CCDO's In-Sites Magazine - Winter 2005 issue

Weed & Seed In-Sites
Winter 2005
Produced by the Community Capacity Development Office

Welcome to the winter 2005 edition of In-Sites, where CCDO gives you quick and easy access to important information from the field. This issue includes stories about using volunteers to go door to door to get residents’ feedback on crime, partnering with AmeriCorps to jumpstart a reentry initiative, assisting Alaska Native ex-offenders by using local resources, and more.

Table of Contents

Letter From the Director
Letter From the U.S. Attorney
Law Enforcement: Site “EXILES” Gun Crime; Public Housing Now Safer in Kansas City; Resources
Community Policing: Partnership Controls Gangs; Fighting Back Against Hate in Los Angeles; Resources
Prevention: Church Helps Kids Start the Day Safely; Health Fair Brings Services to the Door; Police Academy Helps Kids See the Blue Side of Things; Summer Teen Fair Draws Hundreds; Resources
Neighborhood Restoration: Neighborhood Restoration, One Porch at a Time; Community Event Unifies Neighborhood; CCDO and the IRS: Additional Partnering Opportunities; Resources
Reentry: Successful Reentry Through Volunteers and Partnerships; Have Prison, Need Reentry; Resources
American Indian/Alaska Native: Alaska Villages Want To Lead Reentry Efforts; CIRCLE Project Says Tribes Can Develop Solutions to Crime Problems; Resources

Letter From the Director

As 2005 comes to an end, it's time to reflect on what we accomplished and to look forward to future challenges. In 2005, my office based its work plan on the many ideas you gave us as we traveled the country. Essentially, we took many of your ideas and suggestions and went to work. For instance, you expressed a strong desire to improve the Community Capacity Development Office Web site; we did it. I think it is the best Web site in the whole U.S. Department of Justice, but then again, I may be biased.

You also told us to "make friends" with other federal agencies; once again we listened. In 2005, we signed an agreement with the Internal Revenue Service to establish 50 new Volunteer Income Tax Assistance centers. Those centers are being built now and will help hundreds of hard-working families get their full tax refund without the high fees charged by certain tax preparers. Further complementing the initiative, we entered into an agreement with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation to bring financial education and banking services to the new tax assistance centers.

Many of you wanted to address the issue of prisoner reentry. You wanted successful reentry programs for both men and women, many of whom may be coming home to your communities. We heard you and entered into a partnership with the Corporation for National and Community Service. Under the terms of the agreement, VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America) volunteers will be sent to designated Weed and Seed sites to help build the capacity of local organizations to work with the reentry population. Read more about the initiative in the article "Successful Reentry Through Volunteers and Partnerships" (http://www.ncjrs.gov/ccdo/in-sites/winter2005/reentry-1.html) and in the Partnerships section of our Web site (http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/ccdo/ programs/partnerships.html#cncs).

Weed and Seed communities often are characterized by low levels of home ownership. Many of you asked us to help you increase home ownership to stabilize neighborhoods and bring in private investment. We are doing so. In cooperation with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, we will be launching an individual development account (IDA) program in selected communities to encourage home ownership. This will be a fantastic initiative.

All that in 1 year! But much remains to be done. So, in 2006 expect even more action with a special emphasis on site coordinators and residents. To develop an appropriate training curriculum for both groups, we will be conducting a survey. We intend to receive baseline information on the skill sets of coordinators and residents so the curriculum will reflect their needs. We will need site coordinators and resident committee members to complete the survey on a timely basis. We are counting on you!

Next year, our peer-to-peer initiative that pairs experienced site coordinators with newcomers begins. The idea is to spread and sustain the knowledge gained from more experienced sites to those with less experience. We also expect to produce a series of models and templates designed to help you better communicate your message to local decisionmakers, media, private foundations, and others.

Those are just a few of the highlights. There is more, and if you read the next edition of In-Sites, you will be in the know!

Happy holidays. I look forward to seeing you all next year.

Sincerely,

Nelson Hernandez
Director
Community Capacity Development Office

Letter From the U.S. Attorney

Many of us have heard the phrase "we can't arrest ourselves out of the problem." However, there's no doubt that our enforcement efforts have increased the U.S. Attorney's Office caseload, as well as that of our state and local partners. In light of this, the Administration and the U.S. Department of Justice have strived for a balanced approach to crime interdiction in our communities. The District of New Mexico has spared no effort to achieve this goal.

With the support and cooperation of CCDO and that of other agencies in the Office of Justice Programs, my district has been able to achieve much success through initiatives such as Weed and Seed, Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), and the Public Housing Safety Initiative (PHSI). The District of New Mexico has three active Weed and Seed sites and one recently graduated site. Through the Weed and Seed strategy, federal, state, tribal, and local partnerships have flourished in this district. The strategy has been a springboard for numerous related crime intervention initiatives, including drug, fugitive, and gang task forces.

Leveraging these relationships and activities and their inherent resources to combat crime and allow community revitalization has been a truly rewarding experience for us and our partners. For example, the Weed and Seed site in the northern New Mexico city of Espanola has become the cornerstone of our drug and gang enforcement efforts in that region of the state. The site includes two Native American pueblos by virtue of their proximity to that location. The cooperation with not only the city, but also the county, state, and Indian Country jurisdictions created an ideal opportunity to launch the Indian Country PHSI in the pueblos of San Juan and Santa Clara this year.

Using the Weed and Seed strategy as the basis of the initiative's proposal, we expect to see gains in crime suppression through financial, organizational, and technical support for local law enforcement. We also plan to use these resources to enhance community support activities through organizations such as the Boys & Girls Clubs and local tribal recreational, family, and youth intervention programs.

The Espanola Weed and Seed site has also adopted PSN as the special emphasis program for its strategy and has already launched a successful warrant sweep coordinated by the U.S. Marshals Service. This operation included tribal, city, county, and state law enforcement and the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) task force.

PSN is also a critical component of our district's other Weed and Seed site strategies. Weed and Seed site coordinators attend regular PSN task force meetings. They offer valuable community input into the firearm reduction strategy that is primarily focused in target areas. The PSN task force and the Weed and Seed sites coordinate funding, law enforcement manpower, and other resources to maximize gun violence suppression. Through five initiatives—Targeted Patrols, Project Exile, Turning Point, Project Sentry, and VIPER—PSN has addressed multiple facets of the gun-crime problem in New Mexico.

PSN provides overtime funds for our Albuquerque and Las Cruces PSN task force partners to conduct targeted patrols designed to disrupt illegal gun activity. The result of this strategy has been the arrest and prosecution of hundreds of violent criminals and the seizure of more than 2,000 illegal firearms. Targeted patrols are aided by our PSN-funded research partner, who provides gun violence crime data analysis and mapping of hotspots in our community.

Federal prosecution under PSN Project Exile has resulted in enhanced sentencing of gun-wielding felons and a strong message that is also conveyed through our PSN task force's media partner that "Gun crime brings hard time!" We also target individuals who are on probation for violent crimes with a "carrot and stick" style intervention we call Turning Point. At Turning Point sessions, probationers and parolees are selected by their probation officers for their potential to turn their lives around before they become hardened criminals and reoffend. These individuals are introduced to representatives from the social service community who offer proactive alternatives to a criminal lifestyle.

