex-offenders in the Antelope Valley
area. Our network of agencies provides services to ex-offenders referred by the Department of Probation,
Parole, Juvenile and Veterans Affairs to end the routine discharge of ex-offenders and veterans into
homelessness from jails, prisons and treatment facilities and secure greater investment in supportive
services. As a case management model OSPC pulls together all available resources and partnerships to
reduce crime, and substance abuse to improve the quality of life of men, women and children.
THE TARGET POPULATION:
Must be 17 or older
Have a past or current involvement with the criminal justice system
Ex-Offender at risk of homelessness.
- 3 -
Ex-offenders must have been measured by the Modified Wisconsin Risk Assessment tool.
Veterans referred by Veterans Affairs Dept. Reentrants who meet the criteria of the Realignment Act 2011
Reentrants who are high risk of recidivating.
No history of significant violence.
Are detoxed and able to attend treatment programs. Ex-offenders and Veterans who reside in Antelope Valley communities that encompass the
western high desert area of Southern California (90 miles north-west of Los Angeles on 14).
INTERGRATED SERVICES: Although OSPC, like most of its counterparts around the Nation, has not been the subject of rigorous,
independent evaluation, its programs incorporates many features that experts consider essential to programming for ex-offenders including:
Programs designed to address the specific needs of women.
Individualized case management to help offenders set and achieve goals.
Family focus programming
Peer support groups
Highly skilled staff experienced in working with ex-offenders and their wide range of concerns.
Formal recognition of participants achievements
Ongoing attention to building community support.
PROGRAM REFERRAL Participants are referred to OSPC in a variety of ways. Some are referred by corrections, parole, probation
by Veterans Affairs, child welfare workers, or by other community-based organizations.
The Reentry Partnership provides an integrated service system to help prepare ex-offenders for
successful transition from prisons and the streets to communities. Partners work with private,
nonprofit, and other governmental agencies to maximize the effectiveness of essential service
providers and cooperatively develop a comprehensive plan that supports those reentering our
communities.
PROGRAM SUMMARY: The reentry project was uniquely developed to meet the needs of low level reentrants and assist
probation department with managing, monitoring and reporting progress of reentrants who fall under
the Public Safety Realignment Act of 2011. ONE STOP PROBATION COMPLIANCE, provides the participants with a point person from
whom the participant could obtain some guidance in the process with intensive case management
services to state and federal offenders and veterans returning to the community who need assistance
with housing, employment preparation, education placement, family reunification or other life areas that will provide them with long-term stability in the community.
Intensive reentry case management for individuals on parole or probation. Case management plans
are monitored on a weekly basis. OSPC represent a new and different way to provide comprehensive services for those experiencing
difficulty with reentry.
- 4 -
As a one stop post release community provider, referral, monitoring and day reporting agency (OSPC)
pulls together all available resources and partnerships to help reentrants meet the conditions of probation,
reduce crime, homelessness, unemployment and substance abuse to improve the quality of life of people
who meet the criteria of the Realignment Act or referred by Veterans Affairs.
While probation officers often have caseloads of more than 50:1 probationers/parolees, OSPC caseloads
are never higher than 25:1.
OSPC connects the participants to an individualized range of community-based services selected to
address the reasons they may have resorted to criminality in the first place. Unlike the punitive
environment that often surrounds the participant once they have been arrested, OSPC uses positive and
supportive, while aggressive, case management approach to ensure that the probationers take advantage of
the services available to them as well as assisting the participants with meeting the terms and conditions of
their release and assist probationers with obtaining the services as required by the Probation Supervision
Case Plan created by the Deputy Probation Officer or by the Court. Compliance Analysts, monitor
attendance, activity participation, and program services providers.
OSPC assists with supervision of ex-offenders to reduce recidivism, improve offender outcomes, reduce
system wide criminal justice costs and enhance public safety and to assist veterans with reducing
homelessness and unemployment
The intensive advocacy and case management model is well-suited for high risk or repeat offenders and
veterans with special needs, because OSPC utilize DPO case plan reports to help the offender progress
and can tailor a highly individualized plan to both ex-offenders and veterans that is responsive to the
participants needs, progress and specific interests.
GOALS AND OBJECTIVES:
OSPC goal is to assist the participant in maximizing all available resources and to cooperatively develop a
comprehensive plan to institute a one stop compliance office that supports reentrants in meeting conditions
of probation to reduce recidivism and help reentrants reintegrate back into communities while meeting the
requirements of the DPO.
OSPC goal is to change the lives of reentrants, increase law-abiding behavior by providing a one stop case
management and referral service to ex-offender. Assist in their rehabilitation, offer a structured caring
program that will enable then to remain crime and chemical free, while addressing their personal issues,
- 5 -
and assisting with meeting their individual goals, in order to assure their successful integration as
productive citizens.
The six goals are achieved by providing appropriate support services through community partnerships.
OSPC identifies eligible offenders, directs offenders to assessment and appropriate levels of treatment,
services, and supervises the participant through treatment and aftercare for up to 18 months.
To promote public safety by reducing the threat of harm to persons and their property by released
offenders in the community to which those offenders return. Reduce substance abuse among reentrants, to increase the success rates of offenders who transition
from prison by fostering, effective risk management and treatment programming, offender
accountability, and community participation, and
Reduce recidivism and incarceration due to probation/parole violations. Become productive, responsible, and law abiding citizens.
Obtain and retain long-term employment and maintain stable residences.
Assist the participants in the reentry process and provide aftercare services.
INTRODUCTION
ONE STOP PROBATION COMPLIANCE, LLC, was founded in 2012, we officially began discussing the
21st Century Reentry Project in 2001 when the founder of OSPC, a group of retired law enforcement
officers, attorneys, men and women working in criminal justice ministry and a group of formerly
incarcerated reentrants met and examined the challenges faced when being released from jail or prison for
nonviolent crimes. They profiled services that were available and determined what needs were not being
met by other service agencies. The needs not being addressed were:
Start up monies to help probations pay for housing. Start up monies to help probationers move out of drug-infested neighborhoods.
Aid probationers in achieving educational goals and obtaining financial assistance to meet their
educational expenses.
Aid probationers in obtaining employment. Encouragement and support to stay focused on the goals set by the probationers, probation officers and
court.
Aid probationers in meeting the terms and conditions set by their probation officers. Aid probationers to identify and gain access to other available services.
Aid children of probationers so that they do not get caught in continuation of cycle of criminal
behavior. A change from a retributive or retaliatory system of corrections to one that is restorative.
THE NEED FOR ONE STOP AGENCIES
Ex-offenders are convicted perpetrators of crime. They are also individuals with human needs and, after
release from incarceration, members of the community. Society pays a heavy price for crimes committed
and for the incarceration of offenders. That price multiplies if offenders commit crime again. Therefore,
- 6 -
the community has a strong interest in assisting ex-offenders to become successful members of the
community, free of crime, living stable and productive lifestyles.
This study reviews the needs of ex-offenders as they seek to live successfully in the community. It then
compares these needs with the services available to ex-offenders both during jail or prison incarceration
and afterwards in Los Angeles County and identifies gaps between the two. It also reviews promising
practices that might be used locally to improve services and reduce gaps.
Our study finds that the needs of ex-offenders are diverse because the ex-offender population itself is very
diverse. However, certain characteristics are common to many ex-offenders: low income, low level of
education, disrupted home and family life, low level of job skills and employment experience, and alcohol
and/or drug addiction. As a result, the most important needs of ex-offenders relate to immediate basic
needs, food, shelter, clothing, education, employment, health (especially treatment for substance-abuse,
mental-health, and HIV/AIDS problems), legal assistance, and ongoing personal support.
