Think Exit at Entry:Preparing Youth in Secure Care for Successful Reintegration/Transition
Back to the Community
Dorothy (Dottie) WodraskaCorrectional Education Specialist/
Director of Federal Education Grant ProgramsArizona Supreme Court,
Administrative Office of the CourtsJuvenile Justice Services Division
Arizona Secure Care Education
Secure Care education is defined as every education program which exists in a county detention, county jail, state juvenile corrections, and state prison facility in the State of Arizona excluding Native American and federal facilities.
AOC 14 county juvenile detention facilities (age 8-18) Jails 15 county jails (age 14-22) ADJC 4 state juvenile correction facilities (age 8-18) ADC 10 state prisons and 3 private prisons (age 14-22)
TOTAL: 46 facilities statewide
Arizona Secure Care Education
Secure Care Education must address these acknowledged needs:
1) Institutional confinement programming must prepare youth for a successful reintegration back to their community.
2) Lessons and skills learned in secure care environments must be monitored and reinforced outside of the institution.
3) Reintegration of students from the juvenile justice system requires cooperative and collaborative relationships with local school districts prior to release from a secure care facility to ensure a continuum of services and appropriate placement which can reduce recidivism.
Juvenile Detention Education – Arizona
Statewide Financial Support (County Equalization Funds),
supplemented by Federal Funds
Shared Jurisdictional responsibility between the County
School Superintendent and Presiding Juvenile Court Judge
Coordination and Oversight by the Arizona Supreme Court,
Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC)
14 Juvenile Detention Schools served 12,913 youth in FY03
Approximately 21% of students require Special Education
Services
Juvenile Detention Education - Arizona
Fully Certified Teachers with Special Education endorsement
preferred
12 Month Programming - Minimum of 225 Instructional Days-4hrs.
Average Length of Stay in Facility is 12-15 days Statewide
Educational/diagnostic Screening; student-focused educational
instruction utilizing both individualized computer curricula and
classroom instruction; transition planning
Curriculum correlated with Arizona Academic Standards
Special Programs Candidate – North Central Association
Accreditation
Juvenile Corrections Education - Arizona
Dr. Jude Lanphar, Education Superintendent
Statewide Financial Support, supplemented by Federal
Funds
Average Length of Stay – 7 months
Average Stay on Parole – 6 months
Accredited by North Central Association
Fully Certified Teachers with Secondary and Special
Education endorsement preferred
Juvenile Corrections Education - Arizona
4 facilities statewide serving 2,076 students in FY 2002
Schools Beds Actual• Adobe Mountain School 438 318 • Black Canyon School 115 77 • Catalina Mountain School 143 116 • Eagle Point School 150 125
12 Month Programming - Minimum of 182 Instructional Days
Approximately 40-45% of students require Special
Education Services
Intersession (3 weeks) will involve “catch up” on academics
in core areas
County Jail Schools- Arizona
Fully Certified Teachers with Special Education endorsement preferred
12 Month Programming - Minimum 225 Days
Average Length of Stay - 67 Days
Juveniles with felony charges remanded as adults
Approximately 60% return to the community after completing their jail time
Approximately 40% of the juveniles are sent to prison
30-35% are special education students
Approximately 350 inmates daily/FY 2004 9,300 total
County Jail Schools- Arizona
SPECIAL EDUCATION
Teacher case management
Disability(s) accommodation
Annual audio/vision testing
Parental Involvement in Individual Education Plan (IEP)
Supplemental Programs/ALPHA/A.A./C.A.
Anger Management Class
8th Grade Certificate Program/GED
Psychological Evaluation
Transition Planning beyond jail/ Merging Two Worlds curriculum
Adult Prisons Education - Arizona
13 facilities statewide serving over 32,000 in FY 2004
12 Month Programming - Minimum of 208 Instructional Days
Screen over 2,500 inmates under the age of 22 annually for special
education needs and eligibility
Approximately 14% of students require Special Education Services…
More students are being identified yearly due to the new NCLB laws
and the new screening procedures conducted at each facility.
Fully certified teachers with certifications ranging across all ages
and areas
Average length of stay is 34 months
Award , on average, 1,321 GEDs annually
Local Challenges…National Focus
Transient student population
Students have attended various public schools/charters and/or have dropped out of school due to lack of success.
Delayed records exchange for prompt provision of specialized instruction if a student has a history of special education.
Reluctance of schools/districts to accept students upon release from secure care.
Local Challenges…National Focus, Cont’d.
Conflicting organizational philosophies within agencies between security (punitive) and education (rehabilitative).
Reintegration: lack of consistent cooperative and collaborative relationship with the local school districts prior to release from a secure care facility to ensure continuum of services and appropriate placement which can reduce recidivism.
Shortage of adequately trained personnel in the area of correctional education.
Effective Reintegration/Transition Strategies
Link between education and recidivism In Arizona, it costs an annual average of $5,200 to
educate a student, compared to $56,000 in ADJC and $32,000 in ADC to house an inmate annually. Reducing recidivism decreases the burden and expenses to taxpayers.
Interagency collaboration Effective transition practices are those that are shared by
correctional education staff, as well as personnel from public schools and other community based programs, such as mental health and social services.
Effective Reintegration/Transition Strategies Cont’d.
