Public safety is enhanced through the development, coordination, administration and delivery of the Division of Programs and Community Services' institutional and community-based initiatives and opportunities.

Offices of Community Programs and Drug Programs

Through its Offices of Community Programs and Drug Programs, the department is committed to provide treatment and rehabilitation services especially to those incarcerated individuals who have been identified as having a substance use disorder.

Approximately 50 percent of the current inmate population is committed to the state correctional system as a result of drug related offenses. More than 57 percent of these inmates have moderate to extreme drug and/or alcohol use disorders. The department's assessments further reveal that 85 percent of all offenders have some level of drug and/or alcohol problem. In short, the vast majority of inmates under the supervision of the New Jersey Department of Corrections are there because of addiction related/drug driven crime. Clearly, before this population is released from custody, effective treatment is required. For the offenders, the goal of treatment is to overcome drug/alcohol dependence or addiction and to become productive law-abiding citizens; for the public, the goal is safer streets.

Supported by the "what works" literature in the field of corrections, the department implemented the Substance Use Disorder Continuum of Treatment as its principal treatment modality. This comprehensive and extensive treatment continuum is designed to provide the offender with the necessary tools to reintegrate successfully into society and remain substance and crime free. See Chart

Prison-Based Therapeutic Community Programs

The process for the continuum of treatment begins at the Central Reception and Assignment Facility (CRAF), which provides the inmate intake, processing and assignment function. At CRAF, a team comprised of substance use disorder treatment professionals utilizes the Addiction Severity Index (ASI) to screen for the offender's level of drug and alcohol addiction and treatment need. Based on the ASI score and the nature and severity of an inmate's criminal history, recommendations for treatment placement are made. Individuals with the most severe addiction issues and who meet the department's treatment eligibility criteria, are referred to one of the prison-based Therapeutic Community programs.

In the Therapeutic Community (TC) model, substance abuse/dependence is viewed as a disorder of the whole person -- one that necessitates global changes in lifestyle and self-identity to overcome. The resident develops competencies to assist him or her to reintegrate successfully into society and to remain drug/alcohol and crime free. Residents generally spend nine to 12 months in a prison-based TC program, although some may require a longer stay depending, on their rate of progress in treatment and other factors. When a resident successfully completes TC treatment and meets the criteria for community release, he or she submits a community release application to progress to the next phase of treatment. Currently, the New Jersey Department of Corrections has allocated a total of 1,450 beds for this purpose.

Currently, the New Jersey Department of Corrections has allocated a total of 1,588 TC treatment beds for this purpose distributed as follows:

Community-Based Programs

Assessment and Treatment Centers - All eligible male inmates, once approved for community release, are assigned to an Assessment and Treatment Center. These offenders must meet stringent requirements, including eligibility for full minimum security. For those identified as having a significant substance use disorder, this assignment typically represents the second phase of treatment and is designed to build on the prison-based TC experience. The NJDOC contracts with Bo Robinson Educational and Training Center in Trenton -- a 60-day program within a 320-bed facility -- and Talbot Hall in Kearney -- a 90-day program within a 500-bed facility.

The Assessment and Treatment Centers present a unique approach to easing the transition from the institutions, where there are significant external controls placed on the individual, to community programs, where the individual will have to assume increasing responsibility for his behavior. A battery of tests is utilized to assess the level of risk an individual poses to the community and to identify individual treatment needs. It is the responsibility of the Community Classification Committee, chaired by the Office of Community Programs, to determine when an inmate has progressed sufficiently to be considered an appropriate candidate for reassignment to a specific community treatment program, such as a halfway house or a substance abuse treatment facility.

Halfway House & Treatment Facilities - In addition to the two Assessment and Treatment Centers, the Department of Corrections contracts with private, not-for-profit agencies for 2,803 beds in 23 residential community release programs throughout the state. Some of these programs provide substance use disorder treatment (Treatment Facilities), while others emphasize employment and/or education services (Halfway House Facilities). Each of these programs is highly structured and closely supervised and assures the highest levels of accountability by and for the inmate population. The Office of Community Programs, along with other department representatives, develops appropriate training for facility staff on an ongoing and as-needed basis in such areas as inmate accountability, urine monitoring and incident report writing.

