Introduction to the Community Resources for Justice Strategic Plan

Getting to great

Community Resources for Justice, Inc.

Strategic Plan

2005-2008

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements (Type in on top of page 3?)

3

Introduction

4

Strategic Planning Themes from the Field Meetings

10

Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats Analysis

14

Mission, Vision, Values, Corporate Goals and Guiding Principles

18

Corporate Initiatives Plans

22

Finance and Growth

23

Treatment Culture

29

Division Plans

32

Advancement

33

Crime and Justice Institute

38

Program Department Plans

45

Adult Correctional Services

46

Community Strategies

51

Youth Services

57

Administrative Department Plans

60

Standards and Quality Assurance

61

Fiscal/Administration

66

Technological Services

84

Many people worked very hard to develop this plan over the past year. In all, over 200 employees gave input into the contents either through planning groups or through staff discussions. At the risk of leaving people out, we would like to thank the following people for their commitment to the process and the work they contributed to the product.

The PSI Forum that lead the process:

Bill Coughlin, Chair John Larivee Elyse Clawson Kathleen Zawasky

Mitch Gordon Bill Briand Liz Curtin Susan Jenness Phillips

Eric Scharf Deborah Hopkins Bill Barnes Elaine Keane Sergio Reyes

The Program and Professional Staff who contributed to the plan:

John Bujak John Sullivan Shannon Mountain Ray Michelle McCormack

Mike Tausek Heidi Nagel Margareta Winnell Terry Burch Leslie Nelson

Phil Cyr Cheryl Roberts Lore Joplin Kate Florio Howard Jardine

JC Swenson Shawn Webb James ChristianBrenda O’Donnell Brian Murphy

Peggy LucienDanielle DiCarlo MonDerrick Willis Lorie Burrell-Jones

Maria Alexson Natalie RiceShane Gooding Zarina Gildenberg

Anna Milewska SiminBakhtiar Rafael Medina Sandy Moore

The Program Teams that engaged in the staff dialogues:

Crime and Justice Institute Administrative Team Brooke House Coolidge House

McGrath House Ambrose House Sargent House Somerville Transition Shelter

Watson House CSNH Program Team Abington Residence Bellingham Residence Brookfield Residence Franklin Residence Hubbardston Residence Leominster Residence Milford Residence Paxton Residence Winchendon/Alger St. Residence Winchendon/Teel Rd. Residence Westboro Residence Wrentham Residence

Community Resources for Justice, Inc.

Strategic Plan

Introduction

Introduction to the Community Resources for Justice Strategic Plan

FY 2005-FY 2008

Simply put, we at CRJ are working to be the best in the world at what we do. By that we mean that we want to be best in the world at making operational those practices that have been shown by evidence to be most effective for adult and youthful offenders and those with dual-diagnosed or forensic developmental disabilities to live safely and productively in the community.

The purpose of this strategic plan is to outline the path we need to take to get us there. This will not be an easy path, many obstacles face us. But we also have a vast number of strengths to aid us.

Our view of the environment in which we will operate includes these primary elements:

· Community-based services

Our programs need to provide services that anchor our clients and consumers to their communities. This will likely mean that we must build on our strengths in residential services and case management and develop an expertise in services and programs that will continue to support as they move toward independent living in the community of their choice. The emphasis on reentry and independent living in least restrictive environments will continue. A wider variety of programmatic models will need to be employed and, in some cases, a different set of skills will be required of our employees. We will need to continue to develop deep ties to community-based service providers and support the development of such providers when there are service or quality gaps in the communities we serve.

· An increase in the challenge our clients and consumers present

We are already seeing an increase in mental health and substance abuse issues among our current population. Due to the government policies and economic climate in the areas we serve, we see that continuing or even increasing. This means we must put a greater emphasis on treatment than we have in the past. We will need to improve our in-house treatment capacity both through the involvement of treatment professionals in programming and in the development of collaborative relationships with community treatment programs that are proven to work. We will also need to provide our staff with the skills and technology tools for them to successfully work with this more challenging population. And we will have to be ever vigilant for new models, practices and technologies that are proving to be successful with these individuals.

· The economic and political climate will not likely result in much growth in the revenues to be put toward human services and innovative programming

While there are some indications that there is an increased awareness of the need and economic wisdom of putting additional revenues in the area of Community Corrections (the new Parole Initiative in MA being a positive signal in that direction), there are few such indications of this being true in Human services elsewhere in our region. New Hampshire, for example, continues to plan for cuts and cost-savings. In MA, revenue increases have come after hard-fought political battles and have not grown to meet the current needs. Within the state government bureaucracies, there is much effort to reform contracting procedures and move toward standardized rates for services, climates that do not lend themselves to innovation and experimental services. Moreover, there also appears to be a movement toward consolidation of non-profits and increased competition among them. This can be a benefit and a constraint for CRJ. It opens the field and allows us to compete for contracts that we may not have been considered for previously. It supports our effort to use proven evidenced based and best practices to operate our programs and functions. With potentially fewer agencies having the funds to operate in the community, it increases the need for CRJ to develop in-house capacity where previously we could contract out to service partners. Fewer agencies can improve our position in the competition for high-quality staff.

This trend does, however, require that we operate in the most cost-effective manner possible. Fewer “cash cow” programs can be used to support innovative programming. Margins will be less so we will have to emphasize effective fiscal management in every program. We will be less able to nurture financially costly programs. We will need to fund these experiments through our fundraising efforts from private sources. We will need to be skilled negotiators and advocates in our contracts and proposals. And we will need to perform at the highest level of quality to justify the potentially more costly nature of our services.

· Much of the growth over the next three to five years will likely come in the adult corrections area

The increase in prison populations due to harsher sentencing provisions has driven up the cost of corrections dramatically. Conservative policy makers are looking for cost effective ways to manage this growing expense. More liberal policy makers are concerned about programs that will prepare people for life after prison. This confluence of interests is centering on reentry initiatives. This has been true in respect to the rhetoric for a number of years. What appears to be changing is that funds to support these programs are beginning to back up this talk. Recent conversations with people in the New England region indicate an increased interest in quality community corrections efforts in MA, CT, NH and RI.

CRJ, because of its long history of providing both advocacy and quality programming in this area, is a recognized leader in this area. The recent high-quality and high-profile work of CJI in Reentry Advocacy solidifies our position. This will likely mean a significant expansion of the Adult Corrections Department in terms of the number of programs, amount of revenues and the geographic breadth of the Department.

But the impact of this trend affects our Youth Services and Developmental Disabilities Departments as well. Costly residential schools and programs are likely to be targeted by Social Services in MA and community-based day programming and possibly court-diversion programs will receive greater emphasis if they can be shown to be effective in assisting youth to successfully reunite with their family or live independently in the community. Cost-effective programs that will successfully fill the service gaps for girls in the juvenile justice system will receive funding in MA in the next year. Similarly, cost-effective programs to fill the service gaps for developmentally disabled individuals with forensic involvement are a high interest in MA and NH. The care and treatment of sex offenders in the community remains a high priority almost everywhere. These are areas where our experience and reputation are also strong. While the funds to operate programs in these areas do not seem to be as readily available, we do see some opportunity there for new work.