We have also partnered with the public schools in Weed and Seed communities to present Project Sentry, which focuses on keeping kids safe from illegal guns and gun crime. Middle school children are taught a curriculum comprising two modules: "Options, Choices, and Consequences," which teaches the students about the dangers of gun violence, and "Media Literacy," which helps the students differentiate between the reality of gun violence and its representation in movies, television, and video games.

A Violent Probationer Enhanced Response (VIPER) list includes a photo and a summarized criminal history of an array of individuals in the community who have a violent criminal background. The list is widely distributed to law enforcement agencies as a tool to enhance awareness of potential violent offenders with whom they may come into contact.

Important partnerships have been established and strengthened through these initiatives. In particular, an extraordinary partnership exists in this district between the U.S. Attorney's Office and the New Mexico National Guard. The National Guard's Counter Drug Support (CDS) Task Force has become a key contributor to the success of Weed and Seed in New Mexico. They have provided vital resources and moral support to our Weed and Seed communities. The National Guard has assigned liaison personnel to this office and to local Safe Havens. They have also detailed mentors and instructors to Weed and Seed site schools (middle and high schools) and they conduct our DEFY camps.

Defined goals and measurable outcomes for our projects allow us to quantify the results of our efforts. What is less tangible yet quite evident in each Weed and Seed community in the District of New Mexico is the sense of rekindled hope for the future. Citizens affected by this strategy often comment that streets are safer, that government officials and social services are more responsive, and that they feel empowered through their participation in this comprehensive process.

David C. Iglesias
U.S. Attorney
District of New Mexico

Law Enforcement

Site “EXILES” Gun Crime
Andres Escobar, CCDO Visiting Fellow

When a small city has a big crime problem, it needs to be fixed right away; in Salisbury, MD, community members promptly responded to their gun crime problem and are still finding success.

Salisbury, a city of about 30,000 people, is the retail, commercial, medical, educational, and recreational hub of Maryland's rural Wicomico County. The county's rural nature, however, concealed an alarmingly high level of gun crime—one so high that it spurred members of Salisbury's Weed and Seed community to join together, brainstorm solutions, and identify funding. Then, they instituted a response that led to a countywide initiative—Wicomico EXILE.

Three years ago, Beverly Ward, the Salisbury Weed and Seed liaison to the U.S. Attorney's Office (USAO), partnered with the Wicomico State's Attorney's Office to apply for a grant from Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a nationwide commitment to reduce gun crime in America. Wicomico County, with a population of about 85,000, had the third highest gun-crime rate per capita for the state of Maryland, just behind Baltimore City and Prince George's County. The site brought together 16 partnering agencies and organizations, including all local law enforcement agencies, to discuss the problem and then to create a task force to focus on gun crimes.

Some of the partnering agencies and organizations included the Wicomico County State's Attorney's Office; the USAO; the Wicomico County Sheriff's Office; Wicomico County Narcotics Task Force; Division of Parole and Probation; Salisbury Police Department; Department of Juvenile Services; Salisbury Urban Ministries; and Bennett High School.

The task force became a team that synthesized prevention services with interdiction and intervention. The team members' collaboration has resulted in aggressive prosecution tactics that have led to numerous felony convictions, a community awareness campaign with a special focus on high school youth, and a system for sharing information related to gun crime and gang activities among all local law enforcement agencies.

Before achieving these results, however, the task force faced several challenges, the first of which was data collection. Initially, each agency used different means to collect and store information, so the sheriff's office created an accessible format for all data. Each agency also assigned an officer to be the point person for gun- and gang-related cases. Now, all gun- and gang-related information is funneled through a specific system and linked countywide.

The second challenge the task force faced was how to get its message to a diverse county population. Using the PSN grant, the project created its own logo and tagline for nationally produced public service announcements ("Hard Time for Gun Crime") and ran an extensive media campaign. In addition, the task force sponsored speeches at civic organizations and local community groups, and the State's Attorney's Office began publishing quarterly newsletters that highlighted specific gun convictions and included names and sentences.

The most significant component of the public relations project was Wicomico EXCELL—a program created to inform high school youth about the consequences of gun possession and gun crime, and to give them guidelines for making positive life choices. The Board of Education has approved the EXCELL curriculum for countywide use. To date, 14 schools are using it.

"We realized that most of the violent crimes involving guns were being committed by 15–23 year olds," Ward said. "After an incident at one of the high schools where a student brought a loaded handgun to school, students approached the vice principal. They had seen the ad campaign we were running and wanted EXILE to meet with them. We realized then that we needed to focus on this age group and developed the EXCELL concept to reach these students."

Ward believed that teens needed to know the real consequences of gun crime and have the tools to make better life choices. Weed and Seed and the Wicomico State's Attorney's Office, working with Front Row Productions, an Annapolis-based production company, developed a video using nationally produced spots, some pertinent statistics, and film reenactments of actual events related to gun crime. Then they interviewed some students who had stopped committing gun crimes and were choosing to do something constructive with their lives. Today, the Weed and Seed site uses the video, a PowerPoint presentation, and promotional materials (e.g., logo-emblazoned key chains, bracelets, ink pens, t-shirts) as part of its presentations.

Statistics show the success of the program: since the inception of Wicomico EXILE in July 2003 through March 2005, 260 firearm cases have been prosecuted, 192 have been closed, 107 have resulted in guilty verdicts, and 68 are still pending. All but seven of the convictions resulted in incarceration with an average sentence of 7 years. Thirty-seven cases have been referred to the U.S. Attorney for federal prosecution, with nine federal indictments.

As a result of Project Wicomico EXILE, violent offenders are being removed from the neighborhood and are receiving mandatory, no-parole sentences. The parole and probation department does EXILE trainings with all cases and has each offender sign an EXILE waiver. Law enforcement personnel have had overtime patrol hours approved and have purchased equipment that makes cases more viable in court. A countywide video surveillance system that can target problem areas also is being planned.

According to an article in the local newspaper, Salisbury residents claim that their neighborhood is a lot quieter and that people do not seem to act up as much as they used to. While crime has gone down, calls for service have actually gone up, which may reflect that police assistance is being welcomed.

For more information, contact:
Beverly Ward
Weed and Seed Site Coordinator for Salisbury, MD
bward@wicomicocounty.org

Public Housing Now Safer in Kansas City

In Kansas City, MO, public housing units all around the city are becoming safer places to be.

One year after it was announced, the Public Housing Safety Initiative (PHSI)—a federal grant program designed to assist in the investigation, prosecution, and prevention of violent crimes and drug offenses in public, federally assisted, and Indian housing areas—is paying off in the Kansas City metropolitan area. CCDO administers PHSI, which is executed directly through U.S. Attorneys' Offices in cities around the country, Weed and Seed sites, and local public housing authorities.

When Kansas City was first selected as 1 of 10 communities nationwide to participate in PHSI, Todd Graves, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, promised a straightforward approach. He promised to use the grant money to reduce crime in targeted public housing areas, improve tenant conditions in assisted living environments, and improve interagency collaboration and communication on quality-of-life issues in public housing.

