Reentry Conference Draws 300 DOC Employees

"This isn't about Democrats or Republicans or the flavor of the month. This is about public safety." Former Missouri Department of Corrections (DOC) Director Gary Kempker delivered that message to about 300 upper level DOC managers and administrators at a Reentry conference in downtown St. Louis hosted by the Department. The conference ran from June 4-6 and was titled "Missouri Reentry Process: Celebrating Success and Planning for the Future." Kempker works for the Center for Effective Public Policy, which conducted the training.

Missouri Supreme Court Judge Michael Wolff delivered the keynote address at the conference. Wolff told the audience that Missouri's prison population has dropped by 700 since 2005, when the Sentencing Assessment Report (SAR) system began. Wolff credited the cooperative efforts of the Department of Corrections and the Missouri Sentencing Advisory Commission, as well as the Missouri Reentry Process.

Wolff said he prefers community-based sanctions for non-violent offenders. He notes about half of the prisoners in the Missouri DOC have been convicted of violent offenses, while the other half were convicted of non-violent offenses. Wolff supports evaluating sentencing outcomes.

"Prison should be reserved for people we're afraid of, not for people we're mad at," Wolff said.

Department Director Larry Crawford, Deputy Director David Rost, Division of Adult Institutions (DAI) Director Tom Clements, Division of Offender Rehabilitative Services (DORS) Director Dr. Mariann Atwell, Division of Human Services (DHS) Director Vicki Myers and Missouri Probation and Parole (P&P) Board Chairman Steve Long participated in the conference, along with employees from every division. Every Warden attended, as well as all seven members of the Parole Board. A grant from the JEHT Foundation helped to fund the conference. The grant was received by the Department this year, and was earmarked for training 300 upper level managers and administrators about Reentry. There were presentations on numerous issues, including Reentry issues and case management, sex offenders and Reentry, motivating staff, the role of the faith-based community and the role of the Parole Board.

"The Reentry Conference gave the Department's leadership an opportunity to learn and gain knowledge regarding the importance of evidence-based practices in Corrections," Department Reentry Manager Julie Boehm told the Horizon. "This, in turn, will pave the path for safer communities and enhanced public safety."

Governor Matt Blunt signed a 2005 executive order creating the Missouri Reentry Process (MRP), which is a national model. MRP promotes an efficient, effective and coordinated effort to make the transition from prison a success. Governor Blunt presented the Service Excellence Award to the Missouri Department of Corrections during the 2007 Governor's Conference on Economic Development. The Service Excellence Award was presented to the MRP to recognize collaborative excellence by a group of partners who have designed service excellence initiatives that have effectively served unique populations in the workforce system.

One of the biggest issues facing the Department is the successful management of offenders in prison and under supervision, and the early results of MRP are encouraging. There are currently 30,048 prisoners in Missouri, while approximately 70,000 are on probation or parole. Since the Reentry process began in July 2005, there have been over 6,800 offenders released who have completed the process during a five to six month stay in a Transitional Housing Unit. The recidivism rate after 12 months for those offenders is 11 percent lower than other offenders released in the same time period (24 percent compared to 35 percent). MRP is one of the Department of Corrections' initiatives credited with reducing the overall recidivism rate of all offenders released since July 2005. From Fiscal Year 2005, the 12-month recidivism rate has declined from 35 to 31 percent for offenders who were released in Fiscal Year 2007.

"Because recidivism is a threat to public safety and a burden on taxpayers, it's crucial for the Department to continue to enhance our efforts to assist offenders to become successful," said Crawford. "I take pride in the progress of the Missouri Reentry Process and am committed to furthering this philosophical change in the way we do business."

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