# Presentation: 506416

## Reentry and Its Realities for Prisoners, Families, and Communities

**A Family Support Model for **
** ****Enhanced Prevention and Intervention**
**Policy Academy Workshop**
** ***November 1, 2005 *
**Family Justice**
**New York, NY**
**www.familyjustice.org  **

## Family Justice

- Tapping Strengths of Government,
- Families, and Neighborhoods
- to Break Cycles of Criminal Justice Involvement, Substance Abuse, and Other Chronic Health Challenges

## Core Principles of a Family Support

**Approach**

**Context:** Consider people in context
**Interactions:** Build on family interactions
**Strengths:** Focus on the strengths of
-                   individuals, families, and communities

## Benefits of a Family Support Model

-   Families have natural connections to the
-    neighborhood in which they live
-  Natural support system in early crisis
-   intervention, preventing substance abuse
-   relapse
-  Families and government work as partners,
-   not in isolation
-  Families regain responsibility for their lives
-  Long-term investment
-  Enhanced public safety and public health

**Notes:**
Other points:

Provide context for role culture in the family life

 Prevention is incorporated into treatment

## Families Are a Resource

- Families offer government agencies with budget shortfalls a cost-effective and often untapped resource to address critical family issues:

- Housing
- Justice supervision mandates
- Substance abuse
- Health and mental health

## Increased Focus

** ****on Justice-involved Families**

-  Emerging research on relationship among justice involvement,
-   health factors, housing stability, and employment
-  Research shows high incidence of intergenerational justice
-   involvement, substance abuse, and other chronic health issues
-  Local, State, and Federal interest in tackling issues more
-   efficiently, acknowledging shared goals, minimizing duplication
-   of services, and promoting agency coordination

## The Bureau of Justice Statistics reports:

31% of jail inmates grew up with a parent or guardian who had abused alcohol or drugs

46% had a family member who had been incarcerated

About 12% had had lived in a foster home or institution  

- 31% of jail inmates grew up with a parent or guardian who had abused alcohol or drugs
- 46% had a family member who had been incarcerated
- About 12% had had lived in a foster home or institution

**Intergenerational Challenges of Jail Detainees**** **

*See Criminal Offenders Statistics, Summary of Findings, Characteristics of jail inmates, Bureau of Justice Statistics, *_[www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/crimoff.htm](http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/crimoff.htm)_* *** **

## Studies on urban jails indicate:

12.2% of females and 6.4% of males had a severe mental disorder at entry

Only one-third of male and one quarter of female
	detainees who need services for serious mental illness reported

72% of both male and female detainees with a severe mental illness have a co-occurring substance disorder  

- 12.2% of females and 6.4% of males had a severe mental disorder at entry
- Only one-third of male and one quarter of female
- 	detainees who need services for serious mental illness reported
- 72% of both male and female detainees with a severe mental illness have a co-occurring substance disorder

**Mental Illness in Local Jails**** **

*See The Prevalence of Co-Occurring Mental Illness and Substance Abuse Disorders in Jails, Spring 2002***.***** Publication of The National GAINS Center for People with Co-Occurring Disorders in the Justice System and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, ***_[www.gainsctr.com](http://www.gainsctr.com/)_*** ***** **

## HIV in U.S. Prisons 

-     (about 8 to 14 times higher than general U.S. population)
- Northeast  and southern region prison populations are most affected, with approximately 5.2% and 2.3% of prisoners HIV positive, respectively

**HIV in U.S. Prisons**** **

**See Maruschak, Laura M. *****HIV in Prisons and Jails, 1999*****. Bureau of Justice Statistics. and *****Trends Among Correctional Facility Inmates*****, Center for Disease Control, 2002.**

## A recent Urban Institute study in Maryland confirms that people returning from prison look to families, including partners, for: 

Emotional support
Financial support
Housing
Overall stability

Visher, Kachowski, La Vigne, and Travis, March 2004.
Baltimore Prisoners’ Experiences Returning Home.
Washington, DC: The Urban Institute. Available at
http://www.urban.org/url.cfm?ID=310946   

See also La Vigne, Visher, and Castro, December 2004.
Chicago Prisoners’ Experiences Returning Home.
Washington, DC: The Urban Institute. Available at
http://www.urban.org/url.cfm?ID=311115  