Now, Graves said, the PHSI funding is making a difference in Kansas City.

"The Public Housing Safety Initiative has allowed our law enforcement community to partner in a new way that has already resulted in reducing crime within our community's public housing areas," Graves said. "This new partnership already has resulted in the indictment of 12 individuals for crimes occurring in these areas."

Kansas City's Public Housing Safety Initiative includes the Kansas City, MO, Police Department, the Independence, MO, Police Department, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Kansas City Housing Authority, and the U.S. Department of Justice.

The program has provided $400,000 in federal funding to help the involved partners train police officers and crime analysts, improve surveillance and increase the number of sweeps conducted in public housing, target criminals who live in public housing areas, increase drug enforcement, improve investigations, and coordinate with probation and parole efforts.

"The resources that this funding provides further the ultimate goal of the initiative," Graves said. "It promotes a safe, crime-free living environment for the residents of these public housing areas."

The funding also has increased the partners' awareness of the criminal activity that surrounds public housing areas, which has increased the amount of resources law enforcement agencies dedicate to the initiative on their own. For example, the Kansas City, MO, Police Department now provides additional manpower during sweeps.

To ensure the initiative's success continues, the partner agencies also meet at least once a month to share information about upcoming operations, pass along intelligence, and offer updates from their respective areas of focus. They use the intelligence they gather to target hotspots of crime within Kansas City's public housing areas, assign extra patrols to those areas, and conduct sweeps.

Related Resources

Background, In-Sites winter 2004 (http://www.ncjrs.gov/ccdo/in-sites/winter2004/neighborhood_2.html)

Program description, CCDO Web site (http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/ccdo/programs/public_housing.html)

For more information, contact:
Les Kerr
U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Missouri
les.kerr@usdoj.gov

Resources

Court Bulletin Focuses on Methamphetamine
Drug Courts: An Effective Strategy for Communities Facing Methamphetamine describes the history, mission, and success of drug courts—the primary tool for fighting meth addiction and trafficking. Drug courts combine intensive rehabilitation services with the justice system to intervene effectively with drug users by offering longer treatment periods, addressing co-occurring mental health disorders, and providing intensive community supervision and monitoring.
View it on the Web: http://www.ncjrs.org/pdffiles1/bja/209549.pdf

OJJDP Fact Sheet Highlights Gang Survey Findings
Highlights of the 2002–2003 National Youth Gang Surveys summarizes findings from the National Youth Gang Surveys for 2002 and 2003, which indicate that gangs, gang members, and gang-related homicides are concentrated in larger cities.
View it on the Web: http://www.ojjdp.ncjrs.org/publications/PubAbstract.asp?pubi=12184

Guidance in Planning Community-Based Facilities
Planning Community-Based Facilities for Violent Juvenile Offenders as Part of a System of Graduated Sanctions describes how to develop small community-based or regional confinement facilities for serious, violent, and chronic juvenile offenders. Three sample programs are described.
View it on the Web: http://ojjdp.ncjrs.org/publications/PubAbstract.asp?pubi=209326

Report to the Attorney General on Body Armor Safety Initiative
This NIJ study addresses the reliability of body armor used by law enforcement personnel and examines the future of bullet-resistant technology and testing.
View it on the Web: http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/nij/pubs-sum/210418.htm

Identifying "Hot Spots" in Crime
Mapping Crime: Understanding Hot Spots explains that much of crime mapping is devoted to detecting high-crime-density areas known as hotspots. Hotspot analysis helps police identify high-crime areas, the types of crimes being committed, and the best ways to respond.
View it on the Web: http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/nij/pubs-sum/209393.htm

Community Policing

Partnership Controls Gangs

This recipe for success comes from a Washington, DC, neighborhood that has fought gang violence for the past few years: mix one part law enforcement, one part community, and one part city government, and you get a safer neighborhood.

In 2001, the Columbia Heights Weed and Seed convened the Task Force on Truancy/Substance Abuse/Youth Violence. The task force was created to offer a holistic, neighborhood-focused response and to coordinate information sharing and collaborative efforts among schools, government agencies, and community-based organizations that serve young people most vulnerable to gang/crew recruitment and violence. With the police chief and a city councilmember, the task force created the Gang Intervention Partnership (GIP).

GIP was created in response to a rash of violent Latino gang-related incidents in summer 2003. It brings together the Metropolitan Police Department, government agencies, community leaders, and community-based organizations to work collectively to reduce gang violence. Since the institution of GIP, no gang-related homicides have occurred in the Columbia Heights neighborhood.

The police created a specialized Latino Gang Intelligence Unit within GIP that identifies individuals who are involved in gangs and monitors their activities, arrests wanted gang members, and coordinates efforts with lead detectives in criminal investigations. The unit also educates school administrators, other school staff, and students about how to prevent gang-related violence.

GIP's focus on schools is particularly important in its efforts to stop problems from getting worse, explained Reverend John D. De Taeye of the Columbia Heights Shaw Family Support Collaborative.

"Prevention and intervention is working with building relationships of trust and partnership with school principals, attendance counselors, and school resource officers to be honest about what is happening in their schools," he said. "This is the heart of the work we do, building systems of support and communication and networking with and among schools, community organizations, and police."

Built on 4 years of localized gang intervention efforts, GIP meets weekly to coordinate its efforts, and its members observe a strict code of confidentiality. GIP designates hotspots for increased intervention and outreach, and tracks gang-related graffiti. Its members' dedication is obvious in their 24/7 oncall coverage.

"I sleep with my cell phone on next to my bed," Reverend De Taeye said. "If I am off, someone else has theirs on. We have direct lines to police officers, the United States Attorney's Office, and other systems that need to be moved when violence breaks out."

Last April, the House Committee on the Judiciary was considering enacting legislation that would use immigration controls to combat alien gang crime. Testifying before the committee, Mai Fernandez, the Chief Operating Officer of the Latin American Youth Center in Columbia Heights and a GIP member, said that punishing immigrant groups that have gang problems is inappropriate. Although a strong law enforcement response to gang problems is needed, he said, the perception that all gang members are destroying neighborhoods is incorrect.

"These kids are not super predators—they are kids looking for a sense of belonging. Most youth who are in gangs are not criminals," he said.

How GIP operates shows that its members understand this concept. GIP brings together police, probation officers, prosecutors, and community social service providers to develop intervention strategies for youth who are at a high risk of committing crimes. Often, it is a community member who brings a particular youth to GIP's attention. In other instances, youth come to GIP on their own because they want to change their lives, said Fernandez. Either way, GIP members work to ensure that the youth is supervised and is involved in structured activities. According to Fernandez, his center graduates approximately 70 youth a year who have advanced their education and are ready to find jobs.

Reverend De Taeye says he still looks for ways to increase community awareness of GIP. He feels he has the support and trust of the government, and he wants to hold more meetings to get the word out to the community about GIP's effectiveness.

For more information, contact:
Reverend John De Taeye
dtajohn@aol.com

Fighting Back Against Hate in Los Angeles
Kathryn A. Kohn, CCDO Program Manager

The presence of hate-motivated crime and graffiti can make a community too scared to fight back. In the Harbor Gateway Weed and Seed site in Los Angeles, CA, the community's lack of communication and confidence was letting hate crimes continue.

