Press Releases
02/05/2015
Gov. Malloy: Department of Correction Implementing New Processes to Reduce Recidivism and Further Lower Crime Rate
(HARTFORD, CT) - Governor Dannel P. Malloy today announced that, in coordination with his broader "
Second Chance Society
" initiatives that he recently unveiled, the Connecticut Department of Correction (DOC) is implementing new, innovative processes that will better prepare inmates nearing the end of their sentences for community re-entry in order to reduce recidivism, and more effectively coordinate release decisions. He made the announcement in Bridgeport during a roundtable meeting with community leaders and city officials on the new initiatives.
In order to achieve these goals, the DOC, under the authority of Commissioner Scott Semple, is re-commissioning one 600-bed facility into a dedicated "Re-Integration Unit" in order to better prepare and motivate inmates for successful community re-entry. In addition, DOC is developing a "Specialized Re-Entry Team" that will improve and centralize community release decisions.
"It is a priority of my administration to reduce recidivism and continue lowering our crime rate, and we can achieve this by ensuring that incarcerated individuals have the resources and supports they need to succeed both during their period of imprisonment and after they re-enter society," Governor Malloy said. "We can do better as a society by focusing on effective solutions that break the cycle of crime and make our communities safer."
"The Department of Correction has made substantial progress in our re-entry initiatives, but we can still do better," Commissioner Semple said. "With the opening of the Reintegration Unit we are ready to take more measurable and compressive strides to reduce recidivism. I am grateful to the many dedicated correctional professionals of our agency for their hard work in making this initiative a reality."
The following will be critical components of the Re-Integration Unit:
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Intensive preparation for re-integration utilizing staff, non-profit providers, volunteer and inmate resources for direct program and service delivery.
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In-reach efforts to ensure pre-release relationships between community, parole and probation parties and the offenders. Connecticut's experience suggests that in-reach efforts combined with service delivery post-release increases engagement and reduces recidivism.
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Provide offenders with and hold offenders accountable for participating in, eight to ten hours of meaningful activity per day. This may include work, educational or vocational instruction, programming or community services.
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Each inmate will be assigned a rehabilitative path(s) based on assessed needs consistent with the assessment provided by the Department. Such assessments include Statewide Collaborative Risk Offender Evaluation System, the Addiction Severity Index, and the Treatment and Programming Assessment Instrument. The pathways will directly address the inmates risk for re-offense and attendant re-entry needs.
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Offenders will apply to, and be selected for, specific units. This will ensure a positive, mutually supportive and forward thinking climate within the unit.
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Following a therapeutic community model, the Re-integration Unit will be regulated to a significant degree by the participating offenders. The priority will be inmates holding themselves and each other accountable for the environment in the unit. This is will emulate the level of responsibility needed to be successful in society.
The Re-integration Unit will be dedicated in March. It is anticipated that a women's Re-integration Unit will be piloted later in the year.
The Specialized Re-Entry Team, also anticipated to be in place by March, will:
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Promote public safety by ensuring that offenders are reviewed for Community Release in a consistent manner, by one decision maker, pairing the right intensity of supervision and dosage of community treatment for each offender. This will be accomplished using new assessment tools such as the Statewide Collaborative Offender Risk Evaluation System (SCORES).
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Promote staff safety by allowing staff resources to be reallocated and focus more on facility operations. The time that was spent reviewing applications will be used for other critical functions such as clinical supervision of necessary programming.
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Improve the facility environment by enhancing internal communications, allowing supervisors to focus attentions on staff development, training and supervision of employees.
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Simplify the review process to make it more understandable to the offender population and the line staff who interact with them.
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For Immediate Release: February 5, 2015
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