· We will need to increase our fundraising revenues significantly in order to compete.

With tighter government budgets, contract margin and indirect rates will become tighter as well. Our endowment, once considered strong in relation to the total revenues of the organization, as not kept pace with the growth of the agency. In order to compete, we must develop other sources of revenues to support many of the things we need to do to become the best. A multi-faceted development plan, involving planned giving, foundation and corporate support, capital fund campaigns, events and individual giving, must be implemented both to support the development of the agency’s infrastructure as well as to grow the endowment over time. CRJ has started this process through the creation of the Development Office and the hiring of the Chief Advancement Officer.

· Locating programs will continue to be a significant challenge

While the move of Brooke House in 2003 came with much support from the community, the experiences in Wrentham, MA and Manchester, NH tell us that finding program locations will remain a difficult challenge. Zoning for residential programs will be costly—either in the premium we will be forced to pay for zoned facilities and/or in the high legal fees to get high-quality attorneys to plead our cause. We have seen legislation proposed to curtail our ability to acquire facilities for our DD programs and increased media interest in who lives in these residences.

Again, this provides CRJ both an opportunity and a challenge. Our current portfolio of real estate is one of our strongest assets, especially our metro-Boston portfolio. The cost and the availability of buildings like Brooke at Park Drive or Ambrose and Sargent Houses limit the ability of others to compete in that market. On the other side, outside of Boston, we can anticipate growth will come at a potentially high cost. We will need to become very skilled both in our ability to identify and acquire high-quality new property and in the maintenance of our current real estate portfolio.

It also means that we should be very wise on how we use our existing residential portfolio. In many ways, this difficulty to site new programs creates a seller’s market. If our contracts do not afford or support our effort to provide best-in-the-world services and programs, we should be seeking new contracts that will support those efforts. If current contract utilization does not support programs in existing facilities, we should be searching for contracts that will. Running programs in these facilities that do not support our hedgehog concept and/or are not financially viable, wastes the valuable advantage our properly zoned properties give us.

· Having a highly-skilled, stable workforce is critical to CRJ’s ability to be best in the world.

Ultimately, CRJ’s success will be measured on the success of our clients/consumers/residents. Therefore, we must give the people who directly interact and provide services with them the tools and resources they need to work with them effectively. These tools include:

1. Proven programs and methodologies,

2. Training and support to master the skills that are needed to execute these programs and methodologies at the highest level,

3. Workplaces that enable them to do the job we ask them to do,

4. A organizational culture based on values and principles,

5. An environment that both inspires and rewards success and treats every person with dignity and respect.

6. Tools and systems to measure outcomes

About 75% of our total expenses as an agency go to staff wages, benefits, development and recruitment. We average approximately 40-45% staff turnover. For at least the past two years, we have spent approximately $166,000 on staff recruitment and only $90,000 on staff development. Staff vacancies and other factors lead us to spend about $900,000 a year in staff overtime or about 9.25 of monthly gross payroll. Effective management of overtime and staffing levels could free up at least $150,000 a year, or about $500 per FTE. We need to manage this aspect more effectively. We need to put more money into training, developing and rewarding our workforce and less into paying for the cost of the high turnover and vacancy rates. We also need to employ the most effective practices in recruiting, screening and hiring our workforce.

· Quality will become a competitive edge

With the marketplace becoming more competitive and the revenue pool even tighter, service providers will be required to prove their value even more so than they do currently. Outcomes measurement will become essential for all the work we do. High evaluations on licensing and accreditation reviews will be expected.

We will need to intensify our measurement capacity and benchmark our results against other high quality people in the field. And we must develop processes to integrate what we learn from our results into improvements in all aspects of the agency.

An emphasis on quality also means an emphasis on training and skill development. We must develop ways to efficiently and effectively orient our employees to CRJ and then provide them with regular skill development. We have to develop ways to share what we are learning within the organization as well as to the outside world.

Strategic Planning Themes from the Field Meetings

Methodology

During the planning process, Bill Coughlin met with 21 different programs, the supervisory staff from CSNH and the Fiscal/Admin Department staff. (CREO staff was involved in Brooke House. He was not able to meet with staff from Southbridge Residence (since closed), Leominster Apt., Westminster, ORP, BRP and IT) This is his report of the findings from those meetings.

In all, I would estimate that I met with approximately 180-200 of our 350+ workforce. The format was consistent in each session. I started off with a review of the Good to Great initiative. I spent time going through the Mission, highlighting the key changes in the new Mission. I then posed a series of questions: What are you passionate about? What should CRJ be best in the world at? How would we know/what is the best measure to prove we are best? In the early meetings I also asked some questions regarding improving communications within the company but dropped the question in the session after early July. Participants were asked to write down their responses to the first question and then read them to each other. After a discussion of common themes, the process was repeated for the second and third questions.

In every instance, the discussions were lively and engaging. It was a wonderful experience for me to hear the passions and the ideas. In most cases, I believe it was a good team experience to hear the same from each other.

Staff Passions

Two major theses emerged from the question “What are you Passionate About?” First and foremost was our staff’s overwhelming passion for family and, to a lesser extent, friends. There is no question one of the most important things we can do is develop a strategy and environment that is “family-friendly.” This starts with paying a wage that people can support a family on with minimum amounts of overtime or second jobs that take people away from their families. We should examine our Benefits offering with this overarching theme in mind. Our managers need to be sensitized to the family orientation and how to assist our staff in finding an appropriate balance between work and family in their management of program scheduling and staff.

The second major theme that emerged from this question is the strong desire to make a difference in our clients’ lives. In some cases this passion flows out of the staff members’ identify with the client or the neighborhood the client is returning to after our work is done. In other cases is it an abiding desire to help populations in need. Our strategies must empower the staff to pursue this passion creatively, within the structures of our programs. We need to support this passion and channel it in ways that have the greatest impact on our residents. The staff may not be the best at it but I am convinced they want to be.

Another theme that stood out at a number of programs was the passion for learning that exists among our staff population. Many are in school and are working toward degrees that will give them skills or ‘better themselves.” In other cases it is expressed in a desire to be given the tools, skills and information to perform the job better. I would recommend that our strategic plan emphasizes training and educational benefits that will assist the staff pursue that passion. We must also find ways to capitalize on their passion to grow and develop by identifying the best and focusing on their advancement through the company.

Another theme that struck me was how many of our people are passionate about music. We have a young population among or staff that are really into their music. There is a large number of staff who is in and in some cases, lead, bands. I don’t know exactly how to capitalize on this passion but, if we could, it could be powerful.

Other passions included art, religion, sports, travel and hobbies.

