Excerpts reprinted from Council of State Governments Justice Center
Idaho Governor Brad Little recently toured the newly opened Connection and Intervention Station in Boise—a center he championed to help provide structure and resources for people on community supervision. Gov. Little participated in a group discussion with Connection and Intervention Station participants, people in reentry, and Idaho Department of Correction staff to learn more about their experiences with community supervision.
During his visit, Gov. Little learned more about the recent pandemic-related changes to supervision that keep staff and clients safe while ensuring that clients continue to make progress, including leveraging technology to support remote supervision.
“If I put a dollar into corrections that stops recidivism and changes people’s lives, that’s a dollar that’s going to pay off for years.”
Brad Little, Idaho Governor
The Face to Face initiative challenges all policymakers to publicly engage with people in these situations by participating in a series of public activities through which they can interact with people who are in prison or jail, corrections officers, victims of crime, and others who have firsthand experience with the criminal justice system. The initiative was launched in August 2017 by the National Reentry Resource Center and the CSG Justice Center in partnership with the Association of State Correctional Administrators, JustLeadershipUSA, and the National Center for Victims of Crime.
GEO Reentry opened CIS offices in Boise, Coeur d’Alene, Idaho Falls and Twin Falls. Participants at a CIS undergo multi-phase evidence-based programming that includes an individualized behavior change plan to address criminogenic risks and needs; access to community resources for employment, education, housing and more; case management and counseling; and classes that encourage them to confront their beliefs and practice pro-social decision-making.
These centers serve more than 2,000 participants annually in four distinct regions of the state. GEO Reentry staff closely monitor the behavior of participants, who are referred by their supervising DOC officers, to help them break the cycle of repeat criminal behavior.
Portions of this blog post originated from an article by Brenna Callahan, Public Affairs Manager, Communications and External Affairs with the Justice Center Council of State Governments.