When Senior Lead Officer Melody Hainline was transferred to the Harbor Gateway area, she was faced with the growing problem of hate crime and graffiti. The "tagging" of hate slang specifically directed at the African-American community was rampant, with graffiti seen on garages, fences, and local businesses. In a 3-month period in 2003, the area saw 20 shootings and assaults, most of which were directed at African-American victims. Curbing such activity might seem a daunting task to most officers, but Officer Hainline approached the problem by simply breaking it down: Why was this happening? Why was the community not fighting back?

What she found was that the community had no infrastructure: no town hall and no forum for speaking out against these activities. The citizens were afraid of the gangs, and the city was not giving the problem enough attention. So the police department, led by Officer Hainline, reached out to the community and recruited volunteers to go door to door to get residents' feedback on crime.

By using volunteers—easily identifiable in donated t-shirts—instead of police officers, Officer Hainline was confident that community members would speak out about the criminal activity that was occurring in their neighborhood. She knew it was important to create a community policing strategy that was specifically geared toward resident input and that responded to the specific issues residents raised.

"Community policing has to be designed for the area it is working in," Officer Hainline said. "What works in my area may not work in another area and vice versa."

The door-to-door survey received a positive response from the community, and the volunteers eventually surveyed 220 homes. Basing her strategy on the survey findings, Officer Hainline used patrol units, gang officers, and bicycle teams to focus on the area. What resulted was an immediate drop in violent crime in the 2 1/2 months following the survey.

The momentum from this outreach led to an application for Weed and Seed Official Recognition. The police and community members involved realized that they needed money and recognition to support neighborhood watch activities and to keep the residents involved.

Not only did Harbor Gateway receive Official Recognition in 2004, but Officer Hainline was also recognized for her outstanding work in getting the project started through community policing. She received the 2004 Civil Rights Award from the International Association of Chiefs of Police for exceptional innovation in the area of investigation. She is described by her U.S. Attorney's Office as an "incredible officer who is committed to Weed and Seed and truly involved in the community."

In describing her visions for the future of Harbor Gateway, Officer Hainline voiced the need to keep hate crimes down and to maintain the police's connection with Weed and Seed. "We started with easier neighborhoods in our outreach but we see the need in approaching rougher gang neighborhoods. I am curious to see if the momentum will last and if we can continue to be effective in our community policing strategies."

For more information, contact:
Officer Melody Hainline
31990@lapd.lacity.org

Resources

Analyzing and Interpreting Vehicle Stop Data
Racially Biased Policing: Guidance for Analyzing Race Data From Vehicle Stops describes two publications produced by the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) and the Police Executive Research Forum about responsible analysis and interpretation of vehicle stop data. The guides discuss the challenge of benchmarking, various benchmarking options, and how to interpret research results responsibly.
View it on the Web: http://www.cops.usdoj.gov/mime/open.pdf?Item=1578

Identifying and Understanding Repeat Victimization
Analyzing Repeat Victimization helps police identify and understand patterns of repeat victimization for a range of crimes and disorders. It describes the concept of repeat victimization and its relationship to other patterns in public safety problems such as hotspots and repeat offenders.
View it on the Web: http://www.cops.usdoj.gov/mime/open.pdf?Item=1565

Partnering for Effective Responses to Community Problems
Shifting and Sharing Responsibility for Public Safety Problems details the ways in which police can persuade or coerce others to address crime and disorder problems.
View it on the Web: http://www.cops.usdoj.gov/mime/open.pdf?Item=1566

Strengthening Relationships Between Police and Immigrant Communities
Building Strong Police-Immigrant Community Relations: Lessons from a New York City Project describes a COPS-funded project with the Vera Institute of Justice, which worked in conjunction with the New York City Police Department to strengthen relationships between police and new immigrant communities.
View it on the Web: http://www.cops.usdoj.gov/mime/open.pdf?Item=1576

Using School Resource Officers Effectively
SRO Performance Evaluation: A Guide to Getting Results captures the lessons learned from a COPS-funded, 2-year pilot project conducted by Circle Solutions, Inc. The result is a step-by-step guide to help law enforcement and school personnel use school resource officers effectively.
View it on the Web: http://www.cops.usdoj.gov/default.asp?Item=1568

Prevention

Church Helps Kids Start the Day Safely

School safety starts before the school doors even open in Portsmouth, VA. Every schoolday morning, high school students and adults wait for the public schoolbus from inside the Brighton Rock A.M.E. Zion Church.

Called the Bus Stop Mentoring Program, this morning routine started in April 1997 when Reverend Clifford Barnett noticed students one cool, rainy morning shivering under the church porch waiting for their bus.

"I decided to open the doors of the church to let the students in," Reverend Barnett said. He had more on his mind than just bad weather, however. "At some bus stops, some students are physically, verbally, and/or emotionally abused. A lot of threats are made and carried out at the bus stop. I also believe a person's bus stop experiences, negative or positive, can have a direct effect on how their day goes."

The church has partnered with Weed and Seed since it started the program, which is classified as a Safe Haven. The program is funded primarily through the church, although last year it received a grant from the Portsmouth Community Foundation.

In its simplest form, the program has three goals: keep the doors open, salute all seniors to show respect, and provide transportation to anyone who misses the bus. During the past school year, the Bus Stop Mentoring program served 45 students; this year, it is serving 32 students every morning.

As a Safe Haven, however, the program also includes an afterschool activity called Study Buddies that helps children with their homework, and the Kid's Café, which provides hot, nutritious dinners. Last year, the cafe served more than 5,000 meals to students. Through its myriad programs, which include assisting students with college preparation, employment, school supplies, and tutoring in math and Spanish, the Safe Haven serves approximately 240 students annually.

One of the bus stop mentors, Reggie Allen, joined the program after some female students complained one morning that a man behind a nearby store had disturbed them. Reverend Barnett immediately reported the incident to the police and called an emergency community meeting that night. At the meeting, Allen, a retired Naval veteran and community leader, said, "I will get up every morning and stand in front of the store to watch the students get from the store to the church."

Since it began, the program has helped community members and students develop close relationships, thereby fulfilling one of Reverend Barnett's goals—to foster an atmosphere in which, if students want to talk, someone will be available to listen to them. Reverend Barnett said a number of students have kept in touch with him since they graduated from high school. One former participant who attends college in the area returns to help out; another, who seemed like he would not graduate, went to Job Corps and came by to show Reverend Barnett his diploma.

Reverend Barnett recalls another student, Mel, whose demeanor and physical appearance could seem threatening. One Monday morning, Mel came to the bus stop with a paper plate wrapped in used aluminum foil, the Reverend recalled. "He looked at me and with his deep voice said, 'I had a birthday on Friday and I saved you some birthday cake.' I fought back the tear and tried to keep my composure and said, 'Yeah! You better bring me birthday cake.'"

The experience moved Reverend Barnett and helped him believe that more connections between teens and adults are attainable. "I truly believe that there are thousands of Mels who want to share their birthday cake with a caring adult. We just have to make ourselves available."

For more information, contact:
Reverend Clifford Barnett
757–393–0570

Health Fair Brings Services to the Door

When it comes to providing health services to low- and moderate-income families in Santa Ana, CA, if the families won't come to the health center, then the center will come to them.