Best in the World

For some this was a difficult question to answer. It generated a number of generic answers like “Provide the best services” or “Communication.” But here again two major themes emerged. The first and clearest theme was we need to be the best in the world at providing services that will lead to our clients being successful. “We could be best at providing truly comprehensive residential treatment—identifying all areas of need for our clients and providing what they need to be successful.” (Watson House)

Of course, what it means to be successful differed from Department to Department. In Community Strategies, success was frequently described as “independent living” or “living in the least restrictive environment possible.” “Independent living for consumers in least restrictive environments within the community.” (Hubbardston) “Taking a troubled individual who has nothing to bringing them to a level of independence—establishing values where there were none, getting work, having them a productive member of the community.” (Bellingham) In adult and youth services, it would be described more frequently as “productive lives in the community” or “not returning to prison.” “CRJ should be best in the world at our success rate for returning youth in our care to society as productive members.” (Ambrose House) “Helping residents successfully transitioning into community to become positive contributors to society.” (Coolidge House)

Some people also included the community in their definitions of success. “Diversified approaches to impacting the life development needs of its clients and the fabric of its immediate and larger community” (Ambrose House) “Community involvement in a quality way for people we serve, the agency as a whole and the community at large.” (CSNH)

There were a number of comments across the programs that liked the “most challenged” language in the mission. “Can be the best at showing people with the most difficult disabilities can live and function in society.” (Westboro Residence) “Caring for and implementing safely into all aspects of society those individuals that have been deemed by either social function of society or justice systems as untreatable or hopeless.” (Wrentham Residence)

Words like innovative, creative were also used to describe these services and/or programs. “Creative and imaginative care of our clients.” (Bellingham) Quality Service was also mentioned frequently. In general, this theme closely parallels the current draft of the hedgehog concept that we have been working on.

A second theme that emerged, slightly less often but significant, was that we should be best in our treatment and support of our staff. This theme was usually supported with comments that if you treat the staff great they will produce great work for you. This theme frequently cited pay, benefits and training as the vehicles to focus on in becoming great, but comments about treating people with respect, providing people with opportunities to grow, communicating frequently with staff and involving them more in the decisions were also mentioned. “Properly training staff so they may have all the knowledge and tools available to them, so they may provide the best possible service to their clients; and eventually pass this knowledge on ultimately making a difference in someone’s life.” (Brooke House) “Following through, supporting staff—if good to great you need staff. Hire the best and strive to keep them by making them happy. A happy motivated worker will work hard for the company so there is no reason to go anywhere else.” (Hubbardston Residence)

I also heard a desire for a more positive culture—one that rewarded and encouraged people to try new things rather than a culture that, as they described it, seems to emphasize the punishment of people for making mistakes. . “Providing a great working environment—place that is known for their quality not only to their consumers but to the employees. I think that this helps to also do what I hope we would do best—great services to the more difficult cases. A place to want to retire at.” (Milford Residence)

From the responses I heard we are pretty closely aligned with the staff on what we are saying we can be best in the world at. Our strategic plan should, as it has in the past, emphasize a Values-based culture. The unifying themes of our values and treatment guiding principles in the Treatment Philosophy document will be very helpful here as well and should be emphasized in the document.

Best Measure

Again, this question caused a fair amount of struggle for the staff. In a number of programs this question had fewer responses than the others. A number of responses centered around the “gestalt” of the program—does it look like people are making progress, does it feel like the staff or clients are happy, are people still hiring us to do work?

There were a number of concrete measures provided however. A strong contingent advocated that we systematically do satisfaction surveys with residents and staff either annually (which we do in CSMA) or as they complete the program. Others built on this to advocate we do longer term evaluation of the clients’ satisfaction and success using this interview methodology.

A second strong theme was using the objective measurements of recidivism, progression to independent living, completion of goals on the ISP/Behavioral plans, client job placements, HR retention rates, job vacancy rates in our programs, etc.

In reflecting on the responses we got from this question, I have a few thoughts on what we might want to say in the strategic plan regarding measurement. First, I am not sure that we will ever get to the ideal one key measure that is envisioned by Collins in Good to Great. I think we might be better off developing a “Balanced Scorecard Approach” which provides us information on a set of key measures (this is what is basically emerging with the monthly reviews, although not all that we track in those reports would be included and other measures for the company would need to be added.). Second, I do think it would be a good idea to figure out how we might do more satisfaction surveys with our clients. Third, I think progress on the issues identified on the assessment/plans would be another good thing—e.g., progress on the LSI-R could be used in adult. Finally, no matter what we choose, we should expect that the measures we are currently tracking will likely change somewhat as we begin to implement evidence-based or best practices in our operations. There will be some significant technology issues involved in all these measurements and tracking needs. And, ultimately, HR and organizational structure issues as well (for example, do we need to staff up more in this area? Where does that staff function get placed?)

Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats Analysis

The members of the PSI Forum spent parts of three meetings performing a SWOT analysis on the CRJ. First, we brainstormed what we saw as internal Strengths and Weaknesses. At the second meeting we added and clarified the first list and then brainstormed the external Opportunities and Threats. These were then compiled and through a multi-voting process we finally prioritized the lists. In compiling our final plan, we have tried to account for the most important items in each category through our Strategic Goals, Strategic Objectives or Key Actions.

STRENGTHS

History – Reputation (11)

Comments: Yes, but weakened by merger.

Success with challenging populations (7)

Comments: Particularly CSMA.

Linked with Unique service provider in some markets.

Strong relationships with external partners and other relationships (5)

RE Holdings and Zoning (4)

Clinical programming expertise in CS-MA (4)

Stable management team (4)

Financial Capacity—history of good audits in the last 3 years. (3)

Leading voice in re-entry initiatives (3)

Reputation of program management staff (2)

Comment: I’d actually like this to read ALL staff from management to program to CJI, etc. all other categories listed here.

Quality CRJ Contracts (1)

Our Endowment (1)

Behavior management skills in youth functional and behavioral skills development (1)

Real Estate expertise on the Board

Skilled, committed CJI Staff

Unique service provider in some markets

Strong turnaround skills

Investment in technology

Consistent Group of Long-term donors

WEAKNESSES

Financial: legacy and new contracts don’t fund what we want to do (7)

Development of Direct Support/Service Professionals (5)

Poor development of management talent (5)

Lack of sharing expertise (5)

Staff stretched too thin – especially our infrastructure (4)

Comment: Linked with Shallow depth of management talents

Poor recruitment processes (3)

Lack of fundraising expertise on the board (3)

Shallow depth of management talents (3)

Comment: Linked with Poor development of management talent.

Shallow pool of long-term donors and they are getting older (3)

Hiring and retention weaknesses (2)

Comment: Linked with Poor recruitment processes.

Lack of capital—endowment is too small in relation to the size of the agency. (2)

Lack of Developmental Disability expertise on the board (2)

Comment: Linked with lack of geographical representation on the Board

Poor institutionalization of our ad hoc actions (1)

Resources (Tech. money) also stretched thin

Poor record with change management

Lack of STD Admin. Processes

Diverse clients that have different supports needs

Poor internal communication from top down

Lack of geographical representation on the board

Lack of attention to strategic planning once it is done.

