TRANSITION PROJECT (OR)

Program Description
According to the Oregon Department of Corrections (DOC), about 300 prisoners are released each month in Oregon. In 1999, the DOC established a steering committee comprised of staff from the county community corrections offices, the parole board, sheriff's department, victims' advocates, and other state and local agencies to develop a reentry plan for the state. The Transition Project evolved from these discussions and now has more than 300 people from over 70 agencies working in Oregon to improve outcomes for individuals who were formerly incarcerated.

The purpose of the Transition Project is to begin planning for an individual's reentry at the time of sentencing in order to ensure a successful reintegration upon release from prison. Once an offender is sentenced, s/he receives a comprehensive assessment; a collaborative team of corrections, courts, service providers, and family members work to develop his/ her transition and supervision plan. In order to increase communication and networking, the information in the assessment and transition plan will be shared with all relevant parties. This is done so that if the participant enters an education program, staff will be aware that the individual completed a substance abuse program six months ago. At about 12 months, individuals are transported to a regional reentry institution. While there, offenders attend intensive classes and treatment sessions. Issues such as housing and clothing are also addressed prior to release.

Under the umbrella of the Transition Project, the Children of Incarcerated Parents Project was created in February 2000 to address the needs of children with incarcerated parents. This project includes an on-call child advocate, a family orientation, therapeutic visitation, a child-friendly prison system, and a transition process plan to ease the return home of the parent. A major component of the DOC's children's program is its partnership with the Oregon Social Learning Center. This partnership was established in order to create an educational parenting program aimed at the needs of incarcerated parents and their children. The parenting program, which specifically targets the prisoner population, includes an intensive 36-session course on topics such as child development and discipline. The program also emphasizes hands-on learning by holding supervised family visitation sessions with prisoners and their children.

Program Goals
The goals of the project are to increase public safety and reduce recidivism. Examples of specific objectives for the program include the following:

Networking, Partnering, and Collaboration
A steering committee was formed in 1999 in order to increase collaboration between criminal justice agencies and community partners. The committee was made up of staff from the corrections department, law enforcement, members of the Board of Parole and Post-Prison Supervision, and other human service agencies. Since its inception, more networks have been created. Some examples of the Department of Corrections' partners include crime victims, county community correction departments, state and local social service agencies, nonprofit organizations, sheriffs' departments and jails, colleges and universities, courts, federal agencies, and community volunteers.

Outcomes
The Oregon Department of Corrections plans to collect data to track the outcomes listed above.

Click here for a PDF of all Public Safety Sample Programs(220k)