Although their characteristics and needs vary, all ex-offenders must contend with the social stigma of
being a convicted criminal. This stigma reflects society’s concern for public safety and social order. It also
has the effect, based on a stereotype, of raising barriers for many ex-offenders, as they seek to change their
lives in positive directions.
DEVELOPING A MORE ROBUST SYSTEM ONE STOP POINT OF CONTACT
Right now, the types of issues confronting ex-offenders cross substantive legal categories. Matters related
to housing and employment fall in the civil arena. Legal issues regarding the custody and care of children
are also deemed civil. Ex-offenders may continue to interact with the criminal justice system if their
release contains specific conditions that must be met to avoid revocation of release status. Although a
- 7 -
single client may encounter all of these issues simultaneously, the traditional legal offices that handle such
matters are often separate entities that will only address those issues that fall within their range of
expertise. This leads the ex-offender from one office to another in search of assistance with reentry.
One possible way to reduce the chaos in legal representation that an ex-offender must negotiate would be
to have one legal entity serve as the entry point for the offender. That office could then help map a strategy
for the offender that might involve working with separate legal and social entities. The offender would
thus have a point person from whom he or she could obtain some guidance in the process.
AVAILABILITY OF SERVICES
When assessing services, staff discovered that women offenders and their families were effectively
precluded from being well served by agencies mandated to deal with the issues that women offenders
person (e.g., homelessness, HIV, and AIDS). Sometimes women offenders were explicitly excluded
because of their criminal histories; but, more frequently, some aspect of qualifying for service was
unrealistic given the women’s circumstances (e.g., requiring custody of children to qualify for housing).
OSPC’s programs assist both offenders and their families. Helping offenders reconnect and/or reunite
with their children can motivate the probationers to accomplish other goals. Working to build healthy
families may also prevent children who have been exposed to their parent’s substance abuse and crime
from becoming involved in those behaviors themselves.
OSPC is addressing the need for the creation of programs to address the diverse concerns of offenders and
seeking to provide opportunities to:
Learn and adopt independent living skills.
Obtain more permanent living arrangements. Receive appropriate preventive and medical care
Gain financial independence or support.
Achieve and maintain sobriety.
Develop relationships that support the changes they want to make. Reunite with their children and families.
INTERGRATED SERVICES OSPC programs incorporate many features that correctional experts consider essential to programming for
reentrants including:
Programs designed to address the specific needs of reentrants. Individualized case management to help offenders set and achieve goals.
Family focused programming.
Peer support groups. Highly skilled staff experienced in working with reentrants and their wide range of concerns.
Formal recognition of participants achievements.
Ongoing attention to building community support.
- 8 -
By combining supervision and services, the Reentry Project will help reentrants to achieve the
following: To promote public safety by reducing the threat of harm to persons and their property by released
offenders in the community to which those offenders return;
To increase the success rates of offenders who transition from prisons by fostering ;
Effective risk management and treatment programming; Offender accountability, and community participation, reduce recidivism and incarceration due to probation/parole violations.
Become productive, responsible, and law abiding citizens.
Obtain and retain long term employment. Maintain stable residence.
Successfully address substance abuse, treatment, and mental health needs.
Assist offenders in the reentry process and provide aftercare services. Prepare ex-offender to receive further training, treatment, or opportunities by honing life skills,
such as; parenting, fiscal responsibility; employment issues; appearance and hygiene; and other
training, employment assistance, will be among the participants goal setting strategies. Each participant
will be obligated to attend and complete the programs selected by the Compliance Analyst and DPO and
included in the participant’s Life Action Plan Contract.
THREE PHASES OF REENTRY This model reentry program begins upon referral from county, state and federal agencies and continues throughout an the client’s transition to and stabilization in the community. This program will provide for
individual reentry plans that address issues confronting offenders and veterans as they return to the
community. This initiative encompass three phases and implemented through appropriate programs.
Phase1- Prepare
Community-Based Programs. These programs designed to prepare the individual to reenter society.
Services provided in this phase will include education, mental health and substance abuse treatment, job training, mentoring, risk assessment, housing, assistance in applying for social security, food stamps,
public assistance, veterans benefits, etc.
Phase 2- Restore:
This Community Based Transition Program works with offenders following their release from correctional
institutions and veterans. Services provided in this phase will include, as appropriate, education,
monitoring, mentoring, life skills training, assessment, job skill development, and mental health and substance abuse treatment.
Phase 3- Support: This Community Based Long Term Support Program connect individuals who have left the supervision of
the justice system and who are veterans with a network of social services agencies and community based
organizations to provide ongoing services and mentoring relationships.
Our Project is designed to specifically address the “Needs of Reentrants and Veterans” identified and
cited in the previous pages. OSPC supports the participants by improving parole & probation outcome,
reducing recidivism through fewer drug-related parole revocations or new violations, encouraging participants in becoming competent self-sufficient members of their communities and their families.
OSPC work with private, non-profit, and other governmental agencies to maximize the effectiveness of essential service providers and cooperatively develop a comprehensive plan that supports participants
- 9 -
reentering our communities. “Sisters & Brothers United” additionally supports adult community members
by providing identified needed programs/services at accessible locations at minimal or no cost to the adult participants.
OCSS PROCESS AND PROCEEDURES
INTAKE
Within three days (3) Participants are scheduled to meet with the Compliance Analyst who are assigned
to each participant. Maximum caseload ratio is 25:1. The duration of the program depends upon the
participant’s needs but can run for up to a total of 18 months. Program services may be long term, but
most participants receive intense services for a limited period. The participants are encouraged to contact
their assigned Compliance Analyst in times of crisis.
CONTRACT FOR SUCCESS
Every person enrolled in OSPC program must sign a Contract for Success that clearly explains his/ her
responsibilities and the responsibilities of our staff. Specifically, the contract requires the participants to
follow the instructions of the Compliance Analyst, dress appropriately, be on time for appointments, and
attend all counseling sessions, workshops and other activities as agreed to in the Contract for Success. The
contract requires (OSPC)’s staff to help the participants make career plans, prepare for interviews, assist
the participant in scheduling interviews with employers, accept bon fide job offers, maintain employment,
and obtain support services. By clearly expressing the responsibilities of staff and participants,
misunderstandings are avoided and the effectiveness of the program is greatly increased.
LIFE ACTION PLAN
The Life Action Plan is a goal-oriented planning tool. Participants create a Life Action Plan this outlines
realistic goals, timelines, and steps for their success. Participants learn how to be set and realize their
individual goals. The Life Action Plan is a forum for probationers to examine their life in functional areas
such as education, employment, childcare, transportation, family and more. Participants identify their
individual barriers and set personal goals to achieve.
Life Action Plan offers wraparound services to the Probation/Parole Departments case plan and will be
incorporated with the Life Action Plan and Contract for Success.
CASE MANAGEMENT, OSPC staff are able to coordinate the many community-based service
providers who offer assistance to probationers, and to veterans which may help reduce duplication of
services, thereby making service delivery most cost-effective and efficient to ensure the accessibility of
services. OSPC is currently negotiating additional partnerships with service providers in the community.
- 10 -
TRANSITIONAL HOUSING
The goal is to help participants re-engage in the community, would not be met without first finding
housing. Therefore OSPC provides two transitional homes that give reentrants a chance to live in the
community with support systems.
TRANSITIONS RANCH
OSPC offer housing at Stevenson Ranch and other transitional housing to participants who do not have a
release address or to those reentrants and veterans at risk of homelessness. We are currently negotiating a
lease contract for a 80 acre rural ranch where participants have an opportunity to learn agriculture, raise
animals and grow fruits and vegetables. Through this housing residents are able to find more permanent
solutions that will keep them out of jail and contributing to their community. Participants will be allocated
a portion of land to grow their own crop to sell to the public to generate income to become more self
reliant.