Added at rating session:

Inability to document results (1)

Lack of funding for Quality Initiatives

OPPORTUNITIES

Juvenile re-entry and adult heightened awareness by policy makers(7)

Demand for system change (7)

Foundation demand for EBP’s (7)

Lack of programming for 18 to 21 year olds(6)

Strategic mergers / acquisition with weakened / struggling Non Profits (5)

Generational transfer of wealth (4)

Girls / gender specific programming (4)

Comment: Linked with Lack of programming for 18 to 21 year olds

More higher ed / community connections (3)

Trained workforce getting downsized (new hires) (2)

Continued deinstitutionalization (1)

Lower profile, more rational attitudes on crime (1)

Comment: Coupled with reduced state revenues.

Corporate volunteer connections

Activist role for CRJ? Stronger advocacy positions (separate corporation). Connect with consumer groups (1)

Openings for non-traditional / Non Profit Initiatives (1)

Lower cost / cost avoidance for our programs additional funding

THREATS

Finding and keeping committed low-wage workers(11)

Push for “standardized” rates - don’t support our specific service (9)

Competition from for-profits (6)

Comment: And from other non-profits

Continued push to faith-based community-based programs (5)

Increased pressure on community based service for sex offenders – zoning challenges (4)

Higher scrutiny of non-profits (4)

Funding threat from inflexible slow-to-adapt agencies (3)

Career paths less common (2)

Changes in Medicaid (2)

“Blue State” pressure from D.C. (1)

Parochial nature of our business (1)

Community Resources for Justice, Inc.

Strategic Plan

Mission, Vision, Values, Corporate Goals and Guiding Principles

MISSION, VISION AND VALUES

The Core Mission, Values and Corporate Objectives of CRJ have not changed. Throughout the process we used them to inform us in our thinking and decision making. We are proud of our Mission and Values and throughout the variety of changes that are envisioned in this document these core statement must form the foundation of everything we do. We started the process by exploring our vision of what we wanted to be best at, given what we are motivated by and what can make us a truly great company. That statement is outlined as our Vision, or in the language of James Collins’ book, Good to Great, our Hedgehog Statement. We see this Vision evolving over time as we learn from what we do and as the field evolves in its learning of what works best with our clients. This statement will need to be revisited regularly. We have also added four Guiding Principles to inform our interactions with the people we serve, our co-workers and our funding sources and vendors. These principles are at the core of the culture we are trying to create.

MISSION

Community Resources for Justice supports our most challenged citizens.

· We work with individuals in, or at risk of being in, the adult or juvenile justice systems; individuals transitioning out of these systems back to their communities; and individuals with developmental disabilities requiring intensive support to be part of the community.

· Our unique mix of innovative services, advocacy for system improvement, research and publications is designed to build the capacity of people to live safe and productive lives.

· These efforts also help communities gain an enhanced sense of safety and improved quality of life.

· In everything we do, we are dedicated to being an organization that performs at the highest level, with a workforce possessing the skills and knowledge that ensure a strong and positive impact on our clients, our communities and our profession.

VISION

Hedgehog Concept: We can be best in the world at making operational those practices that have been shown by evidence to be most effective for adult and youthful offenders and those with dual-diagnosed or forensic developmental disabilities to live safely and productively in the community.

VALUES

Community Resources for Justice's values govern and set goals for our behavior with colleagues, clients and all constituents such as other providers, neighbors and citizens.

INTEGRITY

· We are honest and open in our work and our dealings with

others.

· We are principled and fair.

· Our actions engender trust and we seek always to deserve that

trust.

CREATIVITY

· We are innovative in conceiving and executing our work.

· We are creative in making the most of our resources.

· We encourage cooperation and collaboration to foster creativity.

· We are open-minded, flexible and adaptable to change.

COMPASSION

· We honor the inherent dignity of every individual.

· We exhibit consideration, courtesy and a cooperative spirit.

· Others' opinions, culture, contributions and safety are regarded

as highly as our own.

· We demonstrate sensitivity and maintain confidentiality.

EXCELLENCE

· We exhibit professionalism in our interactions, language, dress,

and attitude.

· We strive for continuous improvement in ourselves, our services

and facilities.

· We use our skills to enhance the service and reputation of the

agency.

· We make informed choices to obtain maximum benefit from finite

resources.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS STRATEGIC GOALS

All programs are achieving high standards of client outcome measures, as well as financial viability measures, while learning the critical components of success that enable us to enhance our offerings and to improve our performance.

CJI is recognized as a nationwide thought-leader in the fields of criminal justice system reform, public safety policy, and forensic developmental disabilities.

CRJ divisions have a close internal working relationship, such that it enhances both the programmatic outcomes and CJI’s national influence.

CRJ has broadened its impact through adding new services, creating social venture businesses, or expanding geographically.

CRJ’s real estate holdings are optimized in meeting the operational needs of the organization.

CRJ’s contract revenues are increased by better than the inflation rate; its endowment has grown by an average of 5% at year; and revenue from fundraising from non-governmental sources has reached $500,000.

PRINCIPLES OF CRJ'S TREATMENT CULTURE

Community Resources for Justice embraces a culture of treatment that is client-focused and includes certain principles which all staff follows in their dealings with clients/consumers, and by which the quality of care and service should be measured.

We Listen We Focus on Behavior We Offer Choices We Welcome Change

Community Resources for Justice, Inc.

Strategic Plan

Corporate Initiatives Plans

Finance and Growth

Overview

To accomplish this strategic plan, CRJ will need to grow by an additional $10-13MM over the next three years. The infrastructure improvements, including technology innovations, capital improvements, enhanced Quality Improvement and additional administrative support will account for $1.8M of that growth. Demands by funding sources to keep our administrative cost near 15-16% also make it imperative that we grow to approximately $30MM. And the need to build up our endowment to match the growth of the organizations will require approximately $10MM over the next six years.

To reach that level a number of strategies must be implemented. First, we must get the current contracts to generate at least a 2% surplus after replacement costs within three years. This will require us to renegotiate current contracts, fundraise to close funding gaps and even close out contracts that cannot be supported by current funding. Second, we need to improve on the mix of revenues generated by CRJ. More revenues must come from fundraising with foundations, corporations, major donors and other sources. Third, we need to diversify our geographical base both within and beyond Massachusetts. Presently, CSMA is highly dependent on Region I/II of DMR. Informal market analysis tells us that there is a strong interest and need for our services in other regions. In adult correctional services, there is a large and important opportunity to provide community-based services in Springfield, Central Massachusetts as well as additional programming in Boston under funding from the MA Parole Board. New Hampshire is moving toward increased privatization of community corrections and increased competition in MR services. We also hear that there are also some youth services contracts that are in trouble and might be potential opportunities for CRJ. This is also possibly the case in Massachusetts as well as DSS and DYS examine their service delivery models. Finally, we have to look closely at Connecticut which is in the forefront of the Evidence-based practices movement and where there are a large number of contracts for Day-reporting programs coming due within the next year. Maine, Vermont and possibly Rhode Island may provide opportunities in MR services and Youth Services, although they are smaller markets. Given the union climate in RI we do not consider it an opportunity in Adult Correctional Services at this time.