For the sixth year, the Lyon Street Health and Safety Fair drew thousands of people, partially because the annual fair is held right outside of their homes. The organizers, recognizing that transportation is often a main obstacle for families who need health treatment, held the fair in the apartment complexes' backyards.

The Weed and Seed site, Families Together of Orange County (FTOC), and apartment managers plan the free event, which is sponsored by various local and national organizations. FTOC, a nonprofit organization that supports low- and moderate-income families with social, educational, and health services, recognizes that many families lack insurance and cannot afford medical care. Many families are Spanish speaking and without high school educations, so language and communication are barriers for them as well.

"There is no center where they can walk to," said Lan Nguyen, a neighborhood restoration aide for the Weed and Seed sites in Santa Ana. "They don't know about health care, and the fair is a good way to get programs known."

Attendees received free health screenings and visited health and prevention information booths. Educational, legal, and community service providers were also on hand to sign families up for a number of programs, including tutoring, computer classes, and personal business help.

The annual fair is a family event with activities and games for children. But it also has a serious side and features safety information. One of the reasons why the fair includes information about fire prevention is because of a fire that burned down one apartment complex 2 years ago.

Weed and Seed helped plan the event, Nguyen said, and contributed $500 to its operating expenses. The site also coordinated volunteers and helped with the event setup. Event planning went smoothly this year, Nguyen explained, partly because of the good relationships and partnerships that exist among city agencies, police departments, and nonprofit organizations. Nguyen said the police department focuses a lot on prevention and works alongside neighborhood associations.

For more information, contact:
Lan Nguyen
lnguyen5@ci.santa-ana.ca.us

Police Academy Helps Kids See the Blue Side of Things

It's the middle of summer vacation and you're bored—call the police, and you could have lots of fun and learn a thing or two.

In Springfield, IL, nearly 200 kids did just that and enrolled in the Junior Police Academy. The children saw what police work is really about, from demonstrations of K–9 units to discussions about computer crime with detectives to simulated traffic stops using golf carts. Every week, a new group learned about the police and also built relationships with the officers.

The program took place at the Springfield Police Department Training Academy with the help of three officers who were assigned full time to the academy by Chief Donald W. Kliment. Robin Dowis of the Springfield Housing Authority coordinated the program. Dowis believes that her situation is unusual because running a program with the police academy is usually a police department-only venture. Dowis came up with the idea of reaching out particularly to at-risk youth and last year put together two sessions at the academy for 60 kids. This summer, 180 children signed up, which raised Dowis' hopes for running just as many sessions, if not more, in the future.

On the first day of each weeklong session this summer, the "cadets" received a picture ID and their uniforms, which consisted of a Junior Police Academy t-shirt for each day of the week, a backpack filled with needed supplies and hygiene products, and a Junior Police Academy baseball cap. Cadets also received a Junior Police Academy Handbook for classroom exercises.

The sessions focused on building character through education within a structured environment using positive role models. Each day, the cadets focused on a specific character trait—responsibility, respect, courage, citizenship, and honesty—and learned more about public safety. For example, officers spoke about fireworks safety, took the children on a tour of the jail, and cautioned them against drinking and driving. In addition, "the officers explained why they make the requests they make of the citizens and why they ask the questions they do," Dowis stated. Parents gave a lot of positive feedback on the self-esteem training and leadership skills their children learned, she said.

Although Dowis would like to expand the program, cost is a factor. The program is expensive; it is offered at no cost to the cadet's parents and includes meals and transportation for each 5-day session.

Debbie Malwick, a grants technician at the Springfield Police Department who administers the Weed and Seed grant for the Springfield site, said they are looking at ways to fund future sessions. The program costs approximately $23,000 for a 3-week session that serves 90 kids. Chief Kliment and Dowis are considering applying for a grant from the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority (ICJIA). This year, 3 weeks were funded under the Weed and Seed grant, and an additional 3-week session was funded by a grant from ICJIA with Chief Kliment supplying matching funds from his departmental budget.

"All kids benefit from the program regardless of their background," Dowis said. "But the goal is to make it free because a lot of kids can't afford it."

At the end of each session, the cadets attended a graduation ceremony at which they received framed certificates and awards. The Springfield Police Honor Guard presented the colors to make the event special for the cadets.

"Each and every child I spoke with said they loved it, they learned a lot, and they wanted to come back," Malwick said of her talks with kids who participated in the academy. "I think Robin understands the structured environment the kids need. The kids respect and like Robin, she does a great job with them, and she earns their respect in less than a week."

For more information, contact:
Robin Dowis
robin.dowis@sha1.org

Summer Teen Fair Draws Hundreds

When kids are carrying bags with your site's logo on them, you must have done something right. At least that's how Allen Booker, Program Coordinator for the Niagara Falls Weed and Seed site, sees it.

The "sack packs" were a giveaway at the first annual Teen Summer Fair of the Niagara Falls Weed and Seed last August. The fair focused on engaging youth in safe and positive educational activities and promoting alternatives to drug use. More than 360 people attended the event, where the theme was "I Got a Future and Drugs Ain't In It."

There is a lot of drug use in the city, according to Booker, and the fair was one way for the site to start getting more involved in youth programming and get more youth away from drugs and involved in community activities.

"Drug prevention is at the top of the list," Booker said when asked about the site's goals for reaching out more to youth, adding that future programming will be geared toward drug and gang prevention.

The city of Niagara Falls had "gone downhill," according to Booker, but the area where the Weed and Seed office is located is being gentrified. The office's central location and large parking lot provided a great space for the fair, where community-based organizations and vendors could distribute information and sign teens up for programs. The keynote speaker was Dr. Calvin Mackie, a national motivational speaker and an associate professor at Tulane University. Some of the groups that participated in the fair included the Alcoholism Council of Niagara County, Planned Parenthood, the University at Buffalo, and the Niagara Falls Police Department.

The fair was a mix of fun and games—with a moon bounce and an appearance by the Buffalo Bills cheerleaders—and people providing helpful information, such as explaining college scholarships and employment opportunities. Some teens also helped plan the fair.

Booker admits that a good number of programs are available to youth but that the word is not getting out to all teens, and that area teens have expressed interest in even more programming.

To that end, Booker has a particular type of programming in mind. "I want to see more leadership programs," he said. Even though the local high school has some leadership programming and functions as a Safe Haven, Booker sees room for improvement. He also wants to include youth on the Steering Committee of the Niagara Falls Weed and Seed site.

A number of teens have suggested to site staff that, besides more activities, what they are really interested in is working. Booker would like to capitalize on that interest and help some youth get internships and not just settle for minimum-wage jobs.

"I want kids to know they can do better," he said. "The teen fair is just the start."

