Inmate Programs: Violent Offender Reentry Initiative

The Department has submitted an application for Federal funds in the amount of $2,070,000 to establish a Serious and Violent Offender Reentry Program. This is a program to transition serious and violent offenders back into the community by improving their access to services, and provide a more comprehensive form of case management through coordination of service providers at both the state and local levels. The service providers and agencies will unify their current services for participants to address substance abuse and mental health problems, housing, employment, education, criminal behavior, and family relationships.

The Reentry Program Steering Committee will be a multi-departmental framework consisting of the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services acting as the lead agency, the Nebraska Board of Parole, the Nebraska Health and Human Services System, and the Nebraska Department of Labor. Partnership with these and other state level decision makers will be formalized through signed memorandums of agreement. The steering committee will provide oversight and coordination for a second level of county and municipal service providers. Community based organizations such as treatment providers, faith-based groups, victim advocate associations etc. will also be utilized throughout the reentry process. This framework has been developed to strengthen and validate the efforts being conducted at the local level.

The target population consists of approximately 60-90 high-risk offenders, ages 18-35, within a targeted neighborhood of Omaha. Offender risk and needs assessments will be conducted and offenders will be matched with the appropriate level of services and supervision. Offenders selected for the program will have a high level of need and a high level or chance of recidivism if appropriate services are not provided. The intent of the program is to identify and provide critical services to a population of offenders who carry the highest risk to the community. If successful, the program will lower the risk and number of serious and violent offenders who re-offend. The specific goals of the program are: prevent re-offending; enhance public safety; re-deploy and leverage existing community resources by fostering linkages and accessing currently available services; assist the offender to avoid crime, engage in prosocial community activities, and meet family responsibilities, within a restorative justice climate; and ensure program sustainability.

As part of Nebraska's Serious and Violent Offender Reentry Initiative, the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services is currently working with national classification and risk assessment authorities on the assessment and redesign of the Department's offender classification system and on the design, implementation and validation of a full diagnostic and risk assessment instrument. Once those tasks have been completed, the Department will be able to more clearly define the serious and violent, high-risk offenders for this program.

A Personalized Reentry Program Plan (PREPP) will be formulated for each offender at the time of admission to the Department. For those already incarcerated at the beginning of this grant project, the PREPP will be implemented at least one year prior to their parole eligibility date. It will be reviewed at regular intervals and adjusted as necessary until the offender is discharged from supervision. It will address the offender's needs as well as provide for the safety of the community. The PREPP will be a team effort involving the offender, case manager, law enforcement, the Parole Board (the reentry authority), parole officer, treatment providers, community service providers, family and/or community members along with a representative from victim advocacy groups. The composition of the team will be dynamic in nature in that members of the team will change as the offender progresses through the program. Team members from the community will be added at least one year prior to parole.

Participation by the offender will be voluntary. Prior to release in the community participating offenders will be placed at the Omaha Correctional Center for specific reentry programming. It is anticipated the offender will then progress to the Community Corrections Center Ç Omaha under either work detail, work release, or educational release status and then to parole. Success at each reintegration step will be assessed prior to the offender moving to the next step. The Department in coordination with Nebraska's Board of Parole will move and monitor each designated reentry offender through a deliberate reintegration process that insures and rewards offender compliance and accountability. All offenders must work with the Department of Correctional Services, the Parole Board, and state and local authorities. Participants will be closely monitored through all phases by a combination of state and local authorities and community service providers and faith-based groups.

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