START- Striving to Achieve Recovery Together

About the Program

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

Year: 2013

The Baltimore County Department of Corrections START Program ( Striving to Achieve Recovery Together) for Women Offenders helps to reduce existing gaps in services and foster collaboration among partner agencies to deliver a comprehensive rehabilitative program to female offenders sentenced to the Baltimore County Detention Center. Those with a sentence of six months or more and interested in changing their life are eligible. Substance abuse history is not necessary for participation. Existing staff screens inmates, motivation is evaluated and contracts are signed. Using existing providers for services, and a Coordinator paid for through County funds, inmates participate in a full range of programming including TAMAR (Trauma), Substance Abuse, Parenting, GED, Job Readiness and Counseling, Domestic Violence, Anger Management, Financial Planning, Book Clubs, Creative Writing, yoga, meditation and cognitive behavioral therapy. Inmates are evaluated weekly to encourage compliance and give positive support. The goal of this three month program is to increase the positive impact on a group of selected clients, with the expectation that this will result in increased learning, motivation, personal change and discourage re-incarceration. A review of those who have completed the START Program over the last three years indicates a decrease in recidivism of 34%.