For more information, contact:
Allen Booker
Weed and Seed Program Coordinator for Niagara Falls
apbooker@nfha.org

Resources

Drug Use Survey Shows Prevention Gains
The 2004 National Survey on Drug Use and Health presents findings for youth prevention-related measures. Included are measures of perceived risk from substance use, perceived availability of substances, perceived parental disapproval of use, feelings about peer use, attitudes about school, involvement in delinquent behavior, participation in religious and other activities, exposure to prevention messages and programs, and parental involvement.
View it on the Web: http://oas.samhsa.gov/NSDUH/2k4NSDUH/2k4results/2k4results.htm#ch6

Strong Families Prevent Drug Use
The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse's National Survey of American Attitudes on Substance Abuse X: Teens and Parents shows that strong, positive family relationships are a powerful deterrent to teen smoking, drinking, and drug use.
View it on the Web: http://www.casacolumbia.org/Absolutenm/articlefiles/Teen_Survey_Report_2005.pdf

Neighborhood Restoration

Neighborhood Restoration, One Porch at a Time

In small teams, hundreds of teenagers descended on the city of Bristol, TN, last summer and started fixing things fast.

Over the course of a week, more than 400 youth from 10 different states went to work on houses throughout the Weed and Seed neighborhood. They made minor repairs, built wheelchair ramps, spruced up porches, and tiled and laid flooring.

The beautification program brought the community together, said Corey Smith, the Site Coordinator for the Anderson Neighborhood Weed and Seed Project. "The residents feel pride in their neighborhood now because people care," she said.

The volunteers' efforts were well recognized by the residents. They made the volunteers food, talked with them, and really found the experience worthwhile, according to Smith. A crew of five youth and one adult stayed with each participating home all week, thereby building a special relationship with residents.

The volunteers, from the Group Workcamps Foundation—a nonprofit organization that serves churches by providing Christian mission trips—stayed in a local high school and paid for their food, expenses, and travel. Every night they gathered for dinner, fellowship, and discussion of the day's activities. One volunteer told a local paper that he learned a lot, and because the resident was involved, he saw how much the repairs meant to the resident.

Last year, CCDO helped fund the Workcamps project, but this year, because Weed and Seed money no longer helps fund construction projects, the site raised more than $18,000 through churches, civic organizations, and individuals. Although Smith would like to continue the project even after the site graduates from Weed and Seed, she admits that the project requires a lot of time organizing and that she would have to look for alternative funding sources.

On the other hand, Smith was quick to enumerate the benefits of running the Workcamps program in her site. The program functions as a good public relations campaign for the site, gets local college students involved, and gets staff to go out and knock on doors.

"It's a great way to get out in the community," she said.

Through the camp, the Weed and Seed staff got to know the site's residents better, and they will now be sure to look out for them, Smith added. Staff also compiled a list of elderly residents who might need extra attention and assistance and shared the list with the community policing officer.

For more information, contact:
Corey L. Smith
Weed and Seed Site Coordinator for Bristol, TN
csmith@bristoltn.org

Community Event Unifies Neighborhood
Andrea Anderson-Lucas, Site Coordinator

In a park once plagued and overrun with illegal activities, hundreds of people gathered this summer to celebrate their work to make the community safer.

North Omaha Weed and Seed community residents and organizations have vowed to take a stand and send the message "Stop The Violence." Violence disrupts neighborhoods and destroys families, residents say, and they are no longer tolerating it in their communities or homes.

The Third Annual Communities United Against Violence neighborhood event was held on July 23 in Fontenelle Park to bring the community together in a unified, positive environment for the common goal of living in nonviolent neighborhoods. Sponsors for the day's activities included the North Omaha Weed and Seed site; the U.S. Attorney's Office; Project Safe Neighborhoods; the city of Omaha; the Mayor's Office; the Omaha Police Department; the Douglas County Probation Office, District 4; and Campfire USA. In addition, various private businesses in North Omaha donated money and products for the event.

This year's festivities, which attracted about 900 people, began with a prayer rally led by several North Omaha pastors and ministers. Next, a parade traveled through a major residential neighborhood within the target site and culminated at the park, where staff and volunteers had set up information booths, youth group entertainment, a fire hydrant party, rope climbing, an antigang video presentation, food and drinks, and other activities and resources for area residents. Omaha Police Chief Thomas Warren addressed the crowd with updates on enforcement operations and encouraged residents to continue their reporting and neighborhood restoration efforts. U.S. Attorney Michael Heavican, who had led the parade, encouraged the crowd not to give up hope in their efforts to stop violence. Residents openly demonstrated that they would not accept the kinds of criminal activities currently plaguing various neighborhoods.

During the past several months, a recent flareup of violent events in North Omaha has reinforced the need for continued initiatives, such as Weed and Seed, through which residents can join with community and faith organizations and law enforcement agencies to take back their neighborhoods. North Omaha Weed and Seed will continue to bring forth programs and events to educate residents and to help sustain the energy and drive to improve the community.

Next year, the North Omaha site hopes to double the number of people it drew this year to Fontenelle Park. The site wants to see a continued emphasis placed on prevention, intervention, and treatment programming available for next year and hopes to have more information available about ex-offender reentry programs, along with information about employment opportunities, job preparedness, and educational opportunities for area residents.

For more information, contact:
Andrea Anderson-Lucas
aanderson2@ci.omaha.ne.us

CCDO and the IRS: Additional Partnering Opportunities

CCDO is expanding its working relationship with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) by distributing information to all Weed and Seed sites about additional partnering opportunities. Even if your site does not have its own Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Center, you can help residents access important resources and information that can increase their tax refunds and monthly incomes, sometimes dramatically.

Here are some ideas:

Include local tax coalitions on your Steering Committee or participate as a member of your local tax coalition.
Develop fliers, brochures, posters, bus cards, billboards, grocery bag art, tray liners, and so forth that explain who is eligible for the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), list locations of tax assistance sites, publicize the dates of financial literacy workshops, and so on.
Conduct meetings or outreach events with large companies to encourage them to promote EITC among employees who earn lower wages.
Set up and announce an EITC hotline that residents may call to get basic eligibility information. Design the system so that callers can find the VITA Centers nearest them by keying in a ZIP Code.
Set up an asset-building program (e.g., custodial accounts using Individual Development Accounts). For example, your program could require that participants save at least $20 per month in their accounts and attend financial literacy workshops to reach a defined goal. Upon completion of the program, participants would receive the money they saved, as well as the matching funds.
Obtain donated training space such as school computer labs, and use them to teach volunteers how to prepare and file electronic tax returns.
Use established or obtain donated space in faith-based or neighborhood centers to display self-help information on tax issues.
Produce community newsletters or public service announcements on tax coalition activities.
Recruit or provide volunteers for training classes prior to tax season.
Donate your organization's mailing list for an educational mailing.
Develop a Web site to promote local coalition activities and opportunities.
Plan media events to kick off tax-related seasonal activities.
Donate equipment, supplies, and so forth to tax coalition efforts.
Seek out bilingual volunteers for tax assistance sites.

Interested?

The possibilities for partnering are expanding and the power of tax coalitions is growing nationwide. To discuss partnering opportunities, e-mail partner@irs.gov and let the IRS know how they can help you get started. Also, please peruse the IRS Partner Products and Volunteer Resource Center (http://www.irs.gov/individuals/article/0,,id=111807,00.html) for products, Web sites, and other materials that may help your local partnership work with the IRS.

