The Health Foundation of Central Mass

34 R esearch shows that individuals leav- ing prison oen cycle in and out of jail and may pose a threat to public safety and health unless they have a strong support system. A 2011 Massachusetts Department of Correction (DOC) report showed that 44% of all individuals released from prison were reincarcerated within three years post-release. With the needs of newly released in- dividuals spanning multiple systems and reentry services spread across multiple state agencies, a group of criminal justice, mental health, and community health professionals came together to develop the Worcester Initiative for Supported Reentry (WISR) to address these reentry barriers. e Health Foundation of Central Massachusetts embraced this concept and awarded a Round 3 Synergy Initiative grant to support this effort. Advocates, a nonprofit human services agency, lead the project and partnered with public safety, public health, and com- munity-based organizations to identify inmates from medium, minimum, and pre-release state prisons and the Worces- ter County House of Correction who met program criteria to reduce their risk of recidivism (recidivism refers to a person's relapse into criminal behavior). In col- laboration with DOC staff and probation officers, WISR case managers created a coordinated set of support services from pre-release discharge planning to post-re- lease supervision. irty to 90 days prior to release, the in- mate worked with a WISR case manager to develop a comprehensive assessment and transitional treatment plan. Treatment rec- ommendations were aligned with mental health and substance use assessments and post-release supervision conditions. Following release, a case manager continued to coordinate evidence-based interventions and supports including housing, health care, employment, and other services to maximize the chances for success- ful reintegration into the community. e case manager arranged trans- portation on the day of release and for visits with probation officers, helped eligible participants enroll in MassHealth insurance, and connected individu- als with community services. Clothing and toiletries were provided as a means to keep participants engaged and in touch with their case managers. e Institute for Behavioral Health at Brandeis University evaluated the program and released a report in January 2017 doc- umenting impressive results. e program involved 152 inmates and used a control group of 86. Immediately aer release, 96% of participants secured housing and the remaining 4% were housed within one day of release; 60% remained housed for more than two years. Of the 152 participants in the program, 94 found work, and a majority (71%) reported continuous employment for one year or longer. Approximately 93% of par- ticipants who were referred to substance use treatment services accessed them, and 75% of participants referred to mental health services used those services. Worcester Initiative for Supported Reentry: Reducing Recidivism, Enhancing Lives Timeframe: 2011 – 2017 Lead Organization: Advocates Evaluator: Institute for Behavioral Health at Brandeis University Total Amount Funded: $2.3 million Key Components of the WISR Model • Coordination across agencies and partners • Individualized case management pre- and post- release • Superior Court from and after Probation • Incentives to participate (i.e., reduced probation time) TELEGRAM&GAZETTE MONDAY, FEBRUARY 3 , 2014 News Helping to wipe a slate clean SR ds con cts By o e TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF WORCESTER - As Nelson Saydee sits on a bench at St. Vincent's Hospital, his 4-year-old son, Max, is sitting on his lap quietly, resting his head on dad's chest. "He doesn't want to leave my side," Mr. Saydee said. It has been this way since he was released om prison in May, said Mr. Saydee, 28, and he has no plans to retu since it would mean miss ing the next 15 to 20 years of his son's li . Rather than trying on his own to stay out of prison, Mr. Saydee is involved in the Worcester Initiative r Supported Reentry, which seeks to provide supportive services to former piis oners who want to re-enter socie and not land back in the ciiminaljustice system. In 2013, its first year of implementa tion, the program has provided resources for more than 80 people. Advocates Inc. has been awarded $499,619 in nding om the Health Foundation of Central Massachusetts to run the program for a second year, and has a goal of serving 144 people in the local district and superior court programs. Since i planning stage in 2011 and a pilot program in 2012, WISR has taken in nearly $1.5 million in nding. The cost is well wo1th it, said Jan Yost, president and chief executive of the Health Foundation. ''We're not reinventing the wheel; we're us ing instruments that are effective," said project manager Opal Stone. People turn back to a criminal lifestyle be cause of a lack of housing, lack of jobs, and because they don't he access to treatment they need for substance abuse and other hur dles, Ms. Stone said. She pointed to the cost of housing an in mate, which amounts to nearly $50,000 per year in 2011, and argued that WISR serves as a resource by helping clients to secure housing, employment, health insurance and other needed services. It is still working out details and identifying best practices, but WISR is serving men who will be released on probation and be living in the Worcester area and want to be in the program. They do not accept people who have been incarcerated for arson, sexual offenses or murder. more than $200,000 of crack e, among other cl1arges. In prison, Mr. Saydee continued to make money to suppmt his son and girlfiiend, buy ing and selling snacks and items to other in mates r a profit. "I'm a natural-bo hustler," he said. "I just know how to make mone" Before he landed in jail, Mr. Saydee's paitner and the mother of his two children became ad ' dieted to Percocet, a presc1iption medication. She is now in treatment for her addiction, he said, and last week gave birth to the couple's second child, a girl named Milan. T&G STA STEVE LANAVA Mr. Saydee said he is determined to stay Nelson Saydee sits with his son, Max, 4. Nelson is a participant in the Worcester on the right track. He is working at a ctory Initiative for Supported Reentry program. near Hudson. She1iff Le,vis G. Evangelidis said, "6,200 His only previous SYNERGY INITIATIVE - ROUND 3

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