EMPLOYMENT & VOCATIONAL TRAINING ASSISTANCE
OSPC provide referral and career counseling services to include job training and placement
assistance, job readiness and life skills support services to the participant.
BONDS FOR EX-OFFENDERS
OSPC assist ex-offenders with obtaining bonding for employer protection. Fidelity Bonding Program
provides bonding services at no cost to employers, employees, and job seekers. The Federal Bonding
Program, which helps applicants who are having difficulty obtaining a job due to questionable
backgrounds. In this program, a bond, or a business insurance policy, can be issued to protect the
employer.
Fidelity bonding services protect employers against possible theft and dishonest or fraudulent acts, and
help alleviate employers’ concerns in hiring ex-offenders and at-risk job applicants.
ONSITE GENERAL EDUCATION DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM
Our goal is to provide an educational environment where the student may develop the needed vocational
skills leading to meaningful employment. The program offers assistance with educational planning,
habilitative services provided to individual who have been released from state institutions, and who have
participated in alcohol and drug treatment programs while incarcerated. These services consist of groups
and individual counseling, plus random urinalysis drug testing. These services also include education
services to help the individual effectively re-enter society. Assistance is provided in learning how to seek
- 15 -
employment, plus coordinating referrals to sober living housing, medical assistance, transportation and job
placement.
LISA’S CLOTHING CLOSET
OSPC receives donated clothing from individuals and community organizations. Program participants are
encouraged and required to dress for success at all programs as stated in the Life Action Plan contract.
Clothing may be obtained free of charge to all program participants.
COMPREHENSIVE CARE CONTINUM
Methods of implementing the components of this continuum, the partners who deliver each service, the
manner and setting in which different services are delivered and so on, is based on (1) the unique needs of
the target population; (2) the extent to which there are addiction treatment, health care, human services,
housing, and labor training alternatives. The array of services need not be provided by a single
collaborating entity but will be provided by a consortium of providers linked via coordinated case
management.
ONSITE LEGAL SUPPORT SERVICES
Assistance with expunging criminal records, family law and bankruptcy to help client clear up their credit
records.
EMERGENCY SUPPORT SERVICES
Funds from donations are earmarked to pay for such emergencies as rent arrears, security deposits, utility,
food, and clothing
ANTICIPATED OUTCOME
The anticipated success of this project will build and sustain a “bandwagon of achievements” that will
change the lives of offenders in our communities forever and attract additional future funding
opportunities. This will allow us (1) The opportunity to form partnerships with agencies to efficiently
transition participants back into the community and continue to preserve, improve and dignify the fabric
of our communities. (2) Increase the scope and/or number of offenders being served year to year; and (3)
Extend the project beyond the life of funding due to its overwhelmingly positive impact on men, women,
children, and the community. Through grant partnerships, participants will have the opportunity to
become successful, productive citizens of our communities. The commitment of the probation, parole and
the community is so high that it is anticipated that our project will service as a model for similar “reentry
programs” in our city, county and state. The participants are expected to;
- 16 -
Learn and adopt independent living skills.
Obtain permanent living arrangements.
Receive appropriate substance abuse treatment.
Gain financial independence or support.
Achieve and maintain sobriety.
Develop relationships that support the changes they want to make.
Reunite with their children and families.
Reduced adult crime rate in our communities
Self-reliance through the development of independent living skills.
Self-empowerment and peer support.
Participants involvement in the community.
COMMUNITY FOLLOW-UP
Upon completion of the programs, the Compliance Analyst monitor the participant’s progress for up to18
months. The case manager is assigned to serve as an aftercare worker and helps participants once they
have completed all the requirements of the “Contract for Success” agreement. The case manager helps
participants maintain housing, negotiate with the property owner for repairs, and access supportive
services in the community. Through service provided largely in the community, the aftercare worker
monitors each family’s progress with independent living for up to 6 months after the participant completed
the contract. The aftercare worker makes regular visits to each family’s home and receives progress
reports from all institutions the family is known to attend. Reports are submitted to the DPO and/or courts.
LOOKINIG AHEAD
OSPC plans to launch an initiative entitled “Brothers & Sisters United in 2015 “ by the year 2015, a public
outreach and information campaign to generate an informed public debate about crime and poverty.
Through video and panel presentations, formal and informal events, and collaborations with other
organizations. OSPC seeks to create greater public interest in criminal justice policies by making 2,015
citizens more aware of the realities of crime, justice, and imprisonment by the year 2015.
OSPC Board of Directors supports the initiative by inviting friends and professional colleagues to their
own homes for presentations on the needs of reentrants. Clients also participate in OSPC speaker’s bureau
through which they describe their life experience at community meetings.
EVALUATION AND METHODS
MEASURING PROGRAM OUTCOMES
The program evaluation plan is based on process oriented, quantitative and qualitative measures. The
program evaluation plan addresses both the implementation, and the on-going effectiveness, of each of the
programs/services in the Project.
- 17 -
EVALUATION TEAM will participate in developing proposals in order to ensure that the project design
is translated in measurable objectives, which in turn, become the focus of researchable evaluation
questions and appropriate measures.
EVALUATION PROCESS
The evaluation process consisting of an intensive OSPC case management model during the eighteen
months period of supervision followed by an additional six months of less intensive case management
services. The participants will receive treatment as usual, consisting of the OSPC case management model
that will be in place. The evaluation procedures will consist of a baseline interview and follow-up
interviews over a one-year period that tracks outcomes to the point at which subjects are eligible for
sealing of records. Follow-up interviews and file studies will test for a wide array of possible effects,
including recidivism, employment, education, drug use, family relationships, support of children, mental
and physical health, HIV/AIDS risk factors, assumption of personal responsibility and life adjustment
factors.
The evaluation will involve 150 projected participants over a 1-½ year period. Evaluation interviews will
take place at baseline, 6 months, 12 months, and 18 months. Each interview will last 1 ½ to 2 hours
depending on the memory and speed of the respondents. The interview goal is a minimum of 80%
completion rate. A file study of arrest records and the number of criminal records expunged will
supplement interview data. Additionally, two focus groups of clients in the intent group will be conducted
in each city at 3,6,9,12 and 18 months to provide feedback on client perceptions of the case management
programs. The groups will consist of clients in compliance with the program and one group will consist of
clients not in compliance. Groups will consist of 25 to 50 participants chosen at random from the
compliant and noncompliance clients. Additionally file study data will be gathered on the number of case
management sessions and the number and frequency of other interventions in the intent-to-treat and control
groups.
The plan calls for monthly, quarterly, and yearly monitoring by both the Project Director and the
contracted evaluator. Adjustments to the programs/services for ex-offending will take place monthly,
quarterly and yearly. The program objectives (as stated in “Goals/Objectives” section) will provide the
bases for the quantitative and qualitative measures of successes. Each of the goals and objectives are all
easily measurable, and will provide the framework for not only a yearly evaluation of programs/services,
but can also be easily interpolated so that necessary monthly or quarterly adjustments can be made.
- 18 -
Measurement tools such as: attendance records and adult evaluation forms for each of the programs
participants and their Compliance Analyst will help evaluate all the programs/services in terms of the goals
and objectives of the Project.
Evaluation and Methods, tracks manage and monitors participants, performance, progress, and retention in
the workplace. Through its mentoring and other program support features, OSPC can translate relevant
data into meaningful information that enable program partners to effectively monitor and evaluate
participants progress. The ability to conduct comprehensive assessments at intake, track client progress
via documented case-finding methods and evaluation tools, maintain process-tracking capabilities, and
conduct outcome evaluations (during and after treatment)for all program participants.