Mutual Agreement Program (MAP) - MAP is a cooperative agreement among the Department of Corrections, the State Parole Board, and the Department of Health and Senior Services to contract with state-licensed treatment facilities. MAP offers intensive, six-month, drug and alcohol treatment typically to inmates who convert to parolees during the course of the treatment program.

Therapeutic Community Accreditation Pilot Project

The American Correctional Association (ACA) selected the New Jersey Department of Corrections to participate in a pilot accreditation project for prison-based Therapeutic Community programs under newly established standards. Participation in this pilot project allows the State of New Jersey to be among the first in the nation to receive this important accreditation. The Nu View program at the Mountainview Youth Correctional Facility in Annandale was the subject of this review.

Workplace Literacy

The New Jersey Department of Labor partnered with the New Jersey Network to develop an initiative that offers workforce training programs and services, including workplace literacy and job readiness, to those New Jersey residents who are seeking viable jobs. The NJDOC also has a participating partnership in this initiative via a Workplace Literacy pilot program at one of its contracted residential community release programs - Hope Hall in Camden. To date, Hope Hall has provided the Work Place Literacy program to more than 300 offenders.

Offender Workforce Development Specialist Training

The National Institute of Corrections contracted with the National Career Development Association to provide offender workforce development specialist training to selected teams from various states through a competitive grant application process. New Jersey, with the Department of Corrections as the lead agency and the Department of Labor and the State Parole Board as its partners, applied for this grant and was one of only five teams selected to participate.

This is a "train-the-trainer" initiative with the primary goal of equipping the team with the knowledge, resources and understanding necessary to deliver training to diverse groups of participants who work with offenders and ex-offenders in the areas of job readiness, job training and employment services.

By the end of October 2002, the New Jersey team had completed the third and final week of intensive training. It concluded with the development of an action plan that will be utilized to initiate and implement future trainings throughout the State of New Jersey.

Responsible Parenting Program

The Department of Human Services and the Department of Corrections developed an initiative to encourage responsible parenting in non-custodial incarcerated parents through the provision of parenting education, employment training, job placement assistance and other supportive services as well as assistance with paternity and child support issues. The Department of Labor quickly emerged as an active third partner in this initiative.

The Department of Human Services provided $500,000 in Temporary Assistance for Needy Families funds to the NJDOC to develop pilot parenting programs at four designated residential community release program facilities in Essex, Camden and Cumberland counties. The Department of Corrections established a contract with Parents Anonymous of New Jersey, Inc. to provide parenting skills for participants at the pilot sites utilizing the Parenting Our Successors in Society Effectively (P.O.S.S.E.) program.

Office of Educational Services

The Office of Educational Services' primary mission is to ensure that inmate-students are provided with academic, vocational and life skills programming that meet their demonstrated needs within a framework that is congruent with the department's overall mission and in concert with all appropriate statutes, codes and regulations. Office staff members supervise, support and ensure delivery of educational services, including recreational activities and law library services.

Unlike a traditional school setting, the Department of Corrections follows an open-entry, open-exit policy; students enter or exit classes according to their educational needs and entrance to the facility. The state mandates that all institutional educational services for the school-age population are equivalent to high school graduation criteria and aligned to the core curriculum standards. Mandatory educational services from grades K through 12 are provided for inmates under age 20. Education programs are on a voluntary basis for the remainder of the inmates. Each of the department's main facilities holds a graduation ceremony annually.

The department regards correctional education as a critical element in its effort to assist inmates to develop constructive lives upon their return to society. Through continued involvement in the programs offered within the NJDOC's educational framework, offenders can help themselves overcome negative self-images, as well as limited social and economic opportunities, and move forward to lead productive, meaningful lives. This office is responsible for ensuring that all available funding is allocated, distributed and utilized. There are numerous major funding sources available to the Office of Educational Services: Direct State Appropriations, State Facilities Education Aid, Title I Neglected and Delinquent, IDEA-B, Carl D. Perkins Vocational Education Act and Adult Basic Skills Programs.

This office also ensures that educational programs are provided in each correctional facility. Although there are local variations relative to specific vocational and special programs, all state facilities offer remedial, pre-secondary, secondary and special education programs as well as an array of prevocational and vocational programs with appropriate support services.

The NJDOC offer tours of various facilities to high school, college, law enforcement and court groups to educate them on the various issues surrounding the field of corrections as well as what actually transpires behind prison walls. These tours can also be arranged for individual families who want to have their child exposed to prison life. The tours are designed to capture the child's attention so he or she can understand the importance of changing negative behavior and the potential consequences if changes do not occur.

The Office of Educational Services also is responsible for developing and scheduling community outreach programs, such as:

• Project P.R.I.D.E. (Promoting Responsibility In Drug Education) -- Project P.R.I.D.E. brings minimum custody offenders, escorted by correction officers, into middle and high schools or other agencies, to talk about their personal experiences with drugs and alcohol. Young people have an opportunity to hear real-life stories and to consider the consequences of substance abuse. The program is designed to reduce the appeal of drugs and alcohol and to promote positive decision-making skills.
• Scared Straight -- East Jersey State Prison's Lifers Group developed the Scared Straight program for youth more than 20 years ago. Participants must already be involved with a law enforcement agency or the court system and be accompanied by a parent and/or a probation officer. The session begins with a tour of the facility, followed by an intensive face-to-face session with inmates and a discussion of choices and decision making. The Lifers Group also developed a similar program at Edna Mahan Correctional Facility for Women for females who are already involved in the court system or at-risk.
• CRY-UP (Christ Reaching Youth Using Prisoners) -- This program is similar to Project P.R.I.D.E., in that inmates tell their stories and the circumstances that led to their incarceration. The program begins with a tour of the facility and then moves to the chapel for the presentations. After several inmates have presented their story, the inmates talk to the youths in groups of two or three to answer questions or provide clarification about the presentation. Many of those who participate in this program have started to get into trouble at home and school or are on probation. In addition, several churches arrange for their youth groups to take part in the program.
• HAP/SKAR (Hispanic Americans for Progress/ Saving Kids At-Risk) -- Hispanic inmates at New Jersey State Prison have formed a group that has developed a video and produces a quarterly magazine that targets at-risk youths. The video consists of inmates, whose sentences range from 30 to 120 years, giving their personal stories of how their actions led to incarceration. The video is shown as part of a larger presentation by a community agency.
  

OFFICE OF FIELD SERVICES

The Office of Field Services includes the following entities:

Bureau of County Services

This bureau conducts inspections of all 23 county correctional facilities and 372 municipal detention facilities on behalf of the Department of Corrections, as required by state statutes.
The bureau also reviews documents for the construction, renovation or alteration of county correctional facilities and municipal detention facilities to ensure compliance with New Jersey Administrative Code requirements. Technical assistance is provided to county jail administrators and police chiefs as needed. In addition, County Services reviews the operation of all county work release programs.

Evolving from a "watchdog" agency, the bureau also shares information and ideas with various governmental and non-governmental agencies. In 2002, the bureau provided requested training, direction, and guidance to numerous agencies in an effort to assist them in complying with the requirements of the New Jersey Administrative Code 10A: 31 and 34.

Additionally, the bureau has provided technical assistance to individual agencies to support them in meeting their goals and objectives.

Critical Incident Stress Management

The Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) team was formed to provide assistance and support to Department of Corrections employees and their families during critical incidents. The program seeks to stabilize negative impact as a result of a tragic event.

The CISM team, which functions under the supervision of a standing committee appointed by the commissioner, seeks to stabilize the negative impact on an individual or individuals as result of a tragic event. The outcomes associated with this initiative include an improvement in staff morale, job retention, safety and a reduction in costs associated with injuries and time-loss. Crisis intervention services include pre- and post-incident crisis education, family support services, on-scene support services and demobilization for large-scale incidents, small group defusing, and group interventions.

Issues related to the CISM team's response included situations involving suicides, homicides, fatal auto accidents, domestic situations and injuries at work.

Community Labor Assistance Program

The Community Labor Assistance Program consists of 108 separate work details of minimum custody inmates. The inmate details are generally 10 inmates, with one correctional officer assigned to each, offering supervision. The details are among the most cost-effective uses of labor in the State of New Jersey to assist nonprofit or public entities.

Offenders who participate in the program are pooled from various facilities according to the proximity of the project. A total of 10 institutions yield the inmate workforce of approximately 1,250 that has produced an annual average of work hours topping one million per year for the past three fiscal years.

Community Service emphasizes public service, including the development of the safe play areas for children, building rehabilitation, general maintenance work, landscaping of state parks, emergency/disaster relief and removing litter from highways, mowing and maintaining major intersections, on and off ramps, and jughandles across New Jersey.

Highway Litter is a cooperative effort between the Department of Corrections and the Department of Transportation to utilize inmate labor to remove litter from highways and to mow and maintain major intersections, on and off ramps, and jughandles across New Jersey. Clean Shores is a cooperative initiative between the Department of Corrections and the Department of Environmental Protection to utilize inmate labor for shore protection projects. The detail cleans approximately 106 miles of shoreline in more than 60 municipalities. Human Service Development Centers is an initiative, in collaboration with the Department of Human Services, through which inmate details

Department of Corrections Liaison to the Intensive Supervision Program

The Intensive Supervision Program (ISP) is located in the judicial branch of government under the auspices of Probation Services in the Administrative Office of the Courts. A Department of Corrections representative serves as a member of the review panel, which screens, evaluates and recommends applicants to re-sentencing judges for acceptance to ISP.

At the time of this report, the number of inmates participating in the Intensive Supervision Program is 1,195, which is 98 percent of the program's capacity of 1,217.

All ISP participants are required to:

• maintain full time employment;
• maintain a diary;
• maintain a budget log;
• perform community service;
• submit to urine monitoring;
• make payments toward supervision fee, child support, court imposed fines
  and restitution;
• undergo extensive contact with probation/parole officer;
• adhere to a restrictive curfew; and
• undergo rigorous surveillance.

Office of Chaplaincy Services

Chaplaincy Services are provided to the inmate population and offered to staff on request. Each
Department of Corrections facility has chaplaincy representation. Normally, a facility is serviced by a chaplain representing a major faith group and supplemented by the use of volunteers.

Chaplaincy Mentoring Aftercare is a program designed to assist inmates in making a successful transition into society. The program offers training and resources that enable faith-based groups to provide mentoring and support network to offenders.

Office of Victim Services

The Office of Victim Services is devoted to protecting the rights of victims of crime while assisting them in achieving meaningful services.

The Office of Victim Services was specifically established to strengthen the role of the New Jersey Department of Corrections in responding to the needs of victims. The New Jersey
Department of Corrections, Office of Victim Services, in conjunction with other state and local agencies foster cooperation and teamwork to ensure that victims are afforded fair and sensitive treatment.

The office is comprised of the following major components:

• Communication with victims -- Issues include restitution, notification, location, status, sentence information and safety concerns. Office staff also is trained in techniques for victim/offender mediation. Proposals are developed for consideration of implementing this service within the correctional system. To assist in consolidating these efforts, a database has been established to track contacts of victims with specific issues of concern.
• Offender sensitivity training -- The "Focus on the Victim" program was introduced in May 2001 as a pilot program that was conducted at Garden State Youth Correctional Facility. Already, four groups have successfully completed the program.
• Community outreach -- The office networks with other state and local governmental agencies to ensure that crime victims are afforded the rights and services under federal and state law. The office coordinates efforts within the Department of Corrections and other state correctional institutions to develop and enhance prior services. The office also has established partnerships with county victim-witness agencies, federal victim agencies, and local and private victim associated agencies. Methods of community outreach have included the development of an office brochure, the dispersal of educational literature, staff awareness training and networking with other victim services.