Offender Reentry Task Force
The Offender Reentry Plan includes the implementation of a Reentry Task Force. The task force would consist of a diverse group of agencies throughout the region, including representatives from:
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• Law enforcement – King County Sheriff’s office and local police departments
• Courts – Superior Court, District Court, and municipal courts
• Probation – District Court and municipal courts
• Mental health, chemical dependency and social service providers
• Prosecuting Attorney’s Office
• Public defense agencies
• Community corrections – King County and city jails
• Jails –Department of Adult and Juvenile Detention (jail) and city jails
• Washington State Department of Corrections
• Jail Health Services
• Department of Judicial Administration
• Department of Community and Human Services
• Executive and Council – King County Executive Office, King County Council, and corresponding city representatives
• Community stakeholders King County will designate a reentry coordinator to identify gaps in service and provide coordinated services to offenders who have a high risk of recidivism and have re-integration needs, such as housing, employment, health care, and mental health and/or substance abuse treatment, that can be difficult to address. Population of Focus
The King County Offender Reentry Plan will initially focus on the locally sentenced offender population and those individuals held in jail on pre-trial orders longer than 14 days and released to the community. This population is prioritized due to the higher risk nature of these offenders. Focusing the plan on those individuals more likely to re-offend will increase the likelihood of having a measurable effect on reducing recidivism and documenting success. Another focus of this plan will be services and supports for particularly vulnerable populations, including women, veterans and homeless individuals. Offender Reentry Plan Mission
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A reentry plans should be a holistic and systematic approach that seeks to reduce the likelihood of additional criminal behavior. Beginning at sentencing and extending beyond release, the reentry plan will assess, identify and link offenders with services specific to their needs. This will be accomplished through associations with community partners, families, criminal justice system partners, and victims. Reentry means going home to stay. Policy Goals and Objectives
The following proposed goals and objectives address important areas of need: housing, employment, mental health, chemical dependency, access to government assistance, and broad community-based organization involvement and support. Goals are divided into suggested objectives, strategies and activities.
1. Improve the housing status of individuals leaving jail.
a. Reduce the number of inmates leaving jail who become homeless or reliant upon public shelters.
b. Increase stability for marginally housed individuals leaving jail. c. Increase the number of inmates who retain existing housing during short-term
incarcerations.
2. Improve rates of self-sufficient employment for individuals leaving jail.
a. Increase availability of evidence-based education, job training, and vocational programs by expanding the current vocational trainings program.
b. Increase the abilities of reentering individuals to compete in the labor market by expanding the King County Jobs Initiative.
c. Extend high school equivalency programs to all inmates and connect inmates to service providers in the community who can offer continued educational opportunities and/or connections to employment.
3. Provide access to effective mental health, chemical dependency, and primary care treatment services for inmates before and after their release from jail.
a. Increase use of evidence-based mental health, chemical dependency, and primary care screening, assessment and treatment services in the criminal justice system.
b. Ensure access to effective community based mental health, chemical dependency, and primary care treatment.
4. Sustain offenders’ access to government assistance programs.
a. Increase timeliness of enrollment in government assistance programs b. Prevent or reduce disruption in benefits for inmates as they reenter the
community
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5. Improve case management systems to record baseline data on the reentering population; store information on offender risks and needs; identify returns to jail/re- arrests; and grant access to government and community service providers to promote continuity of care and case management during incarceration, transition, and post- release.
a. Support the creation of a shared data management information system b. Support the creation of mechanisms to share data across all jails, local law
enforcement in King County, and other county criminal justice agencies
6. Increase reentering offenders’ connections to family and community.
a. Promote access to mentoring services from secular community organizations and faith-based groups
b. Create linkages to child support assistance programs, family counseling and family reunification services
c. Provide access to parenting classes, anger management, and other life skills classes
d. Involve family and/or community members in the release planning process
7. Improve offender access to basic resources and services in the community after release.
a. Provide exiting individuals with a written release plan b. Promote access to education opportunities for offenders leaving jail c. Provide access to transportation to mental health and substance/alcohol abuse
treatment (through actual transportation or transportation vouchers/bus passes) d. Provide access to clothes for job interviews e. Provide access to food vouchers, etc