Team based planning/Intra-agency collaboration Transition services need to be developed and
implemented by the IEP team in cooperation with the correctional counselors, probation/parole personnel and vocational instructors.
Tracking and Monitoring Systematic and continuous monitoring of the youth
through the juvenile justice system facilitates achieving transition goals and outcomes. The present secure care system is disjointed and has no means of following a student to determine outcomes.
Promising Practices to Facilitate Successful Reintegration/Transition
Linkages with community, business and professional organizations Cooperative contractual agreements among local agencies that
provide transition services need to be established to maintain a seamless continuum of care.
Wraparound services to deliver comprehensive and coordinated services Historically, transition services for juveniles offenders have been
fragmented, inefficient and disconnected. These services must be individualized and encompass all aspects of the youth’s life.
Pre-release training in social skills, independent living and pre-employment training Students who receive training or support in these areas are more
likely to succeed upon release from a secure care facility.
(Correctional Education Bulletin, June 2001)
Components Of A ComprehensiveReintegration/Transition System
Component 1: Develop Individualized Transition Plans (ITPs) specifying the skills and supports required currently and in the future based on the youth’s educational and vocational needs, abilities, interest, and preferences
Component 2: Develop and Implement a Student Education
Passport/Portfolio collecting meaningful information on youth’s educational and vocational needs, their strengths and competencies and samples of their work that will be transferred with students as they move along a continuum of appropriate transition services
Component 3: Establish a Seamless Transfer of Education Records and Services to ensure educational programming and services that build upon the student’s prior placement with common assessment and portfolio information that will be relevant across all education programs in which students are placed
(Rutherford et al., 2001)
Components Of A ComprehensiveReintegration/Transition System Cont’d.
Component 4: Increase Interagency Linkages and Communication at the administrative level and among line staff of schools and agencies on a student-by-student basis, with these predictable and reliable contacts initiated immediately upon entry into the detention facility due to the relatively short period of time detained
Component 5: Establish a Youth Tracking System to assure that no youth is “lost” in the system and that all youth receive appropriate transition services
Component 6: Transition, Special Education and Related Services in Short-term Juvenile Detention Facilities and Jail responsible for the immediate identification of students with disabilities and initiating or updating ITP’s, beginning portfolio assessments and student education passports, and establishing linkages with school, community and employment
(Rutherford et al., 2001)
Secure Care Education Committee (SCEC)
Mission To advocate for excellence in secure care education which leads to student
centered seamless reintegration from correctional facilities into community settings in order to reduce recidivism.
History The SCEC was formed in 1998 by staff of the Arizona Department of
Education and secure care educators from across the state to address the glaring educational needs of youth and adults in correctional settings.
Accomplishments The SCEC has developed the Merging Two Worlds (MTW) Curriculum
through a ADE grant-supported partnership with the Pima County School Superintendent’s Office, Special Programs Division. www.ade.az.gov/ess/securecare
Since 1999 the SCEC has hosted four statewide conferences for training educators on implementation of the MTW, developed a statewide regional structure for ongoing training, mentoring and technical assistance and standardized special ed reporting forms.
Implementation in Arizona
Arizona Department of Education/ESS ADE has over-site responsibility for all secure
care facilities to insure delivery of educational services for all incarcerated youth.
A special position was created to monitor, train, fund and assist educators in secure care settings.
ADE annually hosts a state wide Transition Conference to update educators on the implementation of transition services for all students.
Implementation in Arizona
Juvenile Detention Education - Statewide Coordination by Arizona Supreme Court, AOC
Integrating MTW in Detention Ed Curriculum
Integrated Technology Assisted Individualized Instruction
NCA/CASI to Facilitate Credit Transfer & Recovery
GED Preparation & Testing Available As Needed
AZ Detention Transition Project (ASU) – Phoenix 5 Goals
Develop Individualized Transition Plans (ITP)
Develop & Implement a Student Education Passport
Seamless Transfer of Educational Records & Services
Increase Interagency Linkages & Communication
Establish a Youth Tracking System
Implementation in Arizona Arizona Department of Juvenile Corrections
Family mental health and vocational rehabilitation located in parole offices
Educational Transition Coordinators work with youth behind the fence and support appropriate educational placement after release
Developed programs for CFT and FFT from different funding sources
Emergency special education certification/ 100% tuition reimbursement
$5,000 stipend for certified sped teachers/ Volunteer groups Line staff and education working together to develop
effective ways to manage kids with disabilities
Elevating education to an equal partner at the facilities
Implementation in Arizona
Arizona Department of Corrections: All persons remanded to ADC tested using TABE
(Test for Adult Basic Education)
GED Preparation Program
Functional Literacy Program
Vocational Education/carpentry,water treatment program, masonry and custodial.
Special Education/transition
Merging Two Worlds Curriculum
To Ensure A Successful Transition REMEMBER TO
“THINK EXIT AT ENTRY”
Contact Information
Dorothy (Dottie) WodraskaCorrectional Education Specialist/
Director of Federal Education Grants Program
Arizona Supreme Court, AOC
Juvenile Justice Services Division
1501 West Washington, Suite 337
Phoenix, AZ 85007
Phone: (602) 542-9573
Fax: (602) 542-9479
Email: [email protected]
