Skip Navigation

News

  • Oct
    31
    2017

    Justice Reinvestment supports evidence-based strategies

    Posted by: Marion County Reentry Initiative (MCRI)

    This article appears in the Winter 2017 issue of the Marion County Reentry Initiative "Giving People a Second Chance" e-newsletter. ​

    For 3,400 people on post-prison supervision and probation, Marion County will receive $3,754,893 in Justice Reinvestment Initiative funds from the Oregon Criminal Justice Commission to support proven strategies that give non-violent property and drug offenders the tools to succeed.  Justice reinvestment has two primary goals: (1) To prevent those who have served a prison sentence from re-offending and going back to prison, and (2)To divert non-violent drug and property criminals from prison through community-based services and local accountability.

    Marion County's justice reinvestment strategies include the following services.

    Link Up – Mentoring and treatment services targeting high and medium risk reentry clients with co-occurring substance abuse and mental health disorders. Link Up participants are maintaining their medications and achieving stability in the community. The program has been evaluated using the Corrections Program Checklist and was rated "very high" in adherence to evidence-based practices.

    Student Opportunity for Achieving Results (SOAR) – An intensive 12-week program conducted on the Chemeketa Community College campus, offering cognitive-based programming and enhanced supervision, parenting classes, alcohol and drug mentoring, employment support, and treatment services. SOAR graduates were 25.8% less likely to be arrested for a new offense, 12.1% less likely to be convicted of any new crimes (misdemeanor or felony), and 21.8% less likely to be convicted of a new felony.

    De Muniz Resource Center – A one-stop reentry resource center operated by Community Action Agency, the center helps reentry and diversion clients with referrals and direct services. In 2015-16 the center worked with 1,070 individuals; in 2016-17, the center served 1,474 individuals – a 38% increase over the prior year.

    Transition Services/Housing – Housing is essential for community stability. Without housing, clients cannot focus on treatment and other remediation services. These stipends address short-term, critical housing needs.

    Substance Abuse Treatment – High and medium risk clients engage in a minimum of 200-260 hours of cognitive-based services directed at enhancing motivation, addressing addiction and criminogenic risk factors, and providing the behavioral skills necessary to lead a clean and sober lifestyle.​

    Senate Bill 416 Prison Diversion Program –This program diverts non-violent medium to high risk property and drug offenders from state prison to intensive community supervision. Senate Bill 416 services have had, perhaps, the greatest impact on Marion County's improvement in meeting prison diversion targets. Of 60 clients supervised through this program, only two returned to prison and 58 remained safely in the community.

    Jail Reentry Program – A 90-day treatment and mentoring program targets inmates at the county's Transition Center. Jail Reentry graduates were 35.5% less likely to be arrested for a new offense, 36.3% less likely to be convicted of any new crimes (misdemeanor or felony), 47.9% less likely to be convicted of a new felony, and 26.5% less likely to have a new incarceration compared to the general high-risk population on post-prison supervision in Marion County.

    Adult Specialty Courts – Specialty courts, including Adult Drug Court, Veterans Treatment Court, Mental Health Court, and Fostering Attachment Treatment Court, divert offenders from incarceration in partnership with treatment providers. Program participants undergo an intense regimen of substance abuse and mental health treatment, case management, drug testing, and probation supervision while reporting to regularly scheduled status hearings before a judge.

    Victim services – The Center for Hope and Safety has enhanced its services for victims and survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, and human trafficking with the addition of an intake coordinator and children's advocate. Liberty House has expanded its capacity to serve children who have suffered physical abuse, sexual abuse, or neglect with the addition of a new evidence-based, trauma-informed mental health therapy program.​

    For more information about the Marion County Reentry Initiative, visit our ​website​. Read the 2017-2017 Justice Reinvestment application​

    Justice Reinvestment supports evidence-based strategies
​​​​​ View All News