A Combination of All the Right Things

SESSION INFO

Monday, August 28, 2023
3:45 PM - 5:15 PM
Session Type: Workshop

Successful re-entry supports improving communities and victim safety. The NYS Division of Criminal Justice Services funds 20 County Re-Entry Task Forces (CRTF) which provide quality service planning and coordination as well as essential stabilization services, evidence-based cognitive behavioral interventions, and Employment Readiness programming to nearly 3,000 individuals released from state incarceration, annually. In this presentation, you will learn about the NYS reentry program model as well as how evidence-based program interventions are delivered to facilitate changes in the thinking/behavior of individuals as well as increase one’s ability to obtain and retain employment. Attendees will view the 12-minute video “Resources for Your Return Home—A Model for Re-Entry” and hear the testimony of five individuals who share their stories of successful reintegration.

SESSION PRESENTERS

Michele Clarke
Community Correction Representative 3, New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services


Michele Clarke is currently the Manager of the Vocation/Education, Employment and Re-Entry Unit (VER) at the Office of Probation and Correctional Alternatives (OPCA) at the NYS Division of Criminal Justice Services Michele oversees staff who provide technical assistance and program support to the DCJS funded Employment Focused Services programs as well as the 20 DCJS funded County Re-Entry Task Forces. Michele works alongside other units within OPCA to assist local probation departments as well as Employment Focused Services Programs that work with the Raise the Age population, to address the vocational/educational needs of youth ages 16-17. Prior to joining OPCA, Michele was a Probation Officer and Supervisor at the Columbia County Probation Department from 2001-2017. As a Probation Officer and Supervisor of the Family Court Unit, she mainly worked with juvenile delinquents and Persons in Need of Supervision. Michele was the Staff Development Officer at the probation department for over 10 years as well. Prior to her probation career, Michele was a youth substance abuse counselor. Michele is a Workforce Development Specialist (WDS), a professional certification supported by the National Institute of Corrections and the National Career Development Association (NCDA). Michele is also a trainer in The Change Companies “Interactive Journaling” -The Courage to Change and Forward-Thinking curricula. Michele attended the State University of New York at Brockport where she received her bachelor’s degree in Psychology