Monroe County Jail Rehabilitation Department Mission Statement

The mission of the Rehabilitation Department is to develop and coordinate counseling services, treatment, educational, recreational and religious programs.

Monroe County Jail Education Programs

Incarcerated Youth Education Program

Five teachers provide small group instruction. In 2005 1264 student/incarcerated individuals participated in the program. These include GED, Pre-GED, and Life Skills, ESOL and high school on-line instruction. On-line instruction is for students who will return to their respective home schools when they are released. All schooling is on a voluntary basis.

Adult Education Program

The Rochester City School District provided a GED program for adult incarcerated individuals at the Monroe County Jail. Services were provided to both male and female individuals.

Monroe County Jail Rehabilitation Services

Law Library Services

The law library continues to provide to those incarcerated, access to mandated criminal and civil law reference and research materials, equipment and assistance. A law librarian/paralegal is assigned to the library and works closely with both incarcerated individuals and staff to ensure a well-coordinated operation. Since its inception it has been recognized to be among the highest rated in New York State. In 2001 the law library converted to an Internet based legal research system. Requests from incarcerated individuals are researched by the Law Library clerks and printed out and delivered to individuals in their housing areas.

Chaplains Programs

Office of the Chaplain

The Chaplain’s office facilitates the administration of Protestant, Catholic, Islamic, and Jewish weekly worship services. In addition the Chaplains Office process’ the request for religious diets, changes of religion, visits to hospitals and request to attend funerals for deceased relatives has increased. In addition, the chaplain’s office processed marriage applications and facilitated weddings where appropriate.

Rochester Interfaith Jail Ministry

Rochester Interfaith Jail Ministry was founded in 1970 and is actively involved with those incarcerated the Jail and Correctional Facility. Staff and volunteers are a non-judgmental, non-proselytizing presences who visit their assigned incarcerated individual on a weekly basis. Referrals for visitation come from the Rehabilitation Staff, Self referral, and Jail Security Staff. Father Mark Stiegler was recently appointed to coordinate the ministry.

Good News Jail and Prison Ministry

The Chaplains office continues to maintain an excellent working relationship with the two full time Good News Jail and Prison Ministry Chaplains. The Chaplains provide group and individual spiritual guidance to incarcerated individuals as well as assisting the Jail Chaplain wherever possible. Individual Statistics for their work are contained in a separate report.

Monroe Correctional Facility Education Programs

Adult G.E.D. Education Program

The academic coordinator is responsible for assessing educational needs through classroom or individual instruction and coordination all educational programs. Community based resources are utilized to supplement the programs. The Academic Instructor and 3 instructors from the Monroe # 1 Board of Cooperative Education Services work to prepare adult students of the GED exam. The exam is given 6 times this year.

Community Based Educational Programs

1. Board of Cooperative Educational Services #1

In addition to the basic education program BOCES offers the following programs to adult incarcerated individuals at the Correctional Facility.

Life Management
This is a certificate program presented in four modules of Home Study Packets. The program covers Money Management, Communications, Parenting, Time management, Healthy Eating, Balancing, Relationships, Roles, and Learning styles.

Grasp Program
This is a one-on-one home study program for the GED that. This program seems to offer some real advantages for the adult learner who does not function as well in a classroom setting.

2. Monroe Community College

The following courses were offered within the facility:

Developmental Studies 105 (Pre-college writing): This course prepares students in the development, revision and writing of essays in preparation for English 101.

• Career Development and Lifestyles (CDL 100): This one credit course emphasizes career and life planning including educational and vocational assessments.
• Math 150 - Survey of Math, was offered to 36 incarcerated individuals. This is a 3 Credit math class.
• College Orientation Seminar – COS – This one credit class emphasizes strategies and techniques for a successful college experience.

3 . Vocational Programs

Food Service Certificate Program
The Correctional Facility and Monroe Community College collaborated to offer 3 certificate programs for 15 incarcerated individuals in each of 4 programs. Training included: Food preparation, Professional cooking, Baking, Sanitation and Catering. Job placement within the food service industry was an integral part o this program.

Plumbing Skills Vocational Training Program
A new vocational skills program was added at the Correctional Facility that started in December of 2001. The class consisted of nine, 4-hour sessions on basic Plumbing Skills. Instruction included a hands-on opportunity for the incarcerated individuals to learn maintenance and repair skills. The program was developed by instructor Bob Mattucci and has been delivered in several other correctional settings.

4. Tutoring

Literacy Volunteers of Rochester, Inc.
Tutors provide one on one reading instruction to incarcerated individuals who are reading below a 3.0 comprehension level.

Math
Three volunteer tutors provided high school equivalency math and algebra Instruction.

Women’s Issues

The following topics were presented:

1. Sexually Transmitted Diseases (County Health Dept.)
2. Academic/Training Programs (M.C.C.)
3. Community Resources for Women (YWCA)
4. Cancer Prevention (Cancer Action, Inc.) s)
5. A.I.D.S./H.I.V. (AIDS Rochester)
6. Education Opportunities (Roch. City School Dist.)
7. Family Planning (Planned Parenthood)
8. Prenatal Care (Roch. Gen. Hospital)
9. Smoking Cessation (Cancer Action, Inc.)
10. Housing (Sojourner House, Bethany House)
11. Rape Crisis Center (Planned Parenthood)
12. Academic, Vocational Programs (E.O.C.)
13. Nutrition, Food Safety, Wise Shopping (Cornell Coop. Extension)
14. Self Esteem/Goal Setting (Step by Step)
15. Volunteers of America Housing and Programs (VOA)
16. Battered Woman (A.B.W.)
17. Job/Education Center ( Rochester Public Library)

Men’s Issues

The following topics were presented:

1. Cancer Prevention (Cancer Action Inc.)
2. Job/Education Center ( Rochester Public Library)
3. Aids Awareness (AIDS Rochester Inc.)
4. College Education Opportunities ( Monroe Community College)
5. Team Building Workshop (Wayne Carney)
7. Parenting Program

The Health Association offered the EPIC parenting program. The topics include: Parenting Styles and Decision Making, Listening and Responding to children, Character, Conscience and Values, Parent child relationships, Substance Abuse, Self Esteem, and structure and limits.

