Policy

To decrease the strain on the Wyoming Department of Correction’s budget and reverse the trend of increasing incarceration of the state’s citizens, the Wyoming Legislature has invited the assistance of the Council of State Governments Justice Center (CSGJC) to make recommendations for changes in Wyoming’s criminal justice system. The Council of State Governments is a national organization dedicated to helping state and local governments operate more effectively. 

TReND Wyoming endorses CSGJC’s policy change recommendations, which are complimentary reforms in probation and parole implementation on the one hand, and community-based treatment and support services on the other. Both approaches are needed to make either one successful.

CSGJC policy change recommendations advocated by TReND Wyoming include:

  • Expanding the availability of timely, evidence-based treatment for people on probation and parole who have substance addictions and/or mental illnesses across Wyoming. 
  • Providing the necessary intensity of specialized evidence-based community substance addiction and/or mental health treatment for people on probation and parole across Wyoming. 
  • Developing care coordination, peer supports, and transportation plans to facilitate treatment that are tailored to different regional needs across the state. 
  • Creating a swift and more seamless continuity of care for people transitioning from incarceration to the community. 
  • Improving coordination between probation and parole field offices and community health and substance use centers by instituting coordinated, collaborative case plans focused on pro-social behavioral change. 
  • Prioritizing individuals at high risk to fail on supervision and have a greater need for treatment.
  • Focusing probation and parole resources and programming on individuals at greatest risk of failing on supervision.
  • Setting maximum probation and parole terms to 3.5 years. 
  • Holding people on state supervision accountable with swift, certain, but proportional sanctions.
  • Helping crime victims receive coverage for expenses resulting from mental health services.

Additionally, TReND Wyoming advocates that:

  • Sanctions for those who violate the conditions of their parole or probation need to include options that do not involve jail time, which in most cases leads to a loss of employment and to the demoralizing challenges that result from that loss. An example of a non-jail sanction is monitored home confinement. Intermediate sanctions should be designed to restrict recreational and social activities, but allow for employment and substance abuse treatment. If incarceration is necessary, weekend or work-release jail sanctions should be implemented to avoid loss of employment. For unemployed individuals, home confinement except to attend verified job-searching activities should be an option. 
  • Oversight and coordination of behavioral, peer support, and related community-based support programs should be under the governance of the Wyoming Department of Labor, Health, and Social Services. 
  • A committee comprised of members from both the public and private sectors should be established to oversee planning, implementation, and continued monitoring, of support services and programs. No less than one-half of the committee members shall be formerly-incarcerated and recovering individuals from the private sector. 
  • A system of data collection should be established for the purpose of evaluating both the use and effectiveness of justice reinvestment programs as measured against those cases where justice reinvestment programs were not used. The system of data collection and analysis should comply with state and federal laws governing confidentiality and disclosure of personal health information. 

References

Adu-Num, R., Call, G.B., D’Amora, D.A., Kisela, J., Pelka, M., & Weckerly, E. (2018) Presentation before the Wyoming Joint Judiciary Interim Committee, November 15-16, 2018. New York, NY: Council of State Governments Justice Center. Retrieved from https://csgjusticecenter.org.

Adu-Num, R., Call, G.B., Kisela, J., Pelka, M., & Weckerly, E. (2018) Presentation before the Wyoming Joint Judiciary Interim Committee, September 20-21, 2018. New York, NY: Council of State Governments Justice Center. Retrieved from https://www.wyoleg.gov.

Easton, C. J., Crane, C. A., & Mandel, D. (2018). A randomized controlled trial assessing the efficacy of cognitive behavioral therapy for substance‐dependent domestic violence offenders: An integrated substance abuse‐domestic violence treatment approach (SADV). Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 44(3), 483-498. doi:10.1111/jmft.12260

Herman, C. (2018, September 19). County jails struggle to treat mentally ill inmates. Retrieved from https://www.npr.org.

Lurigio, A.J. (2011). People with serious mental illness in the criminal justice system: Causes, consequences, and correctives. The Prison Journal, 91(3_suppl), 66S-86S. doi:10.1177/0032885511415226

Mulvey, E.P., & Schubert, C.A. (2015). The sequential intercept model as a platform for data-driven practice and policy. In P.A. Griffin, K. Heilbrun, E.P. Mulvey, D. DeMatteo, & C.A. Schubert (Eds.), The sequential intercept model and criminal justice: Promoting community alternatives for individuals with serious mental illness(217-238). New York, NY: Oxford University Press.

National Association of Social Workers (NASW). (2013). A Social Work Perspective on Drug Policy Reform: Public Health Approach. Washington, D.C. Retrieved from https://www.drugpolicy.org.

Ray, B., Grommon, E., Buchanan, V., Brown, B., & Watson, D.P. (2017). Access to recovery and recidivism among former prison inmates. International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, 61(8), 874-893. doi:10.1177/0306624X15606688

Riger, S., Bennett, L. W., & Sigurvinsdottir, R. (2014). Barriers to addressing substance abuse in domestic violence court. American Journal of Community Psychology, 53(1), 208-217. doi:10.1007/s10464-014-9636-4

Sanderson, S. (2018, Jul 1). As the nation’s incarceration rate falls, Wyoming’s is headed in the other direction.Casper Star Tribune. Retrieved from https://trib.com.

Smyth, J.M. (2009). From arrest to reintegration: A model for mitigating collateral consequences of criminal proceedings. Criminal Justice, 24(3), 42-55. Retrieved from http://libproxy.uwyo.edu.

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2014). Trauma-informed care in behavioral health services. Treatment improvement protocol (TIP) series 57. HHS Publication No. (SMA) 13-4801. Rockville, MD: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Retrieved from https://store.samhsa.gov.

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2005). Substance abuse treatment for persons with co-occurring disorders. Treatment improvement protocol (TIP) series 42 (Revised 2013). HHS Publication No. (SMA) 13-3992. Rockville, MD: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Retrieved from https://store.samhsa.gov.

The Pew Charitable Trusts. (2018, July 11). Thirty-five states reform criminal justice policies through justice reinvestment: Legislative action aims to increase public safety return on corrections spending. Retrieved from The Pew Charitable Trusts website: https://www.pewtrusts.org.

Wagner, P., Sawyer, W. (2018). Mass incarceration: The whole pie 2018. Prison Policy Initiative. Retrieved from https://www.prisonpolicy.org.

Washington State Institute for Public Policy. (2019) Outpatient or non-intensive drug treatment in the community. Retrieved from http://www.wsipp.wa.gov.

Wyoming Joint Judiciary Interim Committee. (2018, September 20). Videocast retrieved from https://www.youtube.com.

Wyoming Joint Judiciary Interim Committee. (2018, September 21). Videocast retrieved from https://www.youtube.com.