NCJA Outstanding Criminal Justice Program Award Winners
Each year the National Criminal Justice Association recognizes four
programs (one in each region) that showcase successful promising
practices in criminal justice. The programs selected all address
important criminal justice issues; demonstrate effectiveness based upon
the programs stated goals; are a good example of the use of federal
funds to initiate a program that is subsequently supported through state
and local appropriations or are self sustaining; and can be easily
replicated in other jurisdictions.
The recipients of this year's NCJA Outstanding Criminal Justice
Program Award are:
Northeastern
Region:
Berks County (PA) Community Reentry Program
The Berks County Community Reentry Program in Pennsylvania seeks to
help both offenders and their communities through reducing the
recidivism
rate and increasing public safety.
Developed in 2007, this program provides coordinated community-based
services to individuals recently released from jail, with a focus on job
training and obtaining employment. This reentry program enlists local
agencies, organizations, and individuals who are willing to assist
ex-offenders successfully reenter the community. The initiative then
conducts an ongoing inventory of positions available, while
simultaneously conducting an assessment of an inmate’s specific
needs. When an individual is matched with an available service, the
Berks County Community Reentry Program ensures that they receive
intensive job training assistance provided by the local government
employment One-Stop agency. Ongoing assistance for ex-offenders is
available for three years post-release.
With participation from more than 35 agencies, the Berks County
Community Reentry Program provided assistance over 1,000 times in 2008
including over 600 referrals and immediate direct assistance over 450
times. These collaborative efforts have witnessed remarkable success. Of
the program graduates who have been released, 69 percent have remained
out of jail and 64 percent are employed.
The Program has successfully transitioned from receiving a majority
of its funding from state grants to 94 percent from ongoing local
funding.
View NCJA's
press release about this award winner.
Midwestern Region:
Iowa Jail Based Substance Abuse Treatment
Project
The state of Iowa has seen tremendous success in re-arrest,
abstinence, and employment rates among offenders following the
implementation of a
four-county Jail-Based Substance Abuse Treatment Project (J-BT Project).
The program is designed to treat problems associated with both substance
abuse and criminal thinking.
The focus of the J-BT Project is to simultaneously reduce substance
abuse and domains of criminal thinking. Non-violent participants reside
in therapeutic treatment environments. The therapy process follows
offenders from the time of their entry into treatment in the jails
through
outpatient treatment and into the continuing care component. The
treatment curriculum is based in cognitive-behavioral therapy, but also
includes strategies such as motivational interviewing, orientation to
the 12-Step Community, relapse prevention, empowerment-based practices,
brief strategic therapy, group therapy, family counseling, and other
programming considered to meet the needs of the client.
The project began in 2002, and in the seven years since its opening
three more counties have started offering jail-based treatment. The
project was initially funded by Byrne Grant discretionary funds. It now
receives financial aid from federal grants, corporate donations, and the
local government.
In the last six years, the J-BT Project has served 2,006 patients. Of
the ex-offenders who successfully completed treatment and were
interviewed
12 months following their admission, 78.5 percent were clean, 91.9
percent had not been arrested, and 68.2 percent were employed full
time.
View NCJA's
press release about this award winner.
Southern Region:
Harriet's House Transitional Housing for Female
Ex-Offenders
Through providing transitional housing and reentry services for
female ex-offenders and their children in North Carolina,
Harriet’s House is working toward reducing recidivism and helping
women obtain and maintain permanent, safe, and affordable housing.
Established in 1995, Harriet’s House is a project of Passage
Home, a faith-based community development corporation that assists
low-income,
homeless families reach higher levels of economic self-sufficiency and
obtain employment and training. The program helps participants address
problems that lead to incarceration, including substance abuse, domestic
violence, and limited education. The clients are then assisted with a
diverse array of services, such as intensive wrap-around case
management, employment aid, permanent housing, and family reunification
support. In addition, clients of Harriet’s House have the
opportunity to learn budgeting, establish a savings account, develop
peer support, enhance their parenting skills, and remain drug free
through participation in AA/NA groups.
With the help of an extensive support network of church congregations
that contribute food, clothing, tutoring, and childcare, 128 women and
298 children have received care as a result of Harriet’s House.
Eighty percent of clients have been placed in permanent housing and 85
percent have jobs. The recidivism rate for Harriet’s House clients
is 15 percent.
The staff at Harriet’s House collaborates with families on an
individual basis to outline a strategic plan for becoming self-reliant,
responsible members of society. Ultimately assisting mothers regain
custody of their children and acquire gainful employment, this program
allows women to return to the community and lead a more positive and
stable lifestyle.
View NCJA's
press release about this award winner.
Western Region:
Crystal Judson Family Justice Center
The Crystal Judson Family Justice Center (FJC), in Washington has
offered support to the victims of domestic abuse and their children
since 2005. The program is dedicated to reducing domestic violence while
providing victims with both short term and long-term care in the midst
of crisis.
The FJC ensures that access to services is easy and convenient. It is
comprised of many criminal justice agencies, government and community
partners who collaborate to provide comprehensive services to victims of
domestic abuse and reduce the number of domestic violence cases that go
unaddressed. Providing a range of services from civil legal support,
protection orders, DSHS assistance, spiritual support, and military
advocacy to safety planning, housing, transportation and other emergency
assistance, the FJC is a safe, central location where victims and their
children can seek help in times of crisis and beyond. This consolidation
eliminates the necessity for victims to visit dozens agencies before
receiving the help that they need.
The top priority of FJC partners, staff, and volunteers is to treat
clients and children with kindness, compassion, and caring, providing
the highest quality attention as possible. The FJC is not just another
government office. The atmosphere is warm and welcoming, with special
accommodations made particularly for children. In creating such an
environment, the FJC hopes to realize its vision of providing a place
where all the needs of victims are met, where children are protected,
where violence stops, where families heal and thrive, where hope is
instilled, and where professionals all work together.
The program has served thousands of families in its first 3½
years. It continues to bring on new partners to actively participate in
an effort to give victims the tools they need to live a life free of
family violence.
View NCJA's
press release about this award winner.
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