As we look at these potential new markets, we will need to be creative in our approach. Mergers and Acquisitions may assist in our effort to expand in places like New Hampshire and Massachusetts. Given zoning issues, it may become an important component in our attempts to grow residential programs as well. Creative program models, including non-residential programming and combinations of non-residential and transitional housing, may be ways to avoid costly and divisive zoning disputes.

It is very likely that for growth to occur, we will need to terminate some residential contracts that are either not profitable or are not open to using proven practices of the field and replace them with the types of contracts that is at the core of our strategic vision. We had to do this recently at McGrath House and we can use that program as a learning platform to guide us in the future.

For CJI, there appear to be many opportunities evolving out of the current work the Institute is doing in Evidence-based Practices and in large systems change under the NIC grant. First, there is an opportunity to replicate the NIC experience in additional sites after the initial projects are complete. This work could also be used to leverage additional consulting and Technical Assistance work. There has been strong interest in the area of training on evidence-based practices to other criminal justice stakeholders such as judges, prosecutors, and police. Illinois and Maine appear to be the most interested at his time and could serve as pilot sites for this effort.

Strategic Goal 1: Bring all current programs up to a minimum break even financial position with the agency generating 2-5% surpluses a year.

Strategic Objective 1: Renegotiate rates for DSS programs by July, 2005 to ensure that the new contracts generate a minimum 2% surplus.

Key Actions:

· Seek a retroactive rate adjustment to recoup FY05 losses

· Negotiate rate increases as part of the new contract negotiations with DSS

· If not possible to reach objective, close one DSS program to ensure highest utilization in metro area.

Strategic Objective 2: By May 2005, renegotiate the STS rate to ensure CRJ can recoup building improvement costs and generate a 2% surplus moving forward.

Key Actions:

· Negotiate amendments to current contract to make up for losses due to staffing directives and building costs contributing to FY05 deficits.

· Renegotiate base rate to ensure that the structural problems with the STS budget is corrected.

Strategic Objective 3: Renegotiate the base rate with FBOP to accommodate the decline in Coolidge House utilization by July, 2005.

Key Actions:

· Send letter of formal request to FBOP

· Enter into negotiations with appropriate people.

Strategic Objective 4: Fully fund BRP contracts to a minimum of break even level or discontinue contacts as they come due.

Key Actions:

· Continue to seek foundation support for the programs that will supplement the current contracts.

· Notify funding agencies and collaterals of our need to fund fully or discontinue and seek their support.

Strategic Objective 5: Ensure that CSMA is able to generate a 2% surplus after replacement costs by the beginning of FY 07.

Key Actions:

· Permanently adjust the DMR contracts to eliminate the $200,000 structural problem in current contract by May 2005.

· Complete the amendment process to adjust current contract rate with Region I/II by $178,000.

· Negotiate a $31,000 amendment of current contracts with Region 6 or return the residents covered by those contracts and close one program.

· Expand or replace contracts in such a way that surpluses generated in new contracts assist recover smaller than target surpluses in others.

Strategic Objective 6: Bring CSNH to a profitable position by start of FY07.

Key Actions:

· Build revenues to $2MM either by RFP process or by merger with other provider(s) with existing contracts.

· Dispose of or reutilize the Northwood office and relocate to smaller, less expensive location(s).

· Examine adjustments to the New Hampshire business model for higher efficiencies and more reasonable overhead allocations.

· Discontinue unprofitable contracts as CSNH’s reputation grows strong.

· Identify and approach potential merger or acquisition prospects to build broader, more profitable base of business.

· Look for opportunities that arise as a result of service delivery reorganization

Strategic Goal 2: Expand programming funded under new profitable contracts

Strategic Objective 1: Open at least three new adult correctional programs which will generate at least a 3% surplus by July, 2006.

Key Actions:

· Continue discussions with the New Hampshire DOC about potential work with Adult Offenders

· Apply for funding from the MA Parole Board for a minimum of two community Corrections programs.

· Apply for at least 2 day reporting center contracts in CT

Strategic Objective 2: Open at least 3 new CSMA programs that generate a 3% surplus by July, 2006. At least one of these programs should be in a region other than Region I/II.

Key Actions:

· Open discussions with Region 5 regarding its need for a new program.

· Continue discussion with Region I/II about their expansion needs.

· Open discussions with CT DMR regarding their interest in the CSMA model

· Open discussions with MA DSS about their challenging older DD programming needs.

· Open discussions with DD agencies in Rhode Island and Vermont.

Strategic Objective 3: Open at least two new youth services programs by July, 2007.

Key Actions:

· Submit proposal to DYS regarding girl’s programming in Boston area.

· Open discussions the NHDOHHS regarding opportunities in NH

· Open discussions with DYS and DSS regarding needs for more outreach and community-based services.

Strategic Goal 3: Increase the level of non-governmental contract revenue as a percentage of total revenues.

Strategic Objective 1: Increase revenues brought in through fundraising with foundations and donors to $1M within 3 years. (See Advancement Office strategy for more info)

Key Actions:

· Bring the Gala event to a level that it is generating $100,000 net income.

· Get Youth Services programs part of larger fundraising efforts such as the Rodman Ride for Kids.

· Apply for technology enhancement grants for IT initiatives.

· Expand our individual donor efforts

· Seek general support grants from large and small foundations.

Strategic Objective 2: Increase the level of reimbursement money from government programs to $125,000 in three years.

Key Actions:

· Continue to aggressively seek food stamp reimbursements for all CSMA residents

· Aggressively seek housing subsidies for CSMA residents.

· Begin seeking Medicaid reimbursements for clinical services in both CSMA and CSNH

Strategic Objective 3: Develop the Social Venture so that it is generating $100,000 of surplus by the end of FY08.

Key Actions:

· Stabilize the venture with new leadership and planning

· Expand the venture to outside clients

· Create a legal entity that would be able to charge reasonable rates to CRJ programs.

Strategic Objective 4: Restructure bank relationships, financing strategy and cash flow control mechanisms

Key Actions:

· Develop tools to provide a close monitoring of cash flow.

· Explore with bank institutions possibilities of expanding relationships

· Explore bonding options to reduce cost of borrowing.

Strategic Goal 4: Seek funding opportunities for CJI that are both strategic and profitable.

Strategic Objective 1: Get 1-3 additional sites to take on our NIC-EBP initiative.

Key Actions

· NIC funding expansion.

· State or local: Contact states and/or local governments regarding interest with pursuing this agenda. Develop costs and proposal.

Strategic Objective 2: Expand CJI’s TA/Consulting services.

Key Actions

· Work with our partners to prepare ourselves to respond to RFP and market our services.

Strategic Objective 3: Develop training in EBP/systems reform.

Key Actions

· Ask NIC to provide minimal funding to develop curriculum.

· Test curriculum in Illinois and Maine with feedback from stakeholders.

· Work with National Judges College, Center for State Courts, PERF and others.

