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Intensive Sessions

All intensive sessions are held on Sunday, August 15, 2010. Advance registration is required. Intensive sessions are $35 for each session. All intensive sessions are accredited through the APPA training accreditation committee and appropriate credit will be provided to registered participants.

#1. Advanced Skills Training For the Community Supervision of Domestic Violence Cases

Sunday, August 15 • 8:30 a.m. -5:00 p.m.

Intimate partner domestic violence is among the most prevalent forms of violence in the United States, resulting in nearly half a million crimes against women annually and accounting for approximately one fifth of all violent crimes against women. According to the National Institute of Justice and the Centers for Disease Control, one in every four women will experience domestic violence in her lifetime.

Community corrections officers who understand the nature and dynamics of domestic violence can enhance public safety and help save lives. Research indicates that proactive community corrections responses in domestic violence cases can reduce recidivism, increase the time between arrests among abusers, and increase the satisfaction of victims. But community corrections professionals face many challenges in dealing with these difficult cases. While community corrections agencies are becoming increasingly aware of the role that they can—and should—play in addressing domestic violence, more must be done to ensure that community corrections professionals are adequately prepared to act proactively in responding to these cases.

This eight-hour intensive training will explore the challenges faced by community corrections officers who have specialized domestic violence caseloads and provide interactive activities to assist participants in building the skills necessary for the effective supervision of intimate partner abusers. The session will discuss promising practices in probation and parole supervision of domestic violence cases from across the country and will provide examples of specific tools and techniques that can be used throughout the supervision process, including communicating and working with victims of domestic violence. In addition, participants will be provided with a copy of Community Corrections’ Response to Domestic Violence: Guidelines for Practice, a set of 41 research-based guidelines for community supervision of domestic violence cases developed by the American Probation and Parole Association through funding from the U.S. Department of Justice, Office on Violence Against Women.

Training/Learning Objectives

Presenters

Carrie Abner, Research Associate, American Probation & Parole Association (KY)
Elizabeth Bliss, Systems & Policy Specialist, New York State Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NY)
Jim Henderson, MSW, CAC-R, Technical Assistance Provider/Probation Project, Battered Women’s Justice Project (MN)

#2. STARR (Strategic Techniques Aimed at Reducing Re-Arrest)

Sunday, August 15 • 8:30 a.m. -5:00 p.m.

This workshop will identify skills community corrections professionals can use to facilitate long term change with offenders and defendants. The research based skills enhance the working alliance, provide a consistent approach to responding to offender/defendant behavior, and teach the officer skills that can be taught to offenders and defendants to help them avoid and/or manage high risk situations.

Training/Learning Objectives

Presenters

Christopher Lowenkamp, Ph.D., Probation and Pretrial Services Administrator, Office of Probation and Pretrial Services, Administrative Office of the United States Courts (DC)
Melissa Alexander, Ph.D., Probation and Pretrial Services Administrator, Office of Probation and Pretrial Services, Administrative Office of the United States Courts (DC)
Scott Vanbenschoten, Probation and Pretrial Services Administrator, Office of Probation and Pretrial Services, Administrative Office of the United States Courts (DC)
Charles Robinson, Probation and Pretrial Services Administrator, Office of Probation and Pretrial Services, Administrative Office of the United States Courts (DC)

#3. Massive Decarceration in Michigan: Closing 20 Prison Facilities in Five Years

Sunday, August 15 • 8:30 a.m. -12:00 p.m.

The Michigan Prisoner Reentry Initiative (MPRI) was created to respond to the challenges facing former prisoners. The MPRI resulted in the prison population being reduced from 52,000 prisoners to under 48,000. This intensive session will describe how collaboratively state leaders, and others were able to achieve sustainable results.

Training/Learning Objectives

Presenter

Dennis Schrantz, Senior Policy Analyst, Northpointe Institute for Public Management (MI)

#4. Underage Drinking: Prevention and Intervention Principles for Community Corrections

Sunday, August 15 • 8:30 a.m. -5:00 p.m.

Underage drinking continues to be a juvenile and criminal justice problem and a public health challenge. To date, many of the strategies to reduce underage drinking have focused on decreasing the availability of alcohol to underage drinkers, reducing opportunities and occasions for underage drinking, and diminishing the demand for alcohol among youth. While these strategies have proven successful in many ways and play a critical role in addressing the problem overall, some youth continue to engage in illegal alcohol consumption.

Community corrections agencies and professionals (e.g., diversion workers, juvenile and adult probation staff) play an important role on both the prevention and intervention side of enforcing and addressing underage drinking offenders. Although there is little research that is specific to what works best to intervene with underage drinking offenders, there is research on evidence-based intervention practices in community corrections that can be applied to these types of offenders to increase our effectiveness with this population of young people.

