Community Corrections is Changing...Are You?
Change is hard. We expect our clients to change but when faced with change ourselves, we can often resist. We expect someone who has lived a certain way for 20, 30, 40+ years to make abrupt changes but when we give up sweets and our colleague brings donuts in, we gobble them down and vow that was the last time. We get a speeding ticket and vow to not speed anymore but once the initial sting has worn off, we look down and notice we are going 40 in a 30 and didn’t even realize it. It’s so much easier for people to change when it’s not us. It takes a lot of practice, new habits and even failure, to change. Sure, there is a valid difference, if an offender doesn’t change criminal behavior, there are serious consequences to their freedom, not just to their waistline or pocket book. But if those consequences were all it took; community corrections might not exist.
Community Corrections is changing. The change has been in the works ever since the early “what works” and “EBP” research pointed us to new approaches. What is different now is the change is hitting closer to home to the daily routines, decision making and programming. We know this through our conversations with practitioners all around the country and many in some of the most progressive states in community corrections, who are looking for support in meeting new and existing requirements from oversight agencies. While many in the field are excited about the changes, others are left feeling anxious, frustrated and resistant to change. Just like many of our clients feel upon entering a program. While it is easier not to change our own practices, we must continue to try new approaches and work to improve long term results. It doesn’t mean we don’t hold our clients accountable, it means we expand and adapt our approach and learn we have other tools in our toolbelt. People, even community correction professionals, must be held accountable to change in ways that move towards improved results.
Walking the "What Works" Walk
The Colorado Division of Criminal Justice (DCJ) is doing just this with community corrections in Colorado. They have spent years training and sharing information about “what works” with the hard-working community corrections practitioners and have been met with both enthusiasm and resistance (from my viewpoint). But here’s the deal – if you say these items are important but then come in and audit other stuff, the message can be foggy. The recently updated DCJ Standards spoke loudly to me when I read them; it’s no longer just talk, it’s time to walk the walk. They have made this a gradual process, offered support and are prepared to give feedback to help programs implement these new skills and demonstrate progress. The expectation is not to change overnight but begin implementing and practicing these new standards and work towards compliance. Just like we are working to do with our community corrections clients.
For example – the new DCJ standards now include an entire section called “Client Development.” Standards in this section include not just assessment and treatment matching but “Responsivity”, “Enhance Intrinsic Motivation”, “Skill Training with Directed Practice”, “Dosage of Risk Reduction Activities” and “Incentives”. Weekly case manager meetings are no longer dominated by the T’s & C’s (Terms & Conditions) – they are calling them IMPACT Sessions.
“IMPACT sessions shall emphasize discussion on criminogenic need areas. IMPACT staff shall utilize, when appropriate and necessary, skill training with directed practice, engage in ongoing community support and enhance intrinsic motivation. There shall be an appropriate balance of direct and indirect targeted interventions (e.g. skill building, cognitive-behavioral techniques, motivational interviewing, etc.) with the intention of accountability and/or behavior change.” If you don’t give some specific guidance to a meaningful, change inducing client meeting, people are automatically drawn back to a less engaging conversation about how many UA’s you did this month, did you go to work, and did you get any rule violations this week? While these discussions have a valid purpose, research and real-life experience has shown us they don’t enhance intrinsic motivation nor result in long term behavior changes.
Now I get it, some practitioners feel like they already have so many expectations, this is just adding to the pile they are already struggling to keep up with, I can completely empathize with that. It feels overwhelming to grow and have suggestions become expectations. The path towards progress and change is not always an easy one and it takes one step at a time. Supervision and monitoring will always remain important but it’s important to work on the human side too – behavior management, incentives, enhancing intrinsic motivation. We understand, and myself through direct experience, how much time it takes to achieve connection and help clients through the difficult change process. That’s why we at CorrectTech are passionate about being the only residential community corrections software company that streamlines not just the monitoring, accountability, assessments and documentation but also the behavioral interventions, focused treatment, treatment automation, tracking incentives and rewards, the 4:1 ratio of positive to negative, dosage and so much more.
Change is hard for all of us – but as a practitioner we must realize without change we don’t grow. I hope our own experience to change will help us become more empathetic to the change process our clients go through too – and embrace how some of these new expectations can help produce better results for our clients and our communities.
To facilitate change and growth comes feedback. Stay tuned for the next blog in our Community Corrections is Changing series - I Want Feedback…As Long as It’s Positive.
Want a quick peek at some of our software features? Visit our video library!
