AB109, ACP and Centerforce:
Opportunities and Challenges
Carol F. Burton, LMSW
Julie Lifshay, PhD
Centerforce
January 26, 2012
Centerforce
Information, Education and Advocacy for
individuals, families and communities
impacted by incarceration
Why should you care??
•
1 in 32 adults in the
United States is under
some form of correctional
supervision (jail, prison,
probation, parole). (BJS, 2003)
•
That translates into
approximately 7 million
children. (BJS, 2003)
• Under 1 year: 2%
• 1-4 years old: 20%
• 5-9 years old:
36%
• 10-14 years old:
28%
• 15-17 years old:
14%
(Families Left Behind: The Hidden Costs
Minority Children are
Disproportionately Affected

In State
Prison-42% of fathers are African
American and African American children are seven
and a half times more likely to have a parent in
prison than white children
Percentage of incarcerated parents who
NEVER had a visit from their child
(BJS,
2000):
 54% of mothers
 57% of fathers
Fathers by Age
80
70
60
50
State Prison
Federal Prison
40
30
20
10
0
<24
25-34 35-44 45-54
55+
Children of Prisoners:
Understanding the Risks and the Impact
•
Incarceration is rarely the only risk factor for a child with a parent
in prison or jail.
•
Most have an “accumulation of risk”, multiple risk factors that
occur in their families and communities.
•
The children’s response will vary according to age.
•
Older children are likely to act out—sexual misconduct, truancy,
and substance abuse.
•
Younger children are at greatest risk because they have not
developed the coping skills to deal with trauma.
California’s Alternative
Custody Program



Largest women’s prison in the world
Chowchilla houses 7,000 women
¾ of women are mothers
© Centerforce 2012
8
ACP

Female, pregnant or parents who
immediately prior to incarceration
were primary caregivers
– Residential Home
– Residential Treatment
– Transitional Care facility
– Monitoring through technology
© Centerforce 2012
9
ALTERNATIVE CUSTODY PROGRAM
FEMALE DEMOGRAPHIC ELIGIBILITY DATA - Per CSRA Score
County(s)
ELIGIBLE PER OISB**
79% *
1,584
1,251
Orange
389
307
Riverside
285
225
San Bernardino
554
438
San Diego & Imperial
318
251
177
140
213
168
402
318
310
245
551
435
354
280
5,137
4,058
Los Angeles
Northern California
Butte, Colusa, Del Norte, Glenn, Lake, Mendocino,
Humboldt, Lassen, Modoc, Plumas, Shasta, Sierra, Siskiyou, Tehama, Trinity
Southern Coastal
Monterey, San Benito, San Luis Obispo, Santa Cruz,
Santa Barbara, Ventura
Bay Area
Alameda, Contra Costa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Marin, Napa, Sonoma
Mid-Central
Alpine, Calaveras, Mariposa, Merced, Mono, San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Tuolumne
Central Valley
Fresno, Inyo, Kern, Kings, Madera, Tulare
Sacramento-Central
Amador, El Dorado, Nevada, Sacramento, Placer, Solano, Sutter, Yolo, Yuba
TOTAL
Demographic information as of February 2011
* Random Sampling File Review Indicated Actual Eligibility to be 79% of OIS Pool
** Time period used was 0-24 months remaining in custody
© Centerforce 2012
10
NUMBER OF FEMALE INMATES BY
COUNTY – Top 10 Counties
*as of 3/17/2011 (OISB)
County
# of Inmates
Los Angeles
3,170
San Bernardino
830
San Diego
766
Riverside
668
Orange County
488
Sacramento
427
Kern
325
Fresno
281
Santa Clara
261
San Joaquin
201
Total
7444
© Centerforce 2012
11
AB109

Created three populations of offenders
– Post Release Community Supervision
(PRCS)
– 3-NONS
– State Parole Violators

Community Corrections Partnerships
(CCP)
© Centerforce 2012
12
Challenges
Things to Consider