With funding and support from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, APPA has partnered with the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation (PIRE) to develop a set of guiding principles, based on evidence-based practices, to assist community corrections in responding more effectively to underage drinking offenders. This seminar is designed to assist community corrections professionals in defining and refining their role in addressing underage drinking offenders more effectively.

Training/Learning Objectives

Presenters

Kimberly Cobb, Research Associate, American Probation & Parole Association(KY)
Susan Burke, Assistant Juvenile Court Administrator, UT Administrative Office of the Courts (UT)
Nathan Lowe, Research Associate, American Probation & Parole Association (KY)
Moderator
Tracy Mullins, Deputy Director, American Probation & Parole Association (KY)

#5. BJA’s Practical Guide to Identifying, Writing, and Managing Grants

Sunday, August 15 • 8:30 a.m. -12:00 p.m.

Participants will learn how to identify funding opportunities, review project design strategies, write a grant proposal, understand the application review process, and manage a federal grant. Participants will find out what the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs (OJP) has to offer to your community. OJP provides innovative leadership to federal, state, local, and tribal justice systems, by disseminating state-of-the art knowledge and practices across America, and providing grants for the implementation of these crime fighting strategies. Workshop participants will hear about and learn how to find and apply for potential funding opportunities, access training and technical assistance, and navigate OJP’s online resources. Presenters will include representatives from each of the OJP bureaus.

Training/Learning Objectives

Presenter

Jonathan Faley, BJA Division Chief, Bureau of Justice Assistance (DC)

#6. Project HOPE: Practice to Policy

Sunday, August 15 • 1:00 p.m. -5:00 p.m.

Research indicates that sanctions for violations pack a more powerful punch if they are delivered with certainty and swiftness. Yet many community supervision agencies struggle with this goal, weighed down by paperwork, lengthy delays in court and other obstacles. In the Hawaii HOPE program, judges send high-risk violators to jail for a short stay. This sanction is applied within 48 hours in a process that is fair, swift and certain. This panel offers a program description Hawaii’s HOPE program, with a focus on development, philosophy and implementation. Participants will also learn about the impetus and development of the Federal legislative proposal, research results and the cost/benefit of the project.

Training/Learning Objectives

Presenters

Judge Steven Alm,1st Circuit Court 18th Division (HI)
Angela Hawken, Ph.D., Pepperdine University (CA)

Moderator

Nancy Merritt, Senior Policy Advisor, National Institute of Justice (DC)

#7. Breaking Down Barriers: Connecticut’s Collaborative Re-Entry Model for Mentally Ill Offenders.

Sunday, August 15 • 1:00 p.m. -5:00 p.m.

The mentally ill offender often cycles through multiple criminal justice and public state agencies (e.g., Department of mental health; social services). Historically, once an offender enters the criminal justice system, there is little if any collaboration and communication between the various agencies prior to, during, or after the offender’s incarceration. As a result, efforts to maintain continuity of mental health care, address criminogenic risks and needs, and effectively transition offenders back into the community are hindered. Using an interactive case study of a mentally ill offender, participants will learn the specific roles and interactions of the CT Department of Correction, Board of Pardons and Paroles, Correctional Mental Health Staff, Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, Parole Field and Community Services, and Probation Department, working together to establish a continuous, seamless, case management transition plan using evidence based practices to inform treatment planning and supervision for community reentry.

Training/Learning Objectives

Presenters

Vickie Alston, MSW, LCSW, Health Services Administrator, Manager of Transitional Services, Correctional Managed Health Care, University of Connecticut Health Center (CT)
Brian Coco, Chief Probation Officer, Mental Health Unit, Court Support Services Division (CT)
Suzanne Ducate, M.D., Director of Psychiatric Services, CT Department of Corrections (CT)
Cynthia Hirbour, Psy.D., Assessment Manager, Bridgeport Reentry Initiative, CT Department of Corrections (CT)
Edward Kendall, Parole Supervisor, Mental Health Unit, CT Parole and Community Services (CT)

Moderator

David Rentler, Psy.D., Supervising Clinical Psychologist, Board of Pardons and Paroles (CT)

#8. The Legacy of Community and Restorative Justice

Sunday, August 15 • 1:00 p.m. -5:00 p.m.

Restorative justice and community justice have shown great promise in framing effective responses to offenders who are under community supervision, their victims, and their communities. This session will feature a facilitated discussion about the current status of restorative and community justice; the needs of its clientele; and the future of restorative and community justice in community corrections.

Training/Learning Objectives

Presenters

Sandra Pavelka,Director, Institute for Youth and Justice Studies, Associate Professor, Division of Public Affairs, Florida Gulf Coast University , College of Professional Studies (FL)
Anne Seymour, Victim Advocate, Justice Solutions (DC)