Pre-Release and Reentry Services
Community Advisory Committee Meeting Minutes

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PRRS Chief Office

Attendance:

Committee Members and Guests Attendance:

Introductions

Stefan LoBuglio welcome the group

Agenda

1.  Welcome and Introductions:  Stefan LoBuglio, PRRS
2.   PRRS Chief’s Report:  Stefan LoBuglio
3.   Report from PRRS Community Advisory Board Sub-Committees
      -       Membership
      -       Community Outreach
      -       Research
4.   Winning Fathers Program (A federally-funded parenting program)
5.   Recidivism Study (Funded by the Governor’s Office on Crime Control and Prevention)
6.   Meeting Dates for 2008: 
     -       Thursday, April 24th at 7:30 A.M.
     -       Thursday, July 31st at 7:30 A.M.
     -       Thursday, October 30th at 7:30 A.M.
     -       Thursday, December 18th at 7:30 A.M.
7.   Adjournment

Agenda Item No. 1 - Welcome and Introductions :  In the absence of Chairperson John Lavigne, PRRS Division Chief Stefan LoBuglio called the meeting to order at 7:35 A.M.  The Committee members introduced themselves.  Mr. and Mrs. John E. Jones, Jr. introduced themselves and stated they had come to the meeting to see what the program was like as their son would soon be coming to the Pre-Release Center.

Agenda Item No. 2 - PRRS Division Chief’s Report:   PRRS Division Chief Stefan LoBuglio highlighted a few of the items from his “Chief’s Report” which provided an update on PRRS activities and developments since the last Community Advisory Board Meeting on December 6, 2007

• Chief LoBuglio announced the retirements of several senior staff at PRRS:  Unit Manager Jane Sachs after 30 years of service;  Support Services Manager Eleanor Walker after 22 years of service; and Unit Manager Marsha Engel after 18 years. 
• Federal Bureau of Prison Monitoring Audit:  On January 24th, Acting FBOP Community Corrections Manager Bill Cimino and staff conducted a routine monitoring visit.  Mr. Cimino called Chief LoBuglio after his visit and provided a favorable oral summary of his findings. 

• Meeting with Parole and Probation:  On January 14th, PRRS staff met with Parole and Probation representatives Robert Ulino, Amy Bransford, and Claudette Hall.  How information could be shared between the two agencies was discussed to expedite released residents success in the community. 
• The Welcome Home Program has forty-two volunteers who have made commitments to being mentors, teaching computer skills (including job searching and resumes), and helping residents prepare for their GED.  The program came from a vision from Father Michael Bryant and Msgr. Ralph Kuehner knowing that offenders face many challenges and need assistance in getting not only jobs, but housing and a stable support system.

Agenda Item No. 3 – Reports from Community Advisory Sub-Committees:   No reports    

Agenda Item No. 4 – Winning Fathers Program:   Montgomery County Health and Human Services Child Welfare Services staff are collaborating with PRRS on a pilot program to work with residents, their partners, and their children to assist them to become successful in their communication and relationships with their children.  This is a federally funded parenting program and PRRS will serve as the only pre-release pilot in the state if not the country.  PRC staff have kept in contact with some of the ex-residents and hope to make this program a meeting place where they can come, discuss fatherhood, and be comfortable.  The plans for the program are not complete and it will be about three to six months before the first meeting.  In the meanwhile, PRS and HHS are working on gathering the fathers to participate in the program.  It is hoped that this program will create an additional support system in the fathers’ and their children’s lives.  Many of the parents are not married and some have children with more than one woman – this situation does create major child support problems.  Their data shows that approximately seventy percent of offenders in the criminal justice system have children. 

Reverend Warner mentioned that his church held a summer camp last June (one week) for twenty-four underprivileged children and hopes to double the number this year. The camp staff includes volunteers, a psychologist, and Rev. Warner.

Committee member Eric Brenner is actively pursuing a grant for a study of children of the incarcerated.  

Agenda Item No. 5 – Recidivism Study :  Assessment Services Manager Teresa Still and Division Chief LoBuglio developed a methodology to conduct a recidivism study that was presented to the County Council last July.  PRRS learned that the Governor’s Office of Crime Control and Prevention has provided $80,000 to fund a consulting firm to conduct this study on our behalf.    The study will track the post-release criminal history of approximately 300 males and 300 females sentenced inmates released in 2003/2004.  It will report on recidivism rates, and the types of new crimes or repeaters of the same crimes.  Significantly, the study will produce a baseline for future predictions.  The consulting firm, Justice Strategies and Solutions is led by Craig Uchida, a former Director of Research with the National Institute of Corrections and involves Associate Professor Anne Piehl (Rutgers University) and Dr. Shawn Flower (Choice Research Association) who are leading experts in correctional recidivism studies.    The study will be completed by September 2008.  During the Board meeting, a board member asked if it would be possible to track employment records – and Chief LoBuglio indicated that this would be beyond the scope of the current study but worth pursing in the future. 

Agenda Item No. 6 – Meeting Dates for 2008 : 

• Thursday, April 24th at 7:30 A.M.
• Thursday, July 31st at 7:30 A.M.
• Thursday, October 30th at 7:30 A.M.
• Thursday, December 18th at 7:30 A.M.

Agenda Item No. 7 – Adjournment :  The meeting adjourned at 9:05 A.M.