The project is evaluated every six months using three data sources: 1.) Demographics data collected when participant enters the program,
2.) Discharge date reflecting changes in clients housing, employment and educational status,
3.) Outcome of remaining chemical free 4.) Follow-up data gathered 6 months after participants leave the program. The evaluation will measure the program effectiveness in achieving four outcomes.
OSPC is working to demonstrate program effectiveness by creating new mechanisms for tracking
individual clients and measuring their ability to maintain liberty in the community, maintain or improve
housing, and maintain or improve their family situations. The agency also continues to disseminate
information on offenders and to actively recruit the community-at –large in responding to the needs of
offenders in the criminal justice system. Maintaining sufficient funding will be one of the agency’s
greatest challenges. Cuts in funding and changing government priorities, especially regarding welfare
reform, will be a significant threat to the future of OSPC’s programs. In addition, the categorical nature of
most government funding imposes limitations on the kinds of funds that are available, effectively
precluding the provisions of services to some offenders.
PARTNERSHIPS & COLLABORATIVE
Rise and Achieve Sober Living
Center for Alternative Law & Mediation Los Angeles Valley College
Mandel & Associates Attorneys at Law Antelope Valley Council on Alcoholism & Drug Dependency programs
The High Road Program
Tarzana Treatment Centers Antelope Valley College ROP Program
Antelope Valley Adult School
Independent Living Center of Southern California, Inc.
- 19 -
One Stop Career Centers
Antelope Valley Council on Alcoholism & Drug Dependency Programs The High Road Program, Michael Napier, Director
Southern California Indian Center
Via Avanta Treatment Center
Mission Community Hospital American Indian Changing Spirits Recovery
Los Angeles Family Housing- Daryl Johnson, Life Skills Counselor
Luthern Social Services of Southern California, Thomas Judge, MA El Proyecto Del Barrio, Inc- Carol Silva, Case Manager, CDS
Genesis Programs, Inc- Judy Tults, Unit Manager
Arturo Gonzalez, Field Deputy Council District 11 Manny Figueroa, City of Los Angeles Field Rep
County of Los Angeles Probation Department, Robert Polakow, Probation Director
County of San Bernardino Probation Dept., Randy Scott, Supervising Probation Officer
Step One Sober Living Homes, Cleo & Beverly, Owners Casa De Esperanza- Sober Living Homes for Women- Leah Shaffer, Manager
Department of Youth Authority- Jerry Harper, Director
Antelope Valley Mental Health Center One Stop Career Center
New Beginning Outreach Foundation, James Jones, Director
NAVIGATING THE HIDDEN OBSTACLES TO EX-OFFENDER REENTRY
Introduction
The distance between a prison and an ex-offender’s home community generally can be traversed by bus.
But this conventional form of transportation masks the real distance the ex-offender must travel from
incarceration to a successful reintegration into her community. Indeed, in many ways, the space that she
must cross is more akin to what one imagines takes place in time travel. The ex-offender, of course,
remains the one constant throughout the trip across time. She possesses the personal strengths and
weaknesses that she has always had. But because time has effectively stood still for her, she has no real
frame of reference for the changes she will encounter. Armed with little more than her own instincts and
innate abilities, she is thrust instantaneously into a world that is at once foreign and intimidating in its
differences and complexities. Her home community barely resembles that which she left behind. Yet, more
than physical changes await her. The community that she enters has undergone significant economic,
technological, and social changes that perhaps its insider now takes for granted, but that will be all too
apparent to our time traveler the outsider. The insider will be familiar with the norms of conduct, the
formal and informal structures that exist in this environment, and the relationships that govern how
residents interact and thrive. The outsider will not know the rules. And yet, we will expect the ex-offender
the quintessential stranger in a strange land to enter this dramatically different environment and simply fit
in without information, without significant support, and without meaningful preparation. If she does not
- 20 -
manage to succeed on her own, she must then face the ultimate consequence a return to her own time, a
return to prison.
The problem posed by inmates being released from prison and struggling to make successful transitions is
not science fiction. Nor is it new. What is new, though, is the scale of the current problem. The United
States has commenced the largest multi-year discharge of prisoners from state and federal custody in
history. This release is a direct consequence of the explosion in incarceration that this country endorsed
and experienced over the last two decades. In the twenty-five-year period between 1972 and 1997, the
number of state and federal prisoners soared from 196,000 to a record 1,159,000. In the year 2000 alone,
corrections officials discharged approximately 600,000 individuals, with most returning to core
communities from which they came. The repercussions of this massive release effort are only now
beginning to be felt.
Staggering numbers of ex-offenders have been returning to the communities from which they originally
came, having completed their sentences. Research suggests that a large share of reentering offenders come
from a relatively small number of neighborhoods. Typically, these communities are located within central
cities in a core group of states already straining under the load of their existing social and economic
problems. Without in-depth planning, these neighborhoods will remain ill prepared to take on the
additional demands of the burgeoning reentering ex-offender population.
Prison officials, criminal justice experts, elected officials, and other interested community activists are
rapidly coming to this realization. To head off the huge upheavals that this record number of releases could
spark, many actors in the criminal justice system are beginning to engage in some form of planning to
prepare both returning individuals and their communities for this change. Unfortunately, the efforts are
belated. Worse still, they may be inadequate to the task. One of the principal complications for which
communities must prepare is that significant numbers of ex-offenders will rejoin their communities
without the safety net of minimal supervision or support mechanisms to aid in this reintegration. Of the
more than 600,000 prisoners returning home annually, about 130,000 individuals will be released simply
without any form of oversight after having completed their sentences fully. These individuals will not be
on parole; they will not be subject to any release conditions; they will have no duty to report to—or work
with a parole officer. Instead, record numbers of ex-offenders will be left on their own to navigate their
release and reintegration into the very communities in which they first found themselves enmeshed in the
criminal justice system.
Of course, the lack of supervision is not an entirely new phenomenon. Even when the criminal justice
system expected the vast majority of ex-offenders to report to parole officers, the interaction too often
degenerated into little more than a superficial reporting relationship. Individuals on parole would be
- 21 -
required to meet with their parole officers according to a set schedule and to report their activities. Failure
to appear for a parole meeting or to comply with parole conditions could lead to sanctions or revocation of
parole. But the sort of guidance or help that one might imagine a parole officer could supply too often was
rendered impossible due to case overload and a lack of both will and resources to engage in any
meaningful intervention in the lives of individuals released on parole. Thus, even under a traditional
model, society has relied on ex-offenders largely to manage their own reintegration. This reliance has been
greatly misplaced. It ignores the reality that an overwhelming number of ex-offenders entered prison with
disabilities that continue to plague them upon reentry into their communities.
A prison record, in addition to minimal education and a lack of job skills, limits ex-offenders’
employability in many cases. In addition, society has created a vast network of collateral consequences
that severely inhibit an ex-offender’s ability to reconnect to the social and economic structures that would
lead to full participation in society. These structural disabilities often include bars to obtaining government
benefits, voting disenfranchisement, disqualification from educational grants, exclusion from certain
business and professional licenses, and exclusion from public housing. Without structural support or
intervention, these individuals face a wide range of obstacles making it virtually impossible for them to
pursue legitimate means of survival.
Economic obstacles are complicated by the profound physical and mental health problems that often haunt
ex-offenders. To the extent that mental health problems have manifested prior to incarceration, they more
often than not remain untreated in prison. Eighty percent of the state prison population reports a history of
drug or alcohol use. These individuals often face serious, sometimes life-threatening, health problems.