Rochester City School District

Incarcerated Youth Education Program

The Rochester City School District provides three types of programs to those incarcerated under the age of twenty-one. These programs are Adult Basic Education, General Education Diploma Preparation, and instruction to students who will return to their regular school upon release from the facility.
 

Monroe Correctional Facility

Transition Programs

Woman's Transitional Services
The women's transitional services program is funded by a grant from the New York State Education Department. The project assumes that repeat women offenders often present a different profile and require alternative strategies in response to unique needs. The transition project focuses on the following areas; Employment, training, Substance Abuse rehabilitation, Stable/safe housing, Issues of Family origin and Family Re-unification. Throughout the year, effort was consistently placed on creating working relationships with numerous community agencies.

Incarcerated Youth Transitional Services
Funded by a grant from the State Education Department and the Incarcerated Youth Program, this program provides career counseling referrals to education and training programs and jobs. Staffed by a Job Developer and Case Manager from the Rochester City School District the program serves 16 to 21 year old incarcerated individuals enrolled in the Incarcerated Youth Program. In addition to a Job Developer and Case Manager a Part-time Life skills/career development instructor has greatly expanded the programs ability to serve the incarcerated individuals population.

Local Conditional Release
Incarcerated individuals at Monroe Correctional Facility who have a sentence of more than 90 days and who have served 30 days may apply for local conditional release. If approved individuals are released for a period of one year on probation in lieu of serving the balance of their sentence

Good Time Restoration Review
Each incarcerated individual who is sentenced to a loss of Good Time as a result of a rules infraction may apply to the work release operating. Individuals received part or all of their good time back as a result of marked improvement in their behavior, good program involvement and hard work

Vocational Assessment Program
An exciting upgrade was accomplished through the second half of 2005 that significantly increased the offerings to incarcerated individuals who were interested in employment. The program offered a number of classes, workshops and meetings with a focus on resume writing and other preparatory items for employment. Also offered were a number of engaging activities that would allow individuals to be able to retain employment once it was procured. The program also teaches employment preparation skills to individuals who are interested in the work Release Program, but who have acquired minimal experience in the job marked. Consumer feedback was consistently positive and demonstrated significantly improved job awareness, job searching and job interviewing skills.

Work Release
The Monroe County Sheriff's Office has operated a Work Release Program since 1971. This program provides a select group of sentenced incarcerated individuals the privilege of daily release to the community for employment, education and training. The program is part of a progressive work program that requires the individual to work as a trusty within the facility and outside of the facility in the Office of Sheriff's supervised and unsupervised work program, and ultimately to work release. Carefully screened individuals must qualify by participating in appropriate education or drug and alcohol programs that are deemed necessary. They must also display the proper attitude and deportment while incarcerated. Individuals whose criminal history includes sex offenses, assaultive behavior, weapons charges and escapes are considered high risk and are usually precluded from participating in the program.

Chemical Dependency Program

Background and Need

Common estimates are that over eighty percent of incarcerated persons have severe alcohol or other drug problems. The Monroe Correctional Facility has been operating a progressive and recognized Chemical Dependency Program since 1994.

The program provides intensive exposure to educational services that help incarcerated individuals understand the connection between their drug use and their behaviors. Highly qualified credentialed counselors provide a tough regimen where individuals examine their attitudes, chemical addictions, criminal behaviors, mental health issues, unresolved grief issues, and trauma concerns. The Chemical Dependency Program at the Correctional Facility is offered to sentenced and unsentenced individuals at the Monroe County Correctional Facility.

Outcome studies have identified a significant reduction in recidivism for those individuals who have participated in programming during their incarceration and provided with links to outpatient programs and community-based providers. The program is voluntary and individuals are encouraged to participate in the program and encouraged to sign up.

Program Design and Context

The Chemical Dependency Program offers a number of groups and meetings that provide a range of emphases, close to a hundred activities per week are afforded to the incarcerated individuals housed in the programming units.

• Group Counseling
• Chemical dependency/ Mental Health
• Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous groups
• Individual counseling and evaluation sessions
• Specialty groups (Anger Management, parenting, coping skills development, relapse prevention, healthy relationships, medication-assisted treatment awareness, trauma awareness and healing, men and women’s empowerment, and family reunification)

Incarcerated individuals in the programming units are provided with addiction assessments and information on community-based programs to help aid with their post-release recovery efforts.  Community-based organizations come into the facility on a daily basis to register individuals for post-release care and services.

Program staff works with many partner agencies to help facilitate smooth transitions into housing programs in the community.  There is a coordinated effort to establish the appropriate level of care and individuals work with MCSO staff to coordinate their admission into outpatient chemical dependency treatment, inpatient treatment (unsentenced individuals only), and medication assisted treatment (MAT) programs in the community.

Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) is available to all sentenced and unsentenced individuals at the Monroe County Correctional Facility and Monroe County Jail. Individuals request the service prior to release and program staff provide an assessment and education about the use of MAT. Individuals must undergo medical testing to determine whether or not they can be medically cleared for MAT. If MAT is medically approved, the individual selects an outpatient program and a follow-up appointment is made for the individual. The individual is provided their first dose of the medication prior to discharge.

Contact Dr. Tisha Smith at (585) 753-3080 with any questions or for more information about the programs.