By: Michele Krueger, Product Implementation Specialist
Over 640,000 people return to our communities from prison each year. As individuals exit prisons, providing a seamless set of services is vital to ease their transition to the community. Case planning plays a critical role in facilitating successful reentry by addressing the multifaceted needs of individuals transitioning from incarceration back into society. By focusing on rehabilitation, accountability, and support, reentry case planning aims to promote positive outcomes for individuals and society.
Below are the top considerations for effective case planning for reentry:
Conduct Assessment:
The case planning process begins with completing a comprehensive risk/needs assessment . The COMPAS-R Core assessment identifies the individual’s strengths, risk factors, and top criminogenic need factors, such as anti-social cognition/personality, substance use, education, employment, etc. This data is essential for reentry case planning.
Consider Risk, Needs, Responsivity Principles:
Before developing the case plan (and throughout the case planning process), the practitioner must consider the individual’s risk, needs, and responsivity factors.
The risk principle speaks to who should be treated (the higher-risk individuals), the need principle speaks to what should be treated (criminogenic needs), and the responsivity principle focuses on how to treat to improve the individual’s chances at success. For example, a responsivity factor may be mental illness.
To enhance the client’s ability and motivation to engage in their successful reintegration, the practitioner should encourage the client’s compliance with psychiatric medications/visits or assist them in obtaining mental health care.
Set Goals:
The practitioner collaborates with the individual to establish short-term and long-term goals, tasks, and activities, which serve as their roadmap to success throughout the reentry process. These goals should be realistic, measurable, and tailored to address individual needs and circumstances.
Create an Individualized Plan:
Utilizing an individualized (versus a one-size-fits-all) case plan that auto-populates a person’s assessed needs from their risk/ needs assessment (as available in the Northpointe Suite) allows practitioners and clients to target the specific need areas that impact the client’s likelihood of reoffending. The plan should outline specific steps, timelines, and responsibilities for achieving each goal and identify resources and support services available to assist in the process.
Coordinate Services:
Coordinate with relevant service providers, including probation or parole officers, social workers, mental health professionals, substance abuse treatment providers, housing agencies, employers, and community-based organizations. Ensure clear communication and collaboration among all stakeholders involved in the individual’s reentry process.
Facilitate Skill-building and Support:
Offer opportunities for skill-building and support services to help the individual develop necessary life skills, such as job readiness, financial management, conflict resolution, and coping mechanisms. Provide access to counseling, mentoring, peer support groups, and other resources to address emotional and social needs.
Ensure Continuity of Care:
Practitioners can do this by facilitating seamless transitions between services and systems. This may involve developing discharge plans before release from incarceration, providing follow-up support and monitoring in the community, and connecting individuals with ongoing support services as needed.
Continue to Monitor and Evaluate:
As life changes, so should the case plan. Regularly monitor the individual’s progress toward their goals and adjust the case plan based on their evolving needs and circumstances.
Empower the Individual:
The case plan belongs to the individual. Practitioners should empower the individual to take ownership of their reentry process and advocate for their needs. Encourage self-efficacy, self-determination, and active participation in decision-making to foster a sense of agency and responsibility.
Overall, case planning plays a vital role in prisoner reentry by addressing the complex needs of offenders and providing them with the support, resources, and guidance they need to reintegrate into society and lead productive, law-abiding lives. For more information about case planning for reentry, please contact us.
