Service Delivery

Keeping the Community Safer

The numbers are staggering. They cannot adequately describe the seriousness or complexity of the issues surrounding offender reentry. According to Bureau of Justice Statistics information, in 2001 nearly 571,000 state prison inmates were released to parole. By the end of 2001, 653,000 persons were on state parole supervision. In 1999, only 42% successfully completed their term of supervision while 43% were returned to prison or jail and 10% absconded. In addition to the state parole population, there are nearly four million adults on probation supervision in this country. Over 3% of all U.S. adults (6.6 million persons) are either incarcerated or on probation or parole.

Many offenders are saddled with substance abuse, mental health or relationship issues and general life-skills deficits that severely limit their ability to function successfully in our complicated, and often, unforgiving society. Treatment resources in the prisons and in the community have not kept up with demand and are often the first to go when budgets are tight. With all of these obstacles, even the most motivated and supported offender can have difficulty successfully reentering or remaining in their community successfully. These difficulties often lead to new technical or criminal violations and additional victimization.

The KPSC seeks to address the multiple barriers to successful reentry by this population. We do this by providing coordinated, proactive case management and supervision services to the offender and his/her family and support systems.

The KPSC is a proactive, multi-disciplinary, restorative case management process designed to offer chronic, high-risk offenders their best opportunity to remain in the community without compromising public safety.

Case Management Treatment and Supervision Process

The KPSC uses a six step case management treatment and supervision process that seeks to enhance public safety by addressing those issues that most affect offenders and their families and prevent them from being able to remain in their homes, jobs and the larger community.

The KPSC process is similar in many regards to traditional case management strategies. However, traditional case management activities have generally occurred apart from supervisory/compliance monitoring functions. The KPSC has recognized the fact that both treatment and supervision components must be present and well coordinated if this difficult-to-serve client population is to have a meaningful opportunity to succeed while public safety is maintained.

Clients are selected for the program using risk and needs assessments instruments developed for the Tennessee Board of Probation and Paroles and other assessment tools. Criminal histories, family histories and self-reported issues are also considered in the selection process. Once the offender is placed in the target population, the KPSC case management process begins.

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In Step one of the process, the offender develops a release plan with help from the institutional parole officer. This plan covers basic issues of housing, employment and often some initial treatment planning. For probationers, this information is generally covered in pre-sentencing reports and other documentation obtained by the probation officer.

Step two of the process involves an investigation by a community parole officer of the release plan. The specifics of the plan are verified and assessed for appropriateness. Other agencies and disciplines assist the parole officer with this investigation by providing information not contained in the offender's official records. This development has been a positive innovation for the offender, his/her family and the community, in that plans are now more completely developed and more able to meet the offender's needs and identify potential risks to the community.

In Step three, a multi-disciplinary case staffing is held to review information from all agencies that my have provided services or been involved with the offender or his/her family and support systems. Again, this process is not new, but the diversity of the participants, including law enforcement, in treatment plan development is unique and innovative. Also unique to this initiative is the fact that the plan contains both treatment and compliance monitoring elements.

In Step four, the plan is discussed with the offender and implemented. Again, the major players (including law enforcement and treatment providers) participate in the discussion.

Step five is the implementation phase of the process. At this point, on-going communication between the partners is critical. Compliance and treatment issues are monitored by all the parties and plans modified as necessary. The probation/parole officer acts as the gatekeeper for information-sharing and case planning.

Step six is case closure. This may involve revocation, transfer to a less intense level of supervision or discharge from supervision altogether.

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