Mental disorders are also prevalent among the inmate population. Rates of mental illness are, by some
estimates, as high as four times the rate in the general population. Providing more accessible treatment for
mental and physical illnesses could help stabilize these conditions and enable individuals to maintain
housing and employment. Instead, little help is available. Equally troubling is the pressure placed on
limited public health resources in low-income communities due to the lack of foresight regarding the
escalating numbers of reentering individuals with health problems.
This laissez-faire attitude about reentry has had a predictable effect on crime. The ex-offender population
has tended to recidivate due in part to an unavailability of economic and social supports. The majority of
ex-offenders released from prison reoffend. The largest study of recidivism conducted by the Bureau of
Justice Statistics showed that eleven states accounted for 57% of all state prison releases in 1983. Of those
prisoners released in 1983, 63% were rearrested at least once for a felony or serious misdemeanor.
- 22 -
Concern about stopping the cycle of crime would seem to mandate that we as a society address issues of
reentry and devise plans for the successful reintegration of ex-offenders into society. Large numbers of
community groups, youth workers, law enforcement representatives, and faith institutions have begun to
take this problem seriously. Their motives may vary, but each of these groups has realized the benefits of
planning for returning prisoners due, in part, to the impact on both services and safety. Jerry Brown,
Mayor of Oakland, California, for example, attributes the city’s gradual increase in homicide and general
crime rates, in part, to “parolees hitting the streets.” As a result, the city has openly acknowledged the need
to initiate programs with inmates in the state prison system prior to their release back into the
neighborhoods from which they came. The federal government has taken some initial steps to tackle this
problem as well.
High recidivism rates translate into thousands of crimes committed each year; successful re-entry has
implications for public safety and community health. Approximately 2 out of every 3 people released from
prison in the U.S are re-arrested within one year of their release; 90 percent are unemployed at the time.
Employment is the most stabilizing factor in successfully re-entering society for prisoners.
By guiding individuals to find jobs and housing, ONE STOP PROBATION COMPLIANCE, (OSPC)
helps ex-prisoners find the strength to move into a positive and successful life path.
The average annual cost to house inmates in California prisons: $47,421.00
Total State cost of prisons $7.9 billion
California’s parole population is now so large and its parole agents so overburdened that parolees who
represent serious threats to public safety often are not watched closely, and those who wish to go straight
often cannot get the help they need.
It is estimated that two-thirds or more of all California parolees have substance abuse problems and nearly
all of them are required to be drug tested. Yet few of them will participate in appropriate treatment while in
prison or on parole. California’s recent Expert Panel on Adult Offender Recidivism found that 50 percent
of exiting state prisoners did not participate in any rehabilitation or work program, nor did they have a
work assignment during their entire prison stay. Many did not get the help they needed on parole either: 56
percent of parolees did not participate in any formal program while under parole supervision.
- 23 -
Instead of expecting individual reentrants to navigate their transitions back into their communities without
help, OSPC gives them the tools that might better guarantee success. At a minimum, reentrants will need a
point of entry where they can seek assistance ranging from information about what they can expect to
more specific representational assistance particularly in the areas of employment, housing, and family law.
Through coordinating the types of interventions that reentrants tend to need, these individuals might be
less likely to fall through the cracks.
A similar recognition of the enormity of the reentry problem will need to take place at the local community
level as well as within local and state governments. Until officials begin to see the economic and social
impact of short-sighted policy making in this area, affected communities will continue to suffer economic
and political losses. Legal educators should begin to think critically and creatively about what preparation
and training for reentrants needs. As the numbers of being released continues to increase, probation and
communities hopefully will learn to collaborate on devising approaches to providing quality services.
LACK OF AWARENESS OF COLLATERAL CONSEQUENCES
In addition to leaving prison with little preparation for employment and little or no treatment for
continuing substance abuse problems, many ex-offenders return to their communities only to find new and
unexpected hurdles in their path to reintegration. Collateral consequences, as they have been termed,
include the range of social and civil restrictions that flow, sometimes without prior warning, from a
criminal conviction. Among the collateral consequences that affect social integration are a suspension or
loss of voting rights, the loss of the right to run for or hold office, rejection from jury duty, and the
prohibition against obtaining certain professional licenses. These consequences of conviction prevent ex-
offenders from enjoying the full benefits of citizenship even after they, ostensibly, have served their debt
to society. These social exclusions not only further complicate ex-offenders’ participation in the life of
their communities, but they also quite effectively relegate ex-offenders to the margins of legitimate
society, stigmatizing them and further highlighting their separation from law-abiding members of society.
Not only offenders, but many participants in the criminal justice system remain wholly unaware of these
consequences. Because these effects cover a range of disciplines, many practitioners, and even judges, do
not fully appreciate the entire impact of a conviction. The diverse areas in which these sanctions surface
make them difficult to know completely and to resolve in any single forum. Currently, court rules do not
require that either a trial judge or defense attorney explain the collateral consequences of a guilty plea to
the defendant.
- 24 -
Although not required by law or court rule, some prosecutors have begun to take some preliminary action
to address collateral consequences. Their efforts have come about as some prosecutors have begun to
question the appropriateness of making charging, plea bargaining, and sentencing decisions without taking
into account the potential collateral consequences on the defendant. Robert Johnson, the president of the
National District Attorneys Association has suggested that at times, the collateral consequences of a
conviction are so severe that we are unable to deliver a proportionate penalty in the criminal justice system
without dis-proportionate collateral consequences. There must be some reasonable relief mechanism. It is
not so much the existence of the consequence, but the lack of the ability of prosecutors and judges to
control the whole range of restrictions and punishment imposed on an offender that is the problem. As a
prosecutor, you must comprehend this full range of consequences that flow from a crucial conviction. If
not, we will suffer the disrespect and lose the confidence of the very society we seek to protect.
Although prosecutors may not have an express professional obligation to consider the real impact of a
conviction, practical concerns about fairness, as well as the societal concern about creating obstacles to the
reentry of ex-offenders who have paid their debt to society, may impose such a duty.
THE CHALLENGES OF REENTRY FOR EX-OFFENDERS AND THEIR COMMUNITIES
Much of what ex-offenders encounter upon release to their communities can be anticipated and addressed.
The problem is that for too long the standard approach has been to allow ex-offenders to fend for
themselves with little or no support or guidance. A critical first step in unraveling the tangle of issues that
ex-offenders face is open acknowledgment that there are common difficulties. Mapping a path for ex-
offenders to follow given those difficulties would seem a logical second step. Issues of gender and
geography also bear consideration in developing any strategy to address the morass of reentry problems
facing the returning offender.
As a first step toward coordination, one might begin by examining the various points of contact for the
offender on the continuum from prison to home. Such an examination would likely suggest a role for
corrections officials prior to the offender’s release. Meaningful coordination of programs for the offender
means assessing the offender’s needs while in prison and providing information about programs that he or
she might tap upon release. At a minimum, for example, corrections officials might ensure that upon
release an offender will receive adequate state-issued identifications. Healthcare services, drug treatment
placements and employment services should all be connected from facilities to communities, so the ex-
offender has a map of sorts to follow that might prevent interruption of services and might provide a
transitional support as he or she begins reintegration.
- 25 -
Still, the most pressing problems that the ex-offender encounters are the obstacles that interfere with the
ability to make a smooth transition to being a productive member of the community. Collaborative efforts
will need to take into consideration that the communities receiving the largest number of ex-offenders are
also the communities most often at risk. Overwhelmingly, commentators and statistics demonstrate that the
primary recipients of prison sentences during the height of the war on drugs and the war on crime have
been African Americans. This high rate of incarceration has placed added stresses on low-income
communities of color. The loss of young men who are potential wage earners and supports for families has
a detrimental effect on the social organization of poor communities while the offender is in prison. After
the offender is released, the problems of lack of employment and lack of meaningful connection with the
community can persist.
