Intensive Supervision Probation

About the Program

Category: Criminal Justice and Public Safety (Best in Category)

Year: 2016

Intensive Supervision Probation (ISP), a collaboration between the SLCo Sheriff’s Office, Criminal Justice Services, and Behavioral Health Services, was specifically designed as a community-based supervision program for high risk, high need offenders. The model bridges the gap between supervision and treatment through multi-disciplinary staffings and enhanced engagement. ISP follows an evidence-based approach, focusing on offenders’ criminogenic and behavioral health needs, in creating a responsive, working collaboration to address risk needs, while targeting behaviors that reduce crime and recidivism. Officers, case managers, and treatment providers utilize immediate access to treatment, motivational interviewing techniques, and personal client interaction and intervention skills, in order to help create a positive environment for change. Since first opening the program for clients in September 2015, ISP has enrolled 90 high risk individuals. One of the key elements of the program was integrating a behavioral health assessment worker into the team. This has resulted in reduced wait times for clients to receive a clinical assessment. Additionally, dedicated funding for treatment for this population has greatly reduced wait times for substance use disorder services (participants are accessing treatment in less than 10 days). Over 98% of the clients referred to treatment have presented for and engaged in services. This initial success of linking clients to services quickly, in combination with the program’s low attrition rate, 21%, are encouraging signs that Salt Lake County has implemented a program that can have a significant impact on recidivism and improved outcomes for clients.