Parenting and Relationship education
for custodial and non custodial parents
Contact visits and other forms of
communication with children and their
incarcerated parent
Programs that help parents (including
non custodial parents reunite)
© Centerforce 2012
14
Things to Consider


Parents convicted of a felony are not
eligible for TANF, Public Housing and
have difficulty finding employment
PRCS offenders are not eligible for
services offered to paroles
© Centerforce 2012
15
Health Issues Facing
People who are
Incarcerated
© Centerforce 2012
16
There are many…

Rates of HIV are approximately 5X higher than in
general population
– ~ A quarter [1/4] of PLWHIV/AIDS in the US pass through
a correctional facility each year

Rates of Hep C in CA prisons:
– 40% of men; 50% of women upon entry are HCV+ (1999)

Tuberculosis
– Up to 25% of prisoners in the US have latent tuberculosis
infection (LTBI)
© Centerforce 2012
17
There are many…

43% (prisons) and 39% (jails) reported a chronic
medical condition** (2009, 2006)
– Statistically higher rates of asthma, hypertension,
arthritis**

DOJ estimates that ~50% of U.S. inmates have
mental health problems

>50% have history of substance abuse and
addiction*

A significant number of prisoners continue to use
drugs, including injection
drugs, during
© Centerforce 2012
incarceration
18
The Cycle
© Centerforce 2012
19
The Cycle

Cycling between home and incarcerated settings
means that
– The care delivered by Correctional Health Services has
important implications for the overall care of formerly
incarcerated people in the community
– Effective community re-entry support is vital for continuity
primary care post-release
– Re-entry/transitional and community health programs
serving this community must communicate effectively to
successfully support client needs
© Centerforce 2012
20
Incarceration Experience

Significantly different from the “free” community
– Loss of






Autonomy
Privacy
Possessions
Ordinary, loving & sexual relationships
Safety/Security
Power

Very stressful

Health Care
© Centerforce 2012
21
Re-entry Experience


Experiences range from abrupt to
drawn-out
Stressful (positive and negative)
– Individual, relationships, family (including children)
– Competing priorities


All ex-prisoners on probation must comply
with probation conditions which may include
securing stable housing or employment
Health care needs often not addressed
© Centerforce 2012
22
Re-entry Experience

HIV positive prisoners are released with 7 to 30
days of AVT medications and in that timeframe
must
– Meet basic subsistence needs (e.g. housing, clothing, food,
transportation)
– Secure or re-establish


primary care – for care and medications
reimbursement sources (ADAP, Medi-Cal, VA etc)
– Resist use of or relapse into use of alcohol/illegal
substances

The first month post-release is a critical period for
HIV+ ex-prisoners who need strong support
systems to support continuity of care and access to
basic needs.
© Centerforce 2012
23
Re-entry Experience


Without access to treatment and care post-release,
many health improvements achieved during
incarceration may be lost.
The overall instability that exists in the lives of
many ex-prisoners hampers their ability to attend to
their health care needs.
– Most former prisoners return to the community with cooccurring housing and substance abuse related problems.
– Complicating their access to health care are fragmented
health care and correctional systems.
© Centerforce 2012
24
Re-entry Experience
Strong predictors of post-release
primary care utilization & not
recidivating include
– housing stability
– housing comfort
– no alcohol use
© Centerforce 2012
25
Responses

Transitional
Services


Re-entry
Case
Management
Discharge
Planning
Continuity
Of Care
Programs

Discharge planning
Continuity of Care
Programs
Transitional
Services
Re-entry Case
Management
© Centerforce 2012
26
Re-entry Case Management


Discharge planning, transitional services,
and continuity of care programs are
essential for the vast majority of releasing
ex-prisoners returning home.
Case management may be particularly
useful in helping high-risk clients engage in
health-seeking behaviors (e.g. accessing
primary care and substance abuse
treatment services)
© Centerforce 2012
27
Questions?
Comments?
© Centerforce 2012
28
Centerforce
www.centerforce.org