From Coal to Diamonds - Empowering Clients to Shine!

About the Program

Category: Human Services (Best in Category)

Year: 2018

ABSTRACT OF THE PROGRAM With almost 50,000 people incarcerated within Maricopa County Jails and Arizona DOC Prisons on any given day, there is a high need for substantial re-entry services and support for citizens as they transition into the community. Diamonds are Created Under Pressure. The ARIZONA@WORK Smart Justice (SJ) Employment Team, through evidence-based case management practices, promotes pro-social roles within the workplace, with family, and in our communities. The SJ Employment Team guides and provides supportive services to returning citizens as they transition into the workforce. For the duration of this support, the SJ Employment Team works towards accountability and self-empowerment to help the reentrants navigate through the seemingly insurmountable pressures of rebuilding their lives and reentering the community as law abiding citizens. THE PROBLEM OR NEED FOR THE PROGRAM Half of Maricopa County’s budget is allocated to criminal justice and public safety. With the county’s population of over 4 million citizens, including 77,000 disconnected youth (citizens ages 16-24 who are not working or in school), demonstrates that a guided second chance is needed. Justice involved clients need positive linkages to resources with opportunities, considering many did not get a first chance to begin with. The SJ Employment Team targets the high risk justice involved population while promoting evidence based practices and reducing recidivism for individuals in Maricopa County. In 2015, the average daily population in Maricopa County Jails was 7,972 inmates, with estimates showing as few as 5 percent of offenders accounting for 40 percent of crimes. Smart Justice aims to reduce this population by utilizing the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act grant (WIOA) and collaborating with Maricopa County Adult Probation, Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office, and outside non-profit organizations. DESCRIPTION OF THE PROGRAM The SJ Employment Team was developed in 2015 in response to Maricopa County’s Smart Justice initiatives. The SJ Employment Team uses the Integrated Reentry and Employment Strategies Resource Allocation and Service Matching Tool to prioritize services for individuals at higher risk as interventions to reduce recidivism. These persistent offenders can commit a significant amount of crime while the lower risk population does not need the guidance that higher risk offenders need. If the same focus is given to low and high risk offenders, it may actually increase the likelihood in criminal behavior of the low risk offenders, almost reinforcing vulnerability to reoffend. Supervision alone does not reduce recidivism, and improved communication between various justice organizations helps us understand “what works” in Maricopa County. Supervision integrated with treatment and collaboration in different forms of support decreases the risk of re-offending. Smart Justice aims to bring together the missing pieces to assist the individual that has numerous barriers attached to him or her upon release of incarceration. The ARIZONA@WORK SJ Employment Team is a mobile and flexible team under Maricopa County Human Services that promotes pro-social roles within the workplace with family, and in their communities. The SJ Employment Team works out of community supervision sites, inside the jails and prisons, and in the community to assist and provide supportive services to people supervised by Adult Probation and ADOC Parole reentering the workforce. The re-entry population faces limited work or educational experience, many coming from high poverty areas. With this, options for employment become scarce and self-defeating, leading to an increase in re-arrest rates. The justice population served is not a “one size fits all,” but rather a focus on the Risk and Responsivity Model while targeting multiple criminogenic needs. The risk score is a “risk to recidivate” tool is administered upon release from jail and allows the SJ Employment Team to utilize “identify risk levels” along with the Barriers to Employment Success Inventory (BESI) to assess job readiness and identify certain barriers to employment. Resource Allocation and Service Matching Tool (See infographic with supplemental materials) Each Diamond is Unique. Individualized Case Management New opportunities for innovation become available under the SJ Employment Team as new partnerships in the community develop. The SJ Employment Team was created into one “mega advisor” that is knowledgeable in all aspects, specifically serving the justice population that provides individualized services tailored to each unique individual. This increases the value of the program and focuses on the population to follow the risk scores for the most in need. When first seen by the SJ Employment Team, not only is this population justice involved, but they tend to be low income, high school dropouts, parents in need of child care, basic skills deficient, have unreliable transportation (or unable to afford public transportation), have unstable housing, have a history of substance use/misuse, mental health disorders, and have been unemployed long term. This is why it is necessary to be knowledgeable about community resources because sustaining a job alone is difficult when one or more barriers exist. The SJ Employment Team efficiently utilizes resources to prevent and respond to needs that can impact employment retention. Work Experience The SJ Employment Team partners with agencies around the county to provide clients with “real-world” work experiences to learn soft skills, academic, and occupational skills. These structured learning opportunities allow participants to gain exposure to different aspects of work and in-demand sectors such as information technology, construction, manufacturing, logistics, food industry, and customer service. Our clients gain personal knowledge and skills needed to obtain a job in the future, or shortly after the work experience is completed. Coaching opportunities will occur as they progress to ensure they are maximizing their skills in the workplace. The length of a work experience can vary but can total up to 400 hours of working at a work site while getting paid. Once this is completed, the company has the choice to hire this person on. The SJ Employment Team has partnerships with employers in culinary, warehouse, food services, laundry, construction/labor, and much more. Once a client is enrolled and a work site agreement is established with an agency, and their willingness to take on our clients, we can begin a work