So the question remains that if conditions continue to worsen, what can and should communities do to
provide resources for returning ex-offenders? At a minimum, a coordinated effort to develop public
education programs geared to individuals and communities about the impact of reentry and the need to
provide services would seem appropriate. These programs should identify common issues facing all ex-
offenders in the particular community. For those groups of ex-offenders that may experience unique
difficulties—women with children, or those ex-offenders with particular mental or physical health
problems—communities should enlist broad support and input into methods to serve this population.
BARRIERS TO REENTRY
One of the principal but largely hidden barriers to successful reentry is the complex network of legal and
administrative regulations barring access to many services. Where specific legal barriers are not in place,
powerful incentives drive local authorities to exercise their discretion in a manner that limits access to
services for ex-offenders in the interest of the larger community.
1. Housing
For example, the federal government rewards public housing agencies points in the Public Housing
Assessment System for documenting that they have adopted policies and procedures to evict individuals
who engage in activity considered detrimental to the public housing community. On its face, such a system
makes sense. It is designed to ensure safety of public housing tenants by empowering officials to remove a
current threat. Public housing officials, however, have interpreted this mandate to cover individuals who
may pose no current danger, but who happen to have criminal histories.
- 26 -
Housing has always presented a problem for individuals returning to their communities following a period
of incarceration. Private property owners often inquire into the individual’s background and tend to deny
housing to anyone with a criminal record. When private housing options seemed foreclosed, public
housing remained an option. Ex-offenders were placed on a list like other public housing applicants and
were considered based on a number of factors including their age, marital status, and parental status. In
1988, however, Congress removed that safety net through an amendment to the public housing statute
adopting a one-strike eviction policy from federal public housing. The intent of the amendment was to
prohibit admission to applicants and to evict or terminate leases of residents who engaged in certain types
of criminal activity. More than just adversely affecting the individual, the one-strike provision has had a
profound impact on families. It has fractured family structures and increased pressure on already at-risk
communities by limiting housing options for those who have convictions or are returning from
incarceration. Families who reside in public housing often have had to sign agreements that ex-offender
family members not only could not live with them but also would not visit the public housing unit.
2. Employment
Although it is tempting to think in isolation about each of the problems reentering ex-offenders face, they
tend to be linked. For example, the difficulty in finding housing also affects the ability of ex-offenders to
secure and maintain employment. The relationship between stable housing and seeking and maintaining
employment has been described as interconnected. Ex-offenders applying for work need to have an
address and telephone number where they can be reached. Once employment is obtained, the newly
employed need the stability that comes from some level of permanence to be able to handle the day-to-day
stresses associated with work.
If families cannot or do not provide housing options for those returning from incarceration, then options
are few. The temporary housing stock in most central cities the primary communities in which large
numbers of offenders are located consists primarily of homeless shelters. Homeless shelters are more often
than not unsafe. Moreover, these facilities tend to be crowded and lack any sense of privacy, making it
difficult for occupants to regard the shelter as anything other than temporary lodging. This situation adds
to the feeling of instability in the lives of ex-offenders when stability is precisely what they need.
In addition to limitations on access to public housing, felony convictions lead to a number of employment
barriers. Throughout the 1980s, a number of states restricted the employment opportunities for ex-
offenders to show their tough-on-crime stance. Rather than focusing on employment that might be related
to an offense, these prohibitions generally assume the form of blanket restrictions based on the individual’s
status as an ex-offender as opposed to some specific relationship to conduct. A number of states
- 27 -
permanently bar ex-offenders from public employment. California, for example, prohibits parolees from
working in real estate, nursing, or physical therapy.
On one hand, some might argue that the nature of certain offenses might warrant exclusion from specific
occupations, such as barring a convicted sex offender from working with children. The logic of this sort of
exclusion lies in its direct relationship to the nature of the offense of which the ex-offender was convicted.
On the other hand, some still might argue against these specific exclusions because the exclusions fail to
acknowledge the effect of therapy and the potential for changes in the offender’s conduct and character.
Regardless of how one might resolve this debate, it is hard to construct a justification for blanket
restrictions that makes sense. Applicants for employment should be reviewed individually rather than
having to face the additional punishment of being barred from a position regardless of the offense. By
precluding every ex-offender from specific occupations, states may be preventing too broad an array of
potential workers from becoming productive members of the community.
Complicating the bars to employment are occupational licensing restrictions that apply to ex-felons
nationwide. Professional licensing is the primary method for maintaining some measure of regulatory
control over professional qualifications and over the quality of service provided by individuals within that
business. Ex-offenders are routinely excluded from many employment opportunities that require
professional licenses. Many federal, state, and municipal laws exclude ex-felons from “regulated
occupations” by requiring that the applicant show “good moral character” or by barring entry into the
profession by anyone who has been convicted of a crime.
Good moral character statutes pose a significant barrier to the ex-felon obtaining an occupational license.
These statutes rarely define “good moral character” with any specificity making statutory interpretations of
this term ambiguous at best. Without a reasonably clear legislative or judicial understanding of what “good
moral character” means, licensing boards and agencies have tremendous latitude in defining the term.
Therefore, someone with a criminal conviction applying for a license that contains the good moral
character requirement is barred, for all intents and purposes, from obtaining a license. Further, without
adequate guidelines, different licensing agencies can apply varying interpretations of good moral character,
which can lead to inconsistent application of the same licensing statutes.
The provision that any criminal conviction will bar an individual from obtaining a license can be similarly
overbroad. Licensing requirements apply to a wide spectrum of professions—from lawyer to bartender,
nurse to barber, and plumber to beautician. Professional disqualifications do not depend on the existence of
a nexus between the prior offense and the employment. Therefore, an individual might face exclusion from
the plumbing profession, for example, because of an assault conviction that occurred in a unique situation
wholly divorced from an employment context. Still, professional disqualifications have been hailed as
- 28 -
necessary “to foster high professional standards.” As these restrictions indicate, felony convictions
“impose a status upon a person which not only makes him vulnerable to future sanctions . . . but which
also seriously affects his reputation and economic opportunities.” The end result of these wide-ranging
restrictions on ex-offenders’ ability to obtain employment is to further restrict their ability to reintegrate
into society.
One unforeseen complication has been that prisons have continued to provide vocational training to
inmates in certain occupations from which they will be barred upon release. Consider the case of Marc
LaCloche. Mr. LaCloche served a term in the Clinton Correctional Facility in New York after being
convicted of first-degree robbery. He spent 1200 hours in prison learning a barber’s trade so that upon
release he would have a means of building a new life. Shortly before LaCloche was due to be paroled, he
applied for a license as a barber’s apprentice, but the state refused his application on the ground that the
“applicant’s criminal history indicates lack of good moral character.” At least one judge in New York
appreciated the irony of this situation, noting, “if the state offers this vocational-training program to
persons who are incarcerated, it must offer them a reasonable opportunity to use the skills learned thereby
after they are released from prison.” Yet the disconnect continues.
3. Voting
Perhaps the most public bar to reentry is the inability for ex-offenders to participate in the electoral
process. Felon disenfranchisement arguably has altered the outcome of elections. States address the
participation of ex-felons in the voting franchise in a variety of ways. A number of states disenfranchise
felons permanently but allow some limited opportunities for formal restoration of rights. Others either
permanently disenfranchise after a second felony conviction or allow ex-felons to vote only after they
finish probation or parole. The loss of voting power has ramifications not only for the individual ex-
offender, but also for the communities to which ex-offenders return, which will then include growing
numbers of residents without a recognized political voice.