- A recent Urban Institute study in Maryland confirms that people returning from prison look to families, including partners, for:
- Emotional support
- Financial support
- Housing
- Overall stability
- Visher, Kachowski, La Vigne, and Travis, March 2004.
*Baltimore Prisoners’ Experiences Returning Home.*
- Washington, DC: The Urban Institute. Available at
- _[http://www.urban.org/url.cfm?ID=310946](http://www.urban.org/url.cfm?ID=310946)__ _
*See also *La Vigne, Visher, and Castro, December 2004.
*Chicago Prisoners’ Experiences Returning Home.*
- Washington, DC: The Urban Institute. Available at
- _[http://www.urban.org/url.cfm?ID=311115](http://www.urban.org/url.cfm?ID=311115)_

***	***

**Notes:**
Urban Institute recognizing the importance of studying families....

Family relationships are important
Returning prisoners are relying on family
This area of inquiry is seriously under-explored

Families are an important source of housing, emotional support, financial resources and overall stability for people returning

Baltimore study showing that people rely on family members for support

Implications for research/practice: 
Family involvement in pre-release planning
Identifying people without positive family influences
Exploration of family influences

## La Bodega de la Familia

- Hypothesis Tested: Can engaging family members in supporting people under community supervision improve
- outcomes?

**Notes:**
Note two slides on Vera result in handout packets regarding substance abuse and meeting family needs

Also note 2 slides on Urban Institute Baltimore study
Copies of both Urban Institute Baltimore and Chicago studies included in their packets.  

## The Bodega Model®:A process of partnering people under justice supervision and theirfamilies with government and community providers 

*Integrates four disciplines:*
- Family systems
- Strengths-based
- Case management
- Community partnerships
*Principles:*
- Focus on family, broadly defined
- Work from strengths and supports
- Progress depends on creative partnerships
- Prevent duplication of services

## La BodegaGoals – Partnerships – Services 

**Goals:**
- Increase success of substance abuse treatment for individuals under community supervision
- Reduce recidivism and use of incarceration for relapse
- Reduce harm addiction causes within families
- Improve use of community resources
- Enhance family well-being
**Partnerships:**
- New York State Division of Parole
- New York City Department of Probation
- New York City Housing Authority
- New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene
- Local police precincts
- Community service providers

**Key Services:**
-    24-hour support for
-     families in crises
-    Family Case Management
-    Home visits pre/post
-     release
-    Walk-in prevention services
-    Facilitate *process* for families to
-     work in partnership with
-     government and community
-     organizations

**Notes:**

In accomplishing these goals, we rely on a close partnership with NY State Division of Parole and NYC Dept. of Probation....We partner with parole officers to meet with families during home visits and to help families understand supervision and to help supervision officer more fully appreciate their impact on families.

 We also have a close working relationship with  a broad network of community service providers with whom we worked in planning La Bodega.  

## After 6 months of participation in La Bodega de la Familia’s family case management program:

**After 6 months of participation in La Bodega de la Familia’s family case management program:**

***Vera Institute of Justice, 2002. Families as a Resource for Recovering from Drug Abuse: An Evaluation of La Bodega de la Familia***

**Illegal drug use in the Bodega group declined from 80% to 42% – not as result of increased treatment, but rather family inclusion**

**A Strengths-based Genogram **

- Lee S.,
- d. 76

- Mary S., 68
- (in Puerto Rico)

- Joseph S.
- d. 57

- Liza A., 2

- Robert C., 54

- Michael, d. 52

- EMPLOYED

- H.S. GRADUATE

- HIGHER EDUCATION

- In Recovery

-       JUSTICE SUPERVISION

- Paul S., 62

- Adam S., 61

- Freddie S.,
- d. 32

- Oran S.
- d. 36

- Ruth C., 53

- Natalie R., 19

- Jennifer, 14
**    **

- Evelyn, 54

- Donald A., 18

- Julia S., 71

-  DECEASED

-  MARRIED

-   SEPARATED

-    CHURCH/RELIGIOUS

- Jeffrey, 8

- Recreation

- Tools of Family Engagement...