For more information, contact:
Sonia Klukas
CCDO Partnership Officer
sonia.klukas@usdoj.gov

Resources

Redesigned PSN Web Site Launched
Project Safe Neighborhoods has a new look to its Web site, making it easier to navigate. Check out the media gallery and designated spotlight section.
View it on the Web: http://www.psn.gov/

Reentry

Successful Reentry Through Volunteers and Partnerships
Caridad Palerm and Kathleen Severens, CCDO Staff

Accomplishing any Weed and Seed strategy, especially a reentry program, is easier with additional resources—and resources can mean both funding and human capital. Sites can carry out their reentry programming better when they have extra people who have enthusiasm and passion for the sites' goals, people who are well-trained and want to help others to succeed. AmeriCorps*VISTA members are providing just such capital to CCDO.

VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America), a program of the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), is a network of service programs that connects more than 70,000 members yearly in volunteer service to engage in different types of work. CCDO believes in partnerships such as this one with CNCS as a way to develop more effective and efficient strategies to reduce crime and build healthier communities. CCDO strongly encourages sites to form partnerships with federal, state, and local governments, as well as with foundations and nonprofit organizations. With AmeriCorps*VISTA, CCDO practices what it preaches.

CCDO and CNCS have entered into an agreement to support the development of a multicity prisoner reentry initiative with a focus in Weed and Seed communities. The purpose of the agreement is to reduce ex-offender recidivism and crime and to promote successful reentry by connecting with existing reentry initiatives and leveraging public and private resources for housing, employment, education, life skills, conflict resolution, and mentoring needs. CCDO has the strategy, the experience, and the resources. AmeriCorps*VISTA has the human capital: more than 40 of its volunteers will be participating in this initiative and making a big difference in our communities.

Specifically, VISTA members will—

Develop and expand existing reentry programs and local networks.
Collaborate with existing community resources.
Help sponsoring organizations to design and establish programs and activities that focus on developing successful intervention strategies.
Engage the traditional volunteer community in local reentry initiatives, including developing community volunteer programs to help mentor ex-offenders and their families.
Work with the criminal justice system and prisons to develop reentry program initiatives.
Help develop or strengthen support systems in the community to aid ex-offenders with reintegration.
Engage the faith and secular communities in local reentry initiatives.

In August 2005, CCDO and CNCS held a kickoff conference to introduce the initiative to all the partners engaged in the effort, including U.S. Attorneys' Offices, mayoral offices, sponsoring agencies, Weed and Seed offices, and city reentry initiatives. At the conference, CCDO presented key components of effective prisoner reentry programs in a guide that matches national service programs with Weed and Seed and other citywide reentry programs.

The Weed and Seed VISTA reentry initiative will take place in the following cities based on their capacity to develop effective reentry initiatives and on their ability to deliver on-the-ground volunteer capability: Charleston, SC; Chicago, IL; Cleveland and Columbus, OH; Dallas, TX; Indianapolis, IN; Louisville, KY; Miami, FL; Oakland, CA; Philadelphia, PA; Portland, OR; Providence, RI; and Washington, DC. At this time, CCDO is not expanding the VISTA program to additional sites. To gain a better understanding of the overall context of reentry across all Weed and Seed sites, however, CCDO will survey all 325 Weed and Seed sites to determine the extent of reentry efforts, identify innovative practices, and catalog potential resources for cross-site training and technical assistance.

Many new VISTAs are already working onsite. In Miami, VISTA members are helping to build the capacity of the Weed and Seed's R.E.S.P.E.C.T (Responsibility, Empowerment, Skills, Perspective, Education, Character, Time) program through resource development and community mobilization activities. In Cleveland, they are helping to expand the site's "citizen circles" with a goal of establishing additional circles in the next year. In Indianapolis, VISTA members are helping to implement a comprehensive information and referral system, develop and market a public relations campaign to increase community support for programs for released individuals, and recruit community volunteers to work with offenders before and after they are released. These partnerships with VISTAs, Weed and Seed sites, and city reentry efforts will maximize community resources to help returning offenders succeed.

Reentry is important to all Weed and Seed sites. This multicity initiative is one partnership that will engage volunteers and enhance our capacity to create safer communities.

For more information, contact:
Caridad Palerm
maria.palerm@usdoj.gov

Kathleen Severens
kathleen.severens@usdoj.gov

Have Prison, Need Reentry

Only 8 miles away, the prison on the outskirts of Providence, RI, is a constant reminder to Solangel Rodriguez of the need to convince people that reentry services are essential not only to ex-offenders but to the city as well.

As the Executive Director of the Rhode Island Family Life Center, Rodriguez often must outline the complexities of reentry programming for everyone from government officials to residents. She must explain that, in addition to the nearby prison's visible impact on the community, it also brings about more interaction among ex-offenders and residents than occurs in most cities. The statistics are sobering: 38 percent of the state's sentenced population comes from Providence, and the proportion of adult males incarcerated varies widely by neighborhood. The annual cost of incarcerating offenders from Providence alone exceeds $32 million. In more than half of the city's neighborhoods, at least 1 in 10 adult males is currently on probation or parole.

With high unemployment rates and a shortage of affordable housing, ex-offenders face many challenges when they are released. In the past, community groups may not have been excluding them as a group, Rodriguez noted, but they were not reaching out to them either.

The center was formed when a coalition of churches and community-based organizations came together with corrections officials to address the impact of disproportionate incarceration on the community. Today, the center's reentry program uses a holistic, family-based approach to support offenders as they prepare to leave prison, return home, and build stable lives in the community. Work with clients begins while they are still incarcerated; later, the center functions as a one-stop resource for ex-offenders and their families.

The center, which describes itself as a community-government partnership, works very closely with Weed and Seed to develop housing programs and plans for permanent supportive housing. The mission of the center meshes well with the Weed and Seed strategy. It not only advocates for ex-offenders and their families, but also promotes policies that improve overall community safety by reducing recidivism, removing barriers to reintegration, and focusing on crime prevention. For example, in a "big picture" sense, it works with government officials to change welfare policies to make them fair for ex-offenders; on a small scale, it provides space for GED classes and job training. The Weed and Seed site plays a coordinating role in connecting the center with different neighborhoods.

The center is proud to be located in the community, which allows ex-offenders to receive services in a familiar and welcoming environment where they are not judged and where they feel safe. "People are happy to know we're in the community to do this work," Rodriguez said. Staff members use crime mapping and other data to publicize the center's results to the local community. These community education efforts pay off: residents are receptive and likely to help out, thereby allowing the center to leverage resources.

The center has had to adapt its approach in just the short 2½ years since it opened its doors. Case management funding from the Serious and Violent Offender Reentry Initiative has already ended, necessitating a shift from long-term case management to a more intense caseload structure that Rodriguez finds more challenging. "We have to do a lot more in a shorter period of time," she said.

Providence was chosen to be part of a 12-city joint national service project to support reentry, housing, employment, and mentoring initiatives through a CCDO/Corporation for National and Community Service initiative. The city has three AmeriCorps*VISTA members who are conducting research on microbusinesses as well as cognitive restructuring to find out what works and incorporate it into case management. The members also work on grant writing and database management.

"Our whole mission is to work with and for incarcerated individuals," she said. "We never turn them away."