- 29 -
OPEN POSITIONS & JOB DESCRIPTIONS
SALARIES TO BE DETERMINED
DIRECTOR (1 Position Closed) Day-to-day operations including adult and youth outreach teams, providing supervision to program staff,
facility oversight, and interagency collaborations. Involve staff in program design and implementation
using a consensus-based management style. Maintain positive relations with community agencies,
probation and parole agencies and local businesses. Oversight of data collection and reporting of statistical information using manual and computerized database systems. Recruit, hire, trains and evaluates staff and
volunteers.
ASSISTANT DIRECTOR (1 Open Position)
Supervision of program operations, monitoring program budget and multiple grants, grant development and contract monitoring, Community education and participation in ex-offender advocacy network.
Maintains liaison with county agencies, hospitals, health care facilities, and placement agencies. Provides
appropriate training & supervision, i.e. monitor caseloads, client service delivery, documentation &
monitor compliance with grant funded programs. Evaluate staff performance. Work cooperatively w/clients & staff of differing social, ethnic & cultural backgrounds.
The core areas of responsibility include: client services delivery, personnel management, customer, & community relations, risk management and budget management.
INTAKE SPECIALIST (2 Open Positions)
The Intake Specialist meet with participants and develop “Life Action Plans” with the participant. Life Action Plan describes the specific conditions and outcomes the participant promises to fulfill in exchange
for/ or upon release from custody. Although each case plan is individualized, most include drug treatment,
counseling, and parenting referral. Life Action Plans are reviewed with the participant and updated BI-weekly with the Compliance Analyst. Screens each applicant to determine his/her personal issues,
likelihood of succeeding in the programs, his/ her ability to abide by the contract for success and the
program rules. Ability to be innovative, a strong advocate, and to network effectively; awareness and sensitivity to substance abuse issues, including mental health
Conduct intake processing and needs assessment of new clients;
Conduct client orientation interviews with the aim of expediting or modifying individual client
program plans;
Encourage and assist clients in setting and achieving productive long-term and short-term
goals;
Create and facilitate various types of group counseling sessions;
Conduct positive interaction with clients' families as needed;
Maintain accurately documented client folders and schedules;
Identify, research, and evaluate outside client service resources;
Utilize and follow-up in-house and outside referrals to client service resources;
Respond to callers needing information and referrals;
Attend in-house and outside training sessions;
Liaison with other OSPC staff;
Perform other duties as needed.
Confirm/update existing discharge plan, and/or develop new community re-integration plan;
Provide emergency basic needs (food vouchers, carfare, clothing, etc);
- 30 -
CHIEF COMPLIANCE ANALYST (CCA) (1 Open Position) Chief Compliance Analyst will track, manage, and monitor the Compliance Analyst case load,
performance, participants progress, and participants retention in the OSPC programs and outside agency
program retention. This information will be translated into relevant data into meaningful information that
will enable the program partners to effectively monitor and evaluate the participant’s progress.
COMPLIANCE ANALYST (CA) 25:1 ratio (5 Open Positions)
Intensive case management to carry out the designated life action plan. Compliance Analyst serve as case coordinators to assist offenders in overcoming the problems resulting from incarceration and substance
abuse Compliance Analyst also assist participants in accessing services and coordinating with a variety of
service providers. Often these providers or the courts, specify activities that must be incorporated into the Life Action Plan.
Compliance Analyst us face to face visits anywhere from three times weekly (in the second and third
months) two times weekly (in the first week after referral).
Compliance Analyst helps participants to obtain affordable permanent housing and access housing and
employment resources. The Compliance Analyst serves as an aftercare worker and helps the participants once they have moved into permanent housing, negotiate with the property owner for repairs, and access
supportive services in the community. The Compliance Analyst monitors the participant’s progress with
independent living for up to 12 months after the participant moves into permanent housing and have completed all the requirements of the contract. The Compliance Analyst makes regular visits to each
participants home and receives progress reports from all programs the participant attends.
Will also be responsible for coordinating referrals and facilitating access to treatment, and developing and maintaining community resources.
EDUCATION DIRECTOR (ED) (1 Open Position) Education Director is responsible for all development and educational programming. These programs
cover areas that will assist each client with obtaining a Life and Vocational skills, A.B.E., G.E.D.,
Computer Training and for reintegration.
COMMUNITY RELATIONS DIRECTOR (CR) (1 Open Position)
Assist the organization in its aggressive growth plan. Works with the Project Director to identify and
create connections with other social service agencies within the professional community and organize activities that enhance the visibility of needed reentry programs. This individual will also work with
potential clients, as directed. Antelope Valley area community resource exposure.
Some of the job functions include Develop and maintain relationships with professional referrers in the
community. Provide educational opportunities for contacts by hosting workshops or other events.
Actively participate in local criminal justice and veterans affairs functions and direct event participation to
enhance the organization’s visibility. Participate on boards of other organizations as directed.
Director will also conduct outreach with community agencies and institutions, including area school,
police departments, CBO's, government agencies other organizations. Coordinator is responsible for implementing and developing the network of services provided by the service providers.
ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT (1 Open Position) Organizes and maintains files and records, answers telephone and directs calls to appropriate person, and
handles calls if knowledgeable on subject under discussion. meets public, provides general information
and deals effectively with a variety of personalities and situations requiring tact, judgment, and poise.
Prepare/Maintain case mgmt. records/reports
- 31 -
DIRECTOR OF MENTORS AND VOLUNTEERS (1 Open Position) Provides training and supervision to volunteers. Act as role model and mentor and supervise volunteers,
providing stable and encouraging support structures for the volunteers and participants, many of who have
no one else to rely on. Coordinator is responsible for hiring and training new mentors and monitor
mentors performance and participants responses to mentors and volunteers.
LISA’S CLOTHING CLOSET Volunteer- locates and obtains donated clothing for the participants. Contact organizations and seek funding for additional needed items, such as personal items and furniture.
ONGOING TRAINING OSPC provides its staff with the training and consultation skills needed to work effectively with
participants and within the organization. In addition, through programs offered in-house and by sending
staff to outside training’s, staff are supported in expanding their knowledge about the substantive issues
confronting OSPC participants, such as (substance abuse, child abuse, and domestic violence) and in developing professional job skills (e.g., using computers and managing meetings). OSPCB staffs are also
involved routinely in helping to design and refine OSPC programs.
- 32 -
ORGANIZATION STRUCTURE/ADMINISTRATION
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
It is the purpose and responsibility of the Board of Directors to oversee and direct all affairs of One Stop
Probation Compliance, LLC according to its mission, by-laws and the concepts of fiscal responsibility.
The Board is responsible for long term planning, marketing, financial development planning, and annual
budgeting. Day to day operation is delegated to the Executive Director and staff, and their delegated volunteers. It is the responsibility of the Board to promote One Stop Probation Compliance. LLC to
corporations, foundations, governmental organizations and to individuals to broaden its service base as
well as its financial base.
Therefore, it is the responsibility of each Board Member to:
Attend all six yearly meetings; ask for sufficient input to give informed opinion and make
decisions. (Members who miss more than three meetings in a year can be automatically removed
from the board.)
Counsel the executive director as needed Support, by contributing time and at least two fundraising events per year
At least yearly, evaluate the work of the board as a whole
At least yearly, evaluate the work of the executive director Serve on at least one board committee (the chair of each committee makes reports at each board
meeting and convenes committee work sessions between board meetings)
The expected time commitment is 5-6 hours per month. Board meetings will be approximately 2 hours in length 6 times per year. Committee meetings will be 4 hours or less per month.
ELECTION AND TERM OF OFFICE: The officers of the Corporation to be elected by the Board of Directors.
