Improving Prisoner Re-Entry Partnerships through Collaboration and Training (IMPACT)

The Prisoner Reentry Initiative (PRI) is designed to provide funding to state units of government to develop and implement institutional and community corrections-based offender reentry programs. The PRI strengthens urban communities characterized by large numbers of returning offenders. The PRI is designed to reduce recidivism by helping returning offenders find work and assess other critical services in their communities. The PRI supports strategies to deliver pre- and post-release assessments and services, and to develop transition plans in collaboration with other justice and community-based agencies and providers for supervised and non-supervised offenders.

For the purposes of the FY2007 Prisoner Reentry Initiative, the Arizona Criminal Justice Commission serves as the fiscal agent for the Yuma County Sheriff's Office (YCSO), which will implement project IMPACT (Improving Prisoner Reentry Partnerships through Collaboration and Training). This project will replicate research-based strategies proven successful in bridging the gap in mental health care services for individuals ages 18 and older convicted as an adult and imprisoned in the Yuma County Detention Center. The Yuma County Sheriff's Office will work in a collaborative partnership with Community Intervention Associates, a licensed, comprehensive mental health provider agency serving Yuma County.

IMPACT will serve 200 nonviolent adult offenders who have treatable mental illnesses by providing coordination and delivery of mental health services which address psychiatric problems, and promote self-sufficiency, wellness and recovery. IMPACT's secondary target population is justice system personnel and mental health staff whose skills and competencies are relied on to provide a wide array of services to help prisoners and offenders. Adequate training of personnel is critical to their success in working with the primary population of prisoners and offenders.

The YCSO is dedicated to implementing an effective plan designed to: protect public safety by early intervention to treatment for people with mental illness or a co-occurring disorder who become involved with Yuma County's justice system; provide courts with appropriate mental health and substance abuse treatment and vocational training options; promote adequate mental illness and substance abuse disorder training for justice system personnel; and promote adequate training for mental health and substance abuse treatment professionals and paraprofessionals about prisoners and offenders with mental illness or co-occurring substance abuse disorders.

IMPACT will replicate a structure and process developed and utilized in Washington State known as the Community Mobilization Program Model, or CMP. The nature of the Community Mobilization Program (CMP) will advise and support a variety of local activities and strategies to promote social marketing, early intervention, and treatment best practices for offender populations. In addition, the process will help formalize, complete, and implement a plan to improve justice and mental health partnerships through a collaboration and training initiative.

Award funds will be used to support costs associated with hiring project personnel, travel to required conferences and training, and general project equipment and supplies.

CA/NCF