Strategic Objective 4: Increase fundraising from foundations and donors.

Key Actions

· See general support grants from large and small foundations that support policy, advocacy, and systems reform agenda.

· Donations from private donors.

· Seek funding from foundations to support specific work that is either new projects or supports expansion of current work.

· Respond to RFP in Massachusetts and the New England region that are appropriate for CJI

Treatment Culture

Overview

CRJ embarked on a strategic initiative in 2001 to create a treatment culture within the organization. We envisioned was a set of behaviors and skills which, no matter where within the organization you were, would guide the interactions between client/consumers and staff and among staff themselves. This initiative was undertaken to accomplish two outcomes. First, CRJ would define the core of our treatment practices in such a way that would encompass the evidence-based and best practices in our fields. Second, CRJ would have a unique focus and feel that would set it apart from our various competitors.

We have developed a document that embodies the CRJ Treatment Philosophy, our Core Treatment Elements—addiction, cognitive behavior therapy, employment/education and adaptive life skills—and our Guiding Principles—We Listen, We Focus on Behavior, We Offer Choices and We Welcome Change. Over the next three years, our strategy is to utilize a multi-level approach to inculcate our staff into this new culture. It is critical that we devise at the beginning of this initiative an evaluation process that will help us determine progress and ultimately success of this initiative.

Strategic Goal 1: Implement the Treatment Culture Philosophy throughout the organization.

Strategic Objective 1: Every Direct Care Worker, Program Manager, Departmental Manager and Functional Manager will practice the skill embodied by the 4 Guiding Principles in their interactions with consumers/clients and staff.

Key Actions:

· All staff trained on the skills of the 4 Guiding Principles by June 30, 2004

· After initial roll-out, training of the 4 Guiding Principles will be included in new employee orientations or early training and in management training offered by the agency.

· In-service and other training situations, including multi-media and on-line training, will be used to reinforce the skills through curriculum developed or purchased by the HR Department.

· Case Managers, Clinicians, Program Managers, Program Directors and other key staff trained on advancement treatment skills such as Motivational Interviewing, DBT, Cognitive Behavioral Facilitation, etc. by June, 2006. Departments and even individual programs will select which of the various evidence-based treatment practices are appropriate to meeting the goals of the programs.

Strategic Objective 2: All program models, treatment methodologies being utilized in the programs and agency systems will be aligned with the treatment philosophy, evidence-based practices and Guiding Principles.

Key Actions:

· Members of the Treatment Culture Committee, Department Directors and Standards and Quality Assurance will work with Program Managers, Program Coordinators and Program Directors to evaluate each program in light of the Treatment Culture and implement changes as necessary before January 2006.

· Program Staff will be included in making needed changes through Good to Great Projects, Training and supportive coaching.

· The Monthly Management Report System and other outcomes measurement systems, the Performance Management Systems and other Recognition programs will be adjusted to reflect the new Treatment Philosophy and Guiding Principles by September 2005.

Strategic Objective 3: Evaluate the implementation of the Treatment Culture initiative in order to determine whether outcomes of the program have been met.

Key Actions:

· Identify scope of work and cost by January, 2005.

· Hire CJI or consultant to design and conduct evaluation effort by January 2005.

· Determine specific outcomes to be evaluated by January 2005.

· Conduct evaluation and report periodically on progress. On-going to be ultimately completed in July 2007.

Strategic Goal 2: Increase the amount and quality of treatment services throughout the organization.

Strategic Objective 1: All programs are operating high-quality services in the 4 Core Treatment Elements, based on proven practices in our fields.

Key Actions:

· Programs implement objective and validated needs and strengths assessment practices by July 2005. Training to support the staff in the use of these tools will be provided prior to implementation.

· Each individual consumer/client will have an Individual Plan of Services and activities based on the assessments’ findings.

· Proven and validated cog-skills curriculum, addictions treatment, education/employment services and adaptive life skills curriculum will offered based on the current plans of the individuals in each program by December 2005 and on-going after that.

· Key staff will receive training in facilitating cog-skills and adaptive life skills training if necessary and community groups specializing in aspects of these programs will be recruited to conduct groups and training.

· Reinforcement of skills will be on-going, utilizing various media including refresher training, CD Rom, Video and Computer-based training.

Strategic Objective 2: Increase the amount and quality of the Clinical Treatment Services offered by the organization.

Key Actions:

· Every Department has a Clinical Director/Coordinator who is responsible for ensuring that treatment activities and program designs meet the test of evidence-based or best practices for the field and that the Guiding Principles are being practiced by staff by July 2006.

· Each program maintains and evaluates a community service provider list for clients/consumers who moving to independent living within the community by July 2005.

· Every program has developed a collaborative relationship with at least one substance abuse service provider who is both providing psych-ed programs and treatment services by September 2005.

· Every program has developed a strategy for employment development and/or community inclusion opportunities for their client population by December 2006.

· CRJ has determined need, role, responsibility and funding source for hiring an agency-wide Clinical Director who will supervise individual clinicians and support treatment programs by July 2006. This person must be of a certification level that CRJ could recruit clinical interns in our programs and qualify for certain reimbursements from government sources.

Community Resources for Justice, Inc.

Strategic Plan

Division Plans

Advancement Division

Overview

The Advancement Office was created to take a strategic and significant approach to the fund raising efforts at CRJ. We want to build on the fund raising and communication efforts that have gone on over the past 126 years, and expand and coordinate efforts to help be more efficient and effective in raising funds for programs, general operating expenses, capital and the endowment.

The step of investing in an Advancement Department at the senior executive level demonstrates CRJ’s commitment to this effort. This in turn helps our efforts to be taken more seriously by current and potential funders, the board, and other constituencies.

The reality is that these efforts take time. That time has much to do with the capacity/infrastructure of the department, the history of our donor base, the age of our donor base, our ability to attract new donors, our ability to maintain and reconnect with current/former donors, and our structure of funding streams. This includes advancing our funding efforts from sources such as individuals, foundations, corporations, and other revenue generation. It also includes advancing our funding efforts through the use of specific tools such as annual fund, major gifts (cash or stock), events, grants, sponsorships, endowment campaign, capital campaign, planned giving (estates/bequests/annuities), on-line giving, etc.

It is important to note that these efforts here need to be done both locally, regionally, nationally and indeed within any region where CRJ is engaged in work or interested in engaging in work.

Overarching objective is to increase philanthropic support to reflect 5-15% of the agencies overall revenue generation within 6 years.

Strategic Goal 1: Steadily increase the Annual Fund to generate $150,000 annually in three years.

Strategic Objective 1: Maintain our current pool of donors and increase their overall and individual giving on an annual basis.

Key Actions:

· Analyze AF donors and recommend in the direct mail pieces an amount of increase based on individual giving histories,

· Meet will all current donors to the AF who have given $100 or more,

· Add on-line giving as an option and develop on-line program with available tools to track donor activity,

· Design AF campaign material compelling and relevant to the donor – segment campaign to include correspondence from/about specific programs of interest.