Board of Directors shall be elected every three years by the Board of Directors at the first meeting of the
Board of Directors held after each annual meeting. If the election of officers shall not be held at such meeting, such election shall be held as soon thereafter as conveniently may be. Each officer shall hold
office until his successor shall have been duly elected and shall have qualified, or until his death, or until he
shall resign or shall have been removed in the manner hereinafter provided.
TENURE:
Board terms are 3 years, with a maximum of three consecutive terms. One-third of the Board rotates each
year
The business affairs of the Corporation shall be managed by its Board of Directors. The President shall be
the principal executive officer of the Corporation, subject to the control of the Board of Directors, shall in general supervision, and control all of the business and affairs of the Corporation. He shall when President
resides over all meetings of the Board of Directors.
As a Board of Director (officer) shall preside over management of the Corporations business affairs, while assisting in the development of business plans, budget accounting for the corporations expansion.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS DUTIES: As a Board of Directors (officers) shall preside over management of the Corporation’s business affairs and project planning as outlined in this request and future funding
requests. As the program continues, the Board of Directors will assess the effectiveness of Program
interventions and participants re-integration into the community. It is anticipated that the Process
- 33 -
Evaluation will incorporate Quality Assurance procedures. The staff will meet with the management team
on a regular basis to discuss progress in the project and make recommendations for the program revision, if needed.
VOTING. Each Board of Director entitled to vote shall be entitled to one vote upon each matter submitted
to a vote at any meeting or adjournment thereof, or for any other proper purpose
SALARY: Directors shall not receive any stated salary for their services as Directors, but by resolution of
the Board, a fixed fee and expenses may be allowed for attendance at each meeting serving the Corporation in any other capacity and receiving compensation therefore.
COMPENSATION. By resolution of the Board of Directors, each director may be paid his expenses, if any, of attendance at each meeting of the Board of Directors, and may be paid a stated salary as director or
a fixed sum for attendance at each meeting of the Board of Directors or both. No such payment shall
preclude any director from serving the Corporation in any other capacity and receiving compensation
therefore.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
FOUNDER AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, Arleen Marta shall have, at all times, access to any and all
records and property of ONE STOP PROBATION COMPLIANCE. The Founder and Executive
Director shall also have overriding authority only when it is apparent that the best interests of the organization are at stake, and shall have voting privileges at any meeting concerning ONE STOP
PROBATION COMPLIANCE.
The Executive Director shall be the principal executive officer of the Corporation, subject to the control of the Board of Directors, shall in general supervision, and control all of the business and affairs of the
Corporation. He shall, when president, preside at all meetings of the Board of Directors, unless there is a
Chairman of the Board in which case the Chairman shall preside. He may sign, deeds, mortgages, bonds, contracts, or other instruments which the Board of Directors has authorized to be executed, except in cases
where the signing and execution thereof shall be expressly delegated by the Board of Directors or by these
Bylaws to some other officer or agent of the Corporation, or shall be required by law to be otherwise
signed or executed; and in general shall perform all duties incident to the office of President and such other duties as may be prescribed by the Board of Directors from time to time.
INFORMAL ACTION BY EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR- Unless otherwise provided by law, any action required to be taken at a meeting, or any other action which may be taken at a meeting, may be taken
without a meeting if a consent in writing, setting forth the action so taken, shall be signed by all of the
Board of Directors entitled to vote with respect to the subject matter thereof.
BOARD OF TRUSTEES/DIRECTORS is the governing body that ensures the best interest of ONE
STOP PROBATION COMPLIANCE. They are not directly involved in the operation of ONE STOP
PROBATION COMPLIANCE, but rather act as advisors to the Executive Committee and are the eyes of the public to ensure the integrity of the program. Board members will consist of, for example; retired
police officers, retired parole officers, prison ministers, educators, and business professionals such as
accountants, attorneys, and business owners. All board members will have access at all times to any and all records of ONE STOP PROBATION COMPLIANCE. All board members will also have complete
admittance to any and all of the facilities owned and operated by ONE STOP PROBATION
COMPLIANCE. Board members will not interrupt the operation of any business activity unless it is apparent that such activity is not in the best interest of ONE STOP PROBATION COMPLIANCE. A
board of overseers shall be appointed and shall act in the place of the board of trustees, and shall have all
of the same rights on a local level.
- 34 -
PROGRAM DIRECTOR is the primary operating chief of OSPC. She shall preside at all general
assembly’s of OSPC and the executive committee. The Program Director shall assist with appointing all committees, and shall have general supervision of OSPC. The Program Director shall take no action
binding upon OSPC without specific authorization of the Founder, C.E.O., and/or board of
trustees/overseers. The Program Director shall be the presiding officer for the Executive Committee
meetings.
EDUCATION DIRECTOR is responsible for all development and educational programming. These
programs cover areas that will assist each client with obtaining a Life and Vocational skills, A.B.E., G.E.D., Computer Training and for reintegration, the OSPC group-therapy class. The Associate Director
shall chair or appoint a designated person to chair the Development Planning Committee. The Associate
Director shall report to the Executive Director at each executive committee meeting all operations and planning.
OPERATIONS BUSINESS MANAGER (OBM) is the individual manager/supervisor for each of the
businesses owned and operated by OSPC; and is responsible for the overall operation of the business to which they are appointed. They will make all work assignments, keep general records of all business
transactions, order supplies, and ensure quality service. They shall report to the area director weekly all
business and is responsible for ensuring that proper and accurate records are kept of all executive committee meetings, and on all employees, such as a profile on each client’s progress over the year, which
includes background checks and drug and alcohol screening. Shall report to the executive committee all
who were admitted to, dismissed from, and have completed OSPC; is also the chief officer for the interviewing/job placement committee.
ADMINISTRATIVE DIRECTOR is responsible for the production and planning of all businesses
owned by OSPC, and entrepreneurship; shall chair the Business Planning committee or appoint a designated person, and shall report all operations and planning to the Executive Director at each Executive
Committee meeting.
SECRETARY: The Secretary shall; Keep the minutes of the proceedings of the meetings and of the
Board of Directors in one or more minute books provided for that purpose; (b) see that all notices are duly
given in accordance with the provisions of these Bylaws or as required by law; (c) Be custodian of the
corporate records and of the seal of the Corporation and see that he seal of the Corporation is affixed to all documents, the execution of which on behalf of the Corporation under its seal is duly authorized; (d) In
general perform all duties incident to the office of the Secretary and such other duties as from time to time
may be assigned to him by the President or by the Board of Directors.
TREASURER: The Treasurer shall; (a) Have charge and custody of and be responsible for all funds of the
Corporation; (b) Receive and give receipts for moneys due and payable to the Corporation from any source whatsoever, and deposit all such moneys in the name of the Corporation in such banks, trust companies or
other depositories as shall be selected in accordance with the provisions of Article VI of these Bylaws; and
(c) In general perform all of the duties incident to the office of Treasurer and such other duties as from
time to time may be assigned to him by the President. If required by the Board of Directors, the Treasurer shall give bond for the faithful discharge of his duties in such sum and with such sureties as the Board of
Directors shall determine.
CONTRACTS/ADVISORY DIRECTOR. As a Board of Directors (officer) shall preside over the
development of business plans, budget accounting for the Corporation’s expansion.
- 35 -
STEERING COMMITTEE
A Steering Committee of veterans, reentrants and family members of prisoners has taken a leadership role
in deciding actions, events, and outreach strategies for this initiative. Many concerned citizens who live,
work or worship in Antelope Valley also support the project. These volunteers include civic leaders, human
service professionals, treatment program clients, and members of communities of faith organizations.
OSPC will be a one stop referral, monitoring, reporting, case management reintegration program run and
operated by our Board of Directors and the community, including ex-offenders and veterans.