For more information, contact:
Solangel Rodriguez
solrodriguez@ri-familylifecenter.org

Resources

Many Jail Inmates Have Substance Dependence or Abuse Issues
Substance Dependence, Abuse, and Treatment of Jail Inmates, 2002 outlines the results from the 2002 Survey of Inmates in Local Jails that measured inmates' dependence on and prior use and abuse of alcohol and illegal drugs. The report also provides data on substance abuse treatment and inmates' participation in programs before and after entering jail.
View it on the Web: http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/abstract/sdatji02.htm

American Indian/Alaska Native

Alaska Villages Want To Lead Reentry Efforts

In rural Alaskan villages, the problem of ex-offenders returning to their homes without proper assistance is not going to go away, warns a grassroots group, and sooner or later the citizens should be able to help their own.

Alaska Natives constitute 19 percent of the general state population but more than 46 percent of all arrests and incarcerations statewide. According to a 2003 Alaska Department of Corrections (DOC) prisoner profile, approximately 40 percent of DOC prisoners are Alaska Natives, many of whom are incarcerated for alcohol- and/or drug-related crimes and who have co-occurring mental health problems.

Consistent transition planning for incarcerated Alaska Natives throughout the Alaska DOC system is lacking, according to Rose Domnick, a former corrections officer turned advocate for ex-offenders. Domnick feels that the state has not been paying enough attention to the problem, so she and several others formed the Alaska Native Offender Transitional Task Force in February 2004.

The main goal of the task force—which is made up of various tribal health organizations, the Alaska DOC, social service agencies, and individuals representing the substance abuse and treatment field—is to develop a statewide referral and case management system to address the needs of Alaska Native ex-offenders. The Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium (ANTHC), which works with regional health organizations, provides in-kind support for the task force, and Domnick is talking with ANTHC about creating a liaison position. Domnick also is looking into the possibility of working with Weed and Seed.

The task force realizes that offenders need financial support for housing, employment, and health care needs; counseling services; and other needs that affect the offenders' relationships with family, friends, and their communities.

Another major obstacle to helping ex-offenders, Domnick explains, is that whatever services are available are often in urban areas far from the offenders' homes. Rural villages are spread out over 12 regions, and anywhere from 100 to 1,000 people live in each village. Most are like outposts with no roads, and the only way to reach them is by small plane.

In addition, available services usually do not include cultural traditions that can be an important part of a person's rehabilitation. Different villages have different languages, and villages work to maintain their independence. State and federal agents generally lack an understanding of what culturally relevant language to use in policies and regulations and which culturally appropriate treatment, services, or responses should be used, she said.

The task force does not want experts to go out to the villages but instead is pushing for real policy changes so the state would certify village counselors. "If an offender returns to a village and there's an elder counselor, then that individual should be recognized," Domnick said. "Otherwise these people won't receive anything and the behavior won't change."

People in the village not only have a vested interest in working with the offenders and their families because of personal relationships, Domnick explained, but fellow villagers can overcome many barriers—whether they are related to language, culture, or beliefs—that outsiders simply cannot.

Domnick told a story about an ex-offender who returned to his village with substance abuse problems that no one had been able to resolve. She and other counselors discussed with him the American Indian belief and value systems taught by the elders, showing him that he was being disrespectful of those very systems. The returning offender said he never considered his behavior in that light and has since stopped his substance abuse. "No highly paid certified counselor could reach him like we could," Domnick said.

Domnick wants the state to pay for the services that ex-offenders require, but she emphasizes that locals must be in charge to find ways to incorporate the Alaska Native elements of language, ways of life, cultural traditions, elder knowledge, and wisdom into treatment. "Things are not going to change unless we deal with our own issues," she said.

Domnick hopes to have a demonstration project ready for 2006.

For more information, contact:
Rose Domnick
rdomnick@gci.net

CIRCLE Project Says Tribes Can Develop Solutions to Crime Problems

In 1998, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) invited the Oglala Sioux Tribe of South Dakota, the Northern Cheyenne Tribe of Montana, and the Pueblo of Zuni of New Mexico to participate in a project supporting tribal efforts to enhance the safety and protection of American Indian women and children.

American Indians experience violent crime at a rate that is twice that of the general population. Tribal law enforcement agencies report high rates of domestic violence, child abuse, aggravated assaults, and violent crime strongly correlated with alcohol abuse. To address these problems, the CIRCLE (Comprehensive Indian Resources for Community and Law Enforcement) Project was born.

Through CIRCLE, financial support and technical assistance are provided to participating tribal governments for services and efforts dealing with crime prevention, victims, community policing, criminal investigation, prosecution, tribal courts, probation, and detention and alternative sentencing. The three primary objectives are to coordinate DOJ programs, promote an intertribal exchange of ideas and experiences, and develop a comprehensive planning and implementation process.

The CIRCLE Project is based on two key principles. First, with assistance from the federal government, participating tribal communities develop and implement crime, violence, and drug control efforts as well as victims' services. Second, the communities address problems through a comprehensive approach that incorporates coordinated and multidisciplinary efforts.

The CIRCLE Project grew out of the Indian Country Law Enforcement Initiative. The initiative is a cooperative effort between the U.S. Department of the Interior and DOJ—the two departments that provide funding for law enforcement in Indian Country. It is designed to increase coordination among the various components of both departments and enhance resources for responding to crime in Indian communities. At the core of both the initiative and the CIRCLE Project is a commitment to improving tribal-federal relations.

Participating tribes prepare a single comprehensive crime and violence control strategy that incorporates seven grant programs into a single application, and then a single award is made to each tribe. Funds are provided by the following offices:

The Bureau of Justice Assistance provides support to tribal CIRCLE Project coordinators who work with key tribal decisionmakers to craft and implement a strategy and to use funds to enhance tribal courts.

Corrections Program Office funds are used to build jails or detention facilities.

Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention funds are used to improve the tribal juvenile justice system and to implement prevention programs.

Office for Victims of Crime funds are used to support specific victim services such as counseling, court advocacy, or emergency transportation and to address child and elder abuse.

Violence Against Women Office funds are used to implement a coordinated community response partnership between the tribal criminal justice system and local victim service providers to better address violent crimes committed against women.

Office of Community Oriented Policing Services funds are used to hire new officers, purchase equipment and vehicles, and support background investigations and training activities.

Each tribe has a tribal CIRCLE coordinator who oversees project activities and works closely with DOJ and the tribal criminal justice system to prepare the grant application and to implement the tribe's crime and violence control strategies.

Findings from phase 1 of the CIRCLE project evaluation are now available in Strengthening and Rebuilding Tribal Justice Systems: Learning From History and Looking Towards the Future:

Executive Summary (http://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/210892.pdf).
Final Report (http://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/210893.pdf).

DOJ continues to evaluate the project and will use the lessons it learns to inform future collaborative initiatives, current tribal affairs in grant making, and capacity building within the tribes.

For further information, contact:
Norena Henry
Norena.henry@usdoj.gov

Resources

Model Programs That Help American Indians
Victim Services: Promising Practices in Indian Country describes 12 programs designed to meet the needs of victims of violence and domestic and family abuse in Indian Country.
View it on the Web: http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/ovc/publications/infores/victimsrvsindian_country2004/welcome.html