Strategic Objective 2: Review lapsed donors (pre and post merger) and bring them back into the AF.

Key Actions:

· Analyze AF lapsed donors and reach out to find out why they have lapsed,

· Meet with lapsed donors (pre-merger) to determine interest and/or reasons for leaving,

· Design AF campaign material compelling and relevant to the donor – segment campaign to include correspondence from/about specific programs of interest

Strategic Objective 3: Increase AF donor base.

Key Actions:

· List acquisition, (include relationships from programs, purchase, other related lists),

· List testing, (using direct mail),

· Design AF campaign material compelling and relevant to the donor – segment campaign to include correspondence from/about specific programs of interest

Strategic Goal 2: Develop Major Gift donors (donors of $1,000 or more) as a special group with focused annual solicitation, analysis, and strategies for each with a goal of $200,000 annually within 3 years.

Strategic Objective 1: Identify and move donors into Major Gift category

Key Actions:

· Work with board and other key constituencies to help identify and meet with donors,

· Arrange for tours or appropriate programs or meetings with program directors to get to know us better,

· Increase board giving to be able to solicit peer to peer.

Strategic Objective 2: Learn more about donors and their capacity and interest for giving

Key Actions:

· Invest in research of donor base (per donor) on limited level,

· Design annual strategy based on the “moves management” system of cultivation,

· Maintain a portfolio of donors for CAO and an assistant in the Advancement Office as volume requires,

· Meet with current/prospective Major Gift donors at least 5 times per year for every one time we solicit funds.

Strategic Objective 3: Increase donor base in volume and giving levels to support an endowment or capital campaign to start in 2008

Key Actions:

· Author Case for Support,

· Improve donor analysis and strategic donor cultivation and stewardship,

· Identify Capital and Endowment needs,

· Identify matching donors,

· Work towards Kresge (and similar) Foundation eligibility.

Strategic Goal 3: Apply to unsolicited granting organizations and generate program or operating revenue of $1,000,000 annually within 3 years.

Strategic Objective 1: Volume applications to unsolicited granting organizations

Key Actions:

· Submit at least 100 applications annually in five key areas (boiler plates),

· Maintain a list and schedule of potential funders,

· Develop a regular cycle of applications,

· Assess and adjust the list to determine relationship purpose (funding, information, etc),

· Expand funders to include corporations, foundations, associations, and other Non-government sources.

Strategic Objective 2: Write targeted grant applications for projects/programs as interests and needs develop both short term and primarily long term.

Key Actions:

· Maintain a list and schedule of potential funders,

· Keep abreast of needs and interests in programs,

· Stimulate and encourage long term conversations for future work,

· Encourage innovation and work to learn about funder’s interest and priorities and engage them in developing/funding new efforts.

Strategic Goal 4: Increase revenue and visibility through events

Strategic Objective 1: Justice Award Dinner should net $100,000 annually in 3 years

Key Actions:

· Maintain current sponsors/donor list,

· Increase sponsor/donor numbers and amounts,

· Enhance the silent/live/on-line auction,

· Review format of event so that it continues to increase interest,

· Focus on key anniversary years to enhance giving,

· Expand sponsorship opportunities and tribute book.

Strategic Objective 2: Hold additional events

Key Actions:

· Hold at least 2 “friend raising”/visibility receptions per year,

· Add at least one event (such as a golf tournament),

· Become involved in other’s activities (such as the Rodman Ride for Kids)

Strategic Goal 5: Develop Planned Giving methods of contribution to accept long term donation vehicles and committed donations of $1 million within 6 years

Strategic Objective 1: Capture donations from an aging donor base that have long term interest in CRJ through wills bequests, annuities, etc.

Key Actions:

· Develop a Planned Giving advisory group of related professionals,

· Identify potential and current donors,

· Spend time with donors (See Major gifts) to determine where their giving interest might be,

· Develop Giving Societies and an annual small event for donors to these types of vehicles.

Strategic Objective 2: Provide additional tools for donors

Key Actions:

· Insurance policies

· Charitable remainder trusts

· Gifts of stock or property

· Other similar vehicles

Strategic Objective 3: Bring board members (past and present and future) into the process of making planned gifts and being part of Giving Societies

Key Actions:

· Identify and reach out to all past board members to see if they maintain interest and if they are interested in making planned gifts,

· Make it easy for current board members to learn about and become involved in planed giving,

· Recognize the number of people who have been on the board or in leadership roles who have celebrated CRJ with a memorial gift or endowment (Hooper, Fay, Hawkes, Mascarello, Dwyer) and encourage others past, present, and future to do the same.

Strategic Goal 6: To strategically use communications to reach out and support our programs, funding, awareness of our work, and recognition of our work.

Strategic Objective 1: Develop an annual schedule of publications/communications

Key Actions:

· Identify publications to be developed and the purpose/goal of each on an annual basis:

· 2 newsletters

· 1 Annual Report

· e-newsletter/bulletin (s)

· Program newsletter (s)

· Employee newsletter

· Website

· Include in that schedule the schedule of CRJ activities such as the JAD, receptions, annual fund raising appeals, and the like

Strategic Objective 2: Improve internal communication and information/knowledge sharing

Key Actions

· Place internal “boilerplate’ documents for grants and other narratives on the employee area of the website so it can be accessed by all,

· Help to establish information sharing so that files, data, and other information is known across departments to help in our PR and fund raising efforts,

· Keep senior leadership informed of individual and programmatic successes and recognize those successes quickly.

Strategic Objective 3; Work with the media to promote/publicize our work in an effort to help drive our fund raising

Key Actions

· Develop media list (all media – print, tv, radio, internet),

· Ongoing relationship development with reporters, writers, authors, and editorial boards,

· Strategically coordinate media contact/content with CRJ activities and have contact list for various segments of our constituency such as:

· Lawyers,

· AGs

· Prosecutors,

· Legislators,

· Sheriffs,

· Police Chiefs

· Police Departments

· MR/DD advocates/organizations

· Boards/trustees of foundations

Crime and Justice Institute (CJI)

Overview

The Crime and Justice Institute operates as a division of Community Resources for Justice, Inc. CJI envisions criminal/juvenile justice and social welfare systems that are effective, fair, humane and cost-effective. Through our work we seek to contribute to the revitalization and empowerment of urban communities, and to assist vulnerable populations in realizing their potential to lead civil, productive and satisfying lives. Guided by a belief in the fundamental dignity of each individual, we strive to narrow the gap between the world as we know it and the world as we envision it.

The Crime and Justice Institute possesses extensive experience in convening stakeholders and experts to deliberate on criminal justice policy issues and in consulting on implementation of evidence-based practices. We also bring both research and practitioner perspectives to the issues. Under a cooperative agreement with the National Institute of Correction (NIC), CJI and a team of national experts developed a model for implementing evidence-based practices in community corrections and are now working with several states to implement this model. We are also working with NIC, Abt Associates, and the Center for Effective Public Policy on the implementation of the national Transition from Prison to Community Initiative. In Massachusetts, our recent reentry report outlines core evidence-based practices for reentry for state and county offenders. For the Serious and Violent Offender Reentry Initiative (SVORI), we provide technical assistance to the Department of Correction and five jurisdictions to collaborate in improving the reentry system. With funding from the Boston Foundation, we hosted series of public safety forums last year. Nationally, CJI staff have participated in both the Urban Institute Reentry Roundtables and the Council of State Government’s Re-entry Policy Council and Mental Health Consensus Project.

