Gilliam County Justice Reinvestment Program

Gilliam County Sheriff's Office

A full-time clinician was hired to work as part of a multi-agency partnership to better assess a person’s risk of reoffending and providing a more comprehensive treatment plan unique to each offender.

Problem Icon Problem

PROBLEMATIC BEHAVIOR OR ACTIVITY

Community Counseling Solutions, Tri-County Community Corrections, and the Gilliam County Sheriff’s Office (GCSO) have worked together closely over the years. However, the focus was not a fully integrated, collaborative, and comprehensive approach to meeting the needs of offenders with the end goal of reducing recidivism.

With state Justice Reinvestment grant funds, Gilliam County sought to adopt a more formal approach to collaboration in hopes of better assessing a person’s risk of reoffending and providing a more comprehensive treatment plan unique to each offender.

IMPACT ON THE COMMUNITY

Without quality assessments and services, offenders are more likely to commit future crimes. This results in increased victimization in the community, as well as greater utilization of custody beds at a cost to the county and state.

Solution Icon Solution

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

Gilliam County funded a full-time clinician at Community Counseling Solutions (CCS) who will receive additional training and experience in working with criminal offenders. The clinician will work jointly with parole and probation to conduct a formal assessment of each supervised offender and work out a detailed plan as to what that individual needs to succeed in the program. The clinician will also work closely with the GCSO to provide pre-booking diversion options and begin providing “reach-in” services to Gilliam County inmates incarcerated at NORCOR (the regional adult and juvenile detention correctional facility). In doing so, inmates will receive the treatment and assistance they need to better prepare themselves for re-entry and increase the chances of successfully completing the program, thereby reducing their chances of re-offending.

Under this program, the clinician will also seek to formalize interactions with criminal justice stakeholders to better provide the necessary care for offenders. The CCS clinician will provide a training for law enforcement, parole and probation officers, and the district attorney in Gilliam County on how to identify mental illness and substance use problems. The clinician will discuss at length proper treatment of individuals with these issues and the ways all agencies can work together to get people the help they need rather than incarcerating them.

BASED ON RESEARCH

  • Uses validated risk-assessment tool
  • Addresses specific criminogenic needs
  • Uses collaborative approach by criminal justice stakeholders

FUNDING

This program is funded by an $87,000 grant through the state’s 2015-17 Justice Reinvestment Grant Program.

Outcome Icon Outcome

PROGRAM IMPACT

Proposed outcomes include:

  • Increased collaboration among criminal justice stakeholders
  • Increased number of “reach-ins” conducted
  • Decrease in recidivism
  • Decrease in use of custody beds, locally and statewide