## Seeing Prevalence of Justice Involvement,Substance Abuse, and HIV/AIDS in One New York City Neighborhood

-  72 percent of the families had two or more family members with a history of criminal justice involvement
-  82 percent of the families had two or more family members with a history of substance abuse
-  49 percent of the families had at least one family member with HIV/AIDS

- R. Barreras, E. Drucker, and D. Rosenthal. *The Concentration of Substance Use, Criminal Justice Involvement, and HIV/AIDS in the Families of Drug Offenders.* Data presented at the New York Academy of Medicine Second International Conference on Urban Health, New York, NY, 2003. See *Journal of Urban Health: Bulletin of the New York Academy of Medicine*, Feb. 2005, Vol. 82, No.1.

**Notes:**
Analysis of issues affecting the entire family:  Helping families to see and develop strategies to address issues, but it also help service organizations assess intergenerational issues in their service populations.

This data was collected was developed as a result of using genograms and some of the other techniquess to engage families engagement tools you’ll hear about today 

##  Ecomap 

**Recreational Centers**

**Drug/**
**Alcohol or MH Providers**

** ****Parole/ Transitional Services**

**Vocational**
**Training**

**Health Centers**

** ****Schools **

**Place of **
**Worship**

**Employment**** **

** ****Ecomap **

**Housing**
**Public or Private****  **

** ****Social Services**

**Youth      Worker **

## Seeing Potential for Interagency Coordination

***An interagency ecomap***

## Helping Meet Family Needs

**After 6 months of participation in La Bodega de la Familia’s family case management program:**

***Vera Institute of Justice, 2002. Families as a Resource for Recovering from Drug Abuse: An Evaluation of La Bodega de la Familia***

- A higher proportion of the Bodega
- group reported they had obtained
- the medical and social services
- they needed

## HOW CAN A FAMILY SUPPORT MODEL ENHANCE PRACTICE? 

-  Draws upon perspectives of people under justice
-   supervision and their families in *establishing *
*  **priorities and tailoring interventions *to reflect family
-   interests and resources
-  Analyzes resources and needs from a *family rather*
*  **than an individual perspective* to tap existing family
-   and community support systems as long-term
-   support and resources
-  Acknowledges government, family, and community
-   *shared interests in and responsibility for positive    *
*  **outcomes*

## Supporting Families Where They Live

- Work with Chicago Housing Authority to enhance:
- Outreach and engagement of residents experiencing transition and other challenges
- Staff support to families in decisionmaking and use of programs and processes to support family goals
- Work with New York City Housing Authority to bring Bodega services to public housing:
- Jacob Riis Houses Satellite Office in Manhattan’s LES
- Unity Plaza Project in Brownsville

## Hebert, Tony. The Invisible Tenant: Living in Federally Assisted Housing after Prison. March 2005. 

- Despite Federal regulations that restrict individuals with
- certain criminal histories from living in most federally
- subsidized housing, several studies note that many
- people live off-lease upon return from prison.
- For example, a study of Chicago public housing found
- that in certain buildings as many as **41%** of households
- expected a returning prisoner to live with them in the
- near future.

- A Paradox Within Federally Assisted Housing

## Perspectives on Housing/Family

- A 2003 study interviewed Bodega participants released on parole to
- live with families in federally subsidized housing revealed:
- Many lived there before last incarceration for years; few had ever leased their own apartment
- Concern about causing a lease violation for their families, staying undetected by housing management
- While developing reentry plans, interested in finding their own apartment, but options few; plans developed based on prior experience and things they heard from other prisoners; concern that shelter option may delay release; few were closer to achieving goals set while incarcerated
- Lack of information on available programs, resources, and experience in securing an apartment
- Felt good about living with their families both because they want and need their help *and* because they want to help and support their families
- Struggle with desire to have greater independence like other adults
*Herbert, Tony, 2003. The Invisible Tenant: Living in Federally Assisted Housing after Prison.*

## Housing Partnership Goals

_*Involve*_ all stakeholders, such as law enforcement, housing authorities, property managers, community development corporations, and the families who live in housing
_*Engage*_ multiple agencies to work in a culturally competent way with populations that have special needs, such as juveniles under supervision, women, and elderly people
_*Provide*_ agency social service workers, community development corporations, and other housing organizations with family-focused technical assistance

## Family Justice Partners  

- A growing number of government and other organizations are embracing family-focused concepts. Investors include:
**American Probation and Parole Association**
**The Chicago Housing Authority**
**The New York City Housing Authority**
**New Jersey Juvenile Justice Commission**
**Massachusetts Executive Office of Public Safety**
**U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development**
**Local Initiatives Support Corporation **
**Council of State Governments**
**The National Governors’ Association**