What We’re Passionate About

It is important for the Crime and Justice Institute (CJI) to engage in work that can make a significant contribution to the criminal and juvenile justice systems in Massachusetts and nationally. Most of this work can be embraced in the concept of recidivism reduction.

We believe that in order for systems to make significant reforms and change the way they do their business, it requires solid information, knowledge, and skills of how to reduce recidivism. We also believe that the primary organizations need to go through an organizational development/change process and be involved in meaningful collaboration at many levels. The complex social issues confronted in the criminal justice system require collaboration to provide a more coherent continuum of care using evidence-based practices. When the primary stakeholders come together and can work toward a common vision and mission, much greater results can be achieved than any one organization working alone. We also believe that the system should be held accountable for measurable results.

Core Strategic Initiatives: The Future

There are abundant topics that fit within the sphere of CJI’s mission and vision that are likely ripe for funding at both the government and private level. Our strategic focus for the next three years is outlined below. Some examples of the work we would like to pursue include: research, policy, and advocacy work for system change based in evidence; and direct work with criminal justice organizations, legislatures and other elected and appointed officials, and state and local partnerships. We want to do this not just from a philosophical base, but also based in the knowledge of what quality research says makes a difference in reducing crime among people in the criminal justice system.

Both current funding and anticipated future funding opportunities suggest these models of organizational development and corresponding system change will continue. We strive to create a national reputation for CJI as a leader in these arenas. Funding from both government and foundations offers CJI rich opportunities to continue our current work while expanding on the scope and geographic area of our reach.

Strategic Goal 1: Stakeholder Training

We feel that it is important to build a broader knowledge base of evidence-based practices among stakeholders in the criminal and juvenile justice systems such as the judiciary, prosecutors, defense lawyers, providers, corrections staff (including institutional and field parole and probation officers), human service agencies, and victims.

Strategic Objective 1: Increase CJI’s involvement in national judicial training of evidence-based practices in corrections.

Key Actions

· Contact National Center for State Courts (NCSC) and the Judicial College regarding interest and need for this type of project.

· Hold a meeting with National Institute of Corrections (NIC) to discuss involvement and potential for support.

· Hold roundtables with key players to inform curriculum development.

· Develop stakeholder-specific curricula with guidance from NIC.

· Hire trainers (both content trainers and other judges).

· Pilot curricula in Illinois and Maine.

· Seek opportunities to work with Massachusetts courts.

· Develop a structural plan for the trainings – e-learning or face-to-face

Timeframe

· Work with Illinois - Winter 2005

· Work with Maine - Spring 2005

· Nationally - Begin conversations with NIC and NCSC – Spring 2005

· Work with Massachusetts – Begin conversations Summer 2005

Strategic Goal 2: Technical Assistance / Consulting

We provide technical assistance to help state and local organizations reform their systems and implement new strategies to improve outcomes with both adult and juvenile offenders. We constantly seek new opportunities to disseminate knowledge and gain fresh experience.

Strategic Objective 1: Increase CJI’s technical assistance and consulting work in the areas of evidence-based practice in corrections, organizational development and collaboration.

Key Actions

· Explore technical assistance opportunities in 2-3 states. Contact states CJI currently works in to survey their interest in expanding the technical assistance they receive.

· Pursue funding for organizational development work in Connecticut’s Probation and Parole offices.

· Hold trainings to increase CRJ’s knowledge and expertise in these content areas, upon request.

· Increase consulting pool and maintain central database of consultants.

· Create marketing materials for CJI.

Timeframe

· ongoing

Strategic Objective 2: Seek funding opportunities to support ongoing and future Massachusetts System Reform work.

Key Actions

· Follow-up to Lt. Governor’s Commission Recommendations and CJI’s recent report “From Incarceration to Community: A Roadmap to Improving Prisoner Reentry and System Accountability in Massachusetts”

· Seek potential for system consulting and facilitation of interagency communication between Department of Correction (DOC), Parole and Courts

· Work with Chief Advancement Officer to research Jeht Foundation’s potential for support of Massachusetts work.

· Cultivate current relationships with Massachusetts governmental entities to encourage system work.

Timeframe

· ongoing

Strategic Goal 3: Public Policy Research, Advocacy, and Dissemination of Information

CJI will maintain a well respected reputation for translating the findings of evidence-based research into an accessible format that can be used by line workers, policy makers, and heads of agencies.

Strategic Objective 1: Publish 2 papers in professional journals in 2005.

Key Actions

· Review current research on a variety of topics relative to criminal justice (listed below):

· Employment Barriers for Ex-Offenders

· Criminal Offender Record Information (CORI) Barriers

· Mental Health and Substance Abuse Issues

· System Reform (the NIC/CJI Integrated Model)

· Program Evaluations and Study Findings

· Evidence-Based Practices and Intermediate Sanctions: What Role Does the Judiciary Play?

· Public Opinion Survey Results

· Case studies of states and local systems that are engaging in promising system reform work

· Develop and disseminate papers and publications for practitioners and legislators.

Timeframe

· ongoing

Strategic Objective 2: Increase CJI’s advocacy work.

Key Actions

· Follow up on the recommendations born out of CJI’s recent analysis of the Massachusetts system in “From Incarceration to Community: A Roadmap to Improving Prisoner Reentry and System Accountability in Massachusetts”

· Build relationships with Massachusetts legislators.

· Take every opportunity to actively support system reform founded in evidence-based practice; collaboration between criminal, juvenile justice systems and social service agencies; sharing information across agencies; developing models for public private partnerships; and reform of community corrections agencies to implement best practices.

Timeframe

· ongoing

Strategic Objective 3: Develop a comprehensive mailing list of all criminal and juvenile justice stakeholder agencies for dissemination of work.

Key Actions

· Gather consensus on stakeholder groups to include.

· Create central database where current mailing information is maintained.

Timeframe

· Summer 2005 and ongoing

Strategic Objective 4: Present during 4-6 different occasions on our work each year.

Key Actions

· Present on our work, results and implications of evaluations and lessons learned nationally to the following groups:

· Policy Makers and Legislators

· Judiciary

· Community Corrections and Department of Corrections Staff

· Professional associations and conferences

· Educational trainings within states

Timeframe

· ongoing

Strategic Goal 4: Forums and Roundtables

One of the activities we think is critical to improving our ability to successfully implement system reform founded on evidence-based practice is to listen to the stakeholders. We need to better understand their needs, the barriers they face, and what could be helpful to them. We propose to do a series of focus groups and roundtables to accomplish this, most likely beginning with the states where we