This helps the offender in a number of ways. Foremost, it provides a perfect excuse for a participant to change peer groups. I can't go out with you my PO will be coming by. We emphasize job skills and integration back into the community as full citizens. The staff of the Behavioral Health, Probation, and Welfare departments and our treatment providers in the community have learned to solve problems in different ways.
Cross training is an essential and on-going process.
Treatment staff has learned about the culture of the court and about the limits of criminal justice. Criminal justice staff has learned about effective substance abuse treatment modalities to meet each participant's need. This model is not about personalities or pennies. It is about people providing and receiving effective services for the first time in years. The prevailing wisdom said you could not force treatment.