The Reentry Parole Agents (RPAs) have supported Transitional Housing Units and Reentry Service Offices since these initiatives were launched within the DOC in June 2013.
"Our goal has always been to provide support to our counterparts who were responsible for running the THUs and RSOs," says Jason Stauffer, who directs the Transition Services and Staff Liaison Division that supervises the RPAs, "But we also wanted to complement risk-reduction efforts."
Inmates become eligible for THUs and RSOs toward the end of their incarceration. They were designed to deliver reentry-related workshops to inmates preparing for transition to the community and also connecting these inmates with service providers who can assist them when they become reentrants. RPAs assist in this process by working with unit managers, corrections counselors, social workers, and other SCI staff to deliver/coordinate these workshops and networking opportunities.
As inmates generally have already completed required correctional treatment by the time they begin services in THUs and RSOs, Stauffer saw an opportunity to reinforce that programming as well as prepare the soon-to-be reentrants for programming in which they would be required to participate upon release. In order to accomplish this, the RPAs work individually with high risk inmates in the THUs and RSOs to address risk-producing needs such as anti-social attitudes and skills deficits. RPAs use similar strategies that field agents are trained to use when working one-on-one with inmates. This helps the RPAs prepare inmates for supervision contacts while continuing to address risk.
Despite the success of these individual efforts, one-on-one work also has its drawbacks. Mainly, it limits the amount of inmates who could potentially benefit from additional risk-reduction efforts. "Obviously, we can reach many more inmates if we are delivering these types of interventions to groups as opposed to individuals," says Stauffer. Stauffer cites this is a driving force behind the decision to begin delivering Cognitive Life Skills (CLS) programming in the SCIs. "It essentially allows us to expand our capacity without expanding resources."
To this end, RPAs will begin delivering CLS programming through the National Curricula and Training Institute (NCTI). This programming has been delivered by Assessment, Sanctioning, and Community Resource Agents (ASCRAs) for over a decade. An independent evaluation conducted by West Chester University showed that high risk completers of ASCRA-run CLS groups recidivated at significantly lower rates than similar high risk reentrants who were not referred to CLS.
The RPAs have previously been trained to deliver CLS through NCTI, and they use this training extensively to deliver the widely popular Real Colors groups to inmates. Real Colors is a personality inventory that assists participants in learning more about how they view the world and interact with others while also teaching participants about how to interact effectively with those who have different personalities. The RPAs are currently undergoing refresher training efforts to help re-acclimate them to the full 11 session CLS curriculum.
Barring delays in procuring appropriate licensing to deliver the curricula, NCTI Cognitive Life Skills will begin being delivered in SCIs that host an RPA in June.