experience. Empowerment According to ICF International’s Lessons in Reentry from Successful Programs and Participants: The Final Report of Reentry Employment Opportunities Benchmarking Study, the most common facilitators of success is some of the least tangible or quantifiable aspects to an individual’s work. These include building trust and relationships, fostering vocational mindsets, and encouraging confidence and empowerment. Most individuals that begin reentry programs have never had a consistent family or community role model. Smart Justice helps participants see their value, both personally and professionally, while they seek employment. This heavily applies with Smart Justice’s focus in the workforce and is critical to the participants’ success in the program. Pressure Creates Diamonds. Fire Refines Gold. The SJ Employment Team coaches and guides the program participants through real-life empowerment exercises to help see themselves as more than just a felon. This is imperative in the success of our clients. Changing their mindset, working on accountability, empowering and refining them (or helping them release/move past their perceived impurities) leads to self-advocacy and the ability to market themselves successfully to employers. Most importantly, they feel worthy which prevents future self-sabotaging behaviors. While using trauma informed and gender responsive practices, Smart Justice empowers our clients to shine bright. In addition to coaching justice involved clients, the SJ Employment Team actively trains service providers in the community to further expand the impact. RESPOND TO ECONOMIC DOWNTURN Traditionally it has been found that particular work industries are more accepting of individuals with background concerns. These industries are labor professions such as construction, warehouse, logistics, and production. The employers who are more background friendly are also targeted as potential placement possibilities for our clients. According to labor market information for Arizona, the top job titles being sought are Forklift Operator, Material Handler, and Unload Associate, which are comparable to the national wage trends. There has been an increase for the need for the following skills: Material Handling, Quality Control, and Organization Skills. By focusing our efforts on the logistic, warehouse, and production industry sectors, we are providing a strong response to the economic downturn. The SJ Employment team connects these industry employers with talent to fill their open positions. Our work programs provide our clients with an opportunity to develop the skills and teamwork that is needed to thrive in an economy that is looking for talent in these areas. Additionally, our paid Work Experiences create connections for clients with poor work histories and gaps of employment (from jail or prison). Working one-on-one with the SJ Employment Team helps the clients feel empowered in their employment search. The Smart Justice Team is strategically placed at the probation offices to better respond to the high levels of individuals being released in that area. Being in an Adult Probation site makes it convenient for clients to receive our services since we are located on major public transportation lines. Clients are able to visit immediately after seeing their probation officer. THE COST OF THE PROGRAM Innovative use of existing funds, evidence-based approaches, and highly motivated staff support the program. The SJ Employment Team uses existing Disconnected Youth, Adult and Dislocated Worker funding received from the Department of Labor through the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) to fund the program. WIOA has increased the focus on serving the most vulnerable workers, including ex-offenders. The SJ Employment Team was formed to meet this need. The Smart Justice Employment Team’s budgeted amount for the 2017 fiscal year is 1 million. Funded services include paid work experiences, apprenticeships, occupational skills training, transportation assistance, child care support, and interview attire. THE RESULT AND SUCCESS OF THE PROGRAM What’s our impact? In FY 17 • 1,100 participated in 73 employment orientations and referral sessions in MCSO jails • 1,113 clients provided basic career services at Maricopa County Adult Probation sites • 600+ justice involved individuals enrolled by ARIZONA@WORK - Maricopa County • 314 probationers enrolled by Smart Justice Employment Team o 60% of individualized enrolled entered employment o $5,575 average quarterly wage • 100+ connections made with “Justice-Involved Friendly” and socially conscious employers o Top sectors: construction, manufacturing, hospitality, tourism, and transportation Paid work experiences, occupational and behavioral training. Began March 2016. • 191 medium to high risk participants over 18 months • 32,000 hours of work experience • 67% successfully completed or employed • The average quarterly wage increased to $3,667 upon completion of the program. o 74% increase in earnings for those previously employed THE WORTHINESS OF THE AWARD The innovative and synergistic collaboration between multiple county departments within the fourth largest county in the United States is certainly noteworthy. The design and implementation of the program is based on best practices surrounding Smart Justice research and is a continuation of the County’s commitment to this work. This program is an excellent example of government entities working together to implement Smart Justice concepts. This program has the potential to serve as a foundation for future programs throughout the county. Even with employment retention and recidivism data having to wait a year to be collected, the program’s combination of providing work experience, cognitive behavioral training, and other support services is demonstrating promising results and lowering recidivism rates of participants that are engaged in individualized training opportunities. This program helps not only its participants realize their potential, but benefits every citizen of Maricopa County by reducing the costs associated with recidivism. The Smart Justice Employment Team delivers an individualized reentry program with case management and coaching that aims to disrupt generational poverty. We significantly and positively impact the lives of real people, their families, and our communities. A diamond is just a piece of charcoal that handled stress well. The Smart Justice Employment Team has developed a program that takes people in need and empowers them to navigate through life’s stresses, ultimately reaching their employment goals to shine bright! SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIALS (OPTIONAL) • Client Success Story – Janah