10 Essential Principles of Real-World Implementation Leadership

In a time where fear, worry and forced change is at an all-time high, this training could be exceptionally useful for community corrections leaders across the nation. I have been wanting to share this for some time and absolutely loved the 10 Essential Principles of Real-World Implementation Leadership when I attended a short webinar virtually (and this was before COVID-19).   As a prior administrator at a residential community corrections agency, I know this training could help leaders in an ever changing industry.

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Topics: Community Corrections, Evidence Based Practices, Community Corrections Professional, reentry, EBP, Justice-Involved Clients, Implementation, BOP, halfway house, Leadership

Community Corrections Goes Remote

With swift decisions made to help decrease the spread of the Corona-virus, many employees were sent to work from home with little notice.  Even essential community corrections agencies are finding new ways to do the job remotely, including meet with clients, facilitate groups and must continue documenting and accessing crucial client information.

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Topics: Community Corrections, Community Corrections Professional, Technology, reentry, Justice-Involved Clients, sanction, probation staff, BOP, halfway house

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Topics: Assessment, Community Corrections Professional, Addiction, Relapse Prevention, client development, Developing a practice model, coaching community corrections clients, reentry, client needs and values, risk, EBP, Justice-Involved Clients, jic

“I don’t get a candy bar every time I do my job, why should a client get something for doing what they are already supposed to do?”  Have you ever thought or heard something like this when discussing positive reinforcement with clients in community corrections?  When research shows positive reinforcement is more effective in long term behavior change, why is it that we tend to default to punish only?  

In my experience managing clients, managing staff, being a mother, wife, mentor and coach, I can attest that it can be easier to sigh, moan and complain about the performance of others.  Every time I find myself pulling out my hair, I realize I haven’t been using one of my best tools, positive reinforcement.  And guess what, when I start using it (or increase my use of it), I see improvement and I feel happier. It is all too easy to only notice what is going wrong and completely pay no attention to what is going right.

Let me offer some tips for success when implementing a positive reinforcement program in your agency.

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Topics: Community Corrections, Evidence Based Practices, Positive Reinforcement, Community Corrections Professional, client development, reentry, EBP, Justice-Involved Clients

Risk Assessment is Not the Same as Case Formulation

We would like to start with a story. Picture a courthouse in a struggling industrial town in Connecticut. The adult probation department is situated in the basement of this courthouse. We are beginning training with a new cohort of probation officers, teaching them how to incorporate forensic CBT techniques into their work. To start, one of the officers describes a current case and reviews the available assessment information. A quick review of the risk assessment reveals this is a high-risk case; a major area of concern is antisocial companions. We ask the officer to explain how friends and companions specifically influence criminal behavior for this justice-involved client (JIC). We get crickets! We ask, what role did friends play in the most recent offense? Again, an awkward silence permeates the room. While the officer certainly knows that antisocial companions is a risk factor for reoffending, she has not explored the nature of the JIC’s relationships and discussed with the JIC the specific role of companions in his offense history and daily routines. Unfortunately, this is a common training scenario when we begin.

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Topics: Assessment, Developing a practice model, coaching community corrections clients, client needs and values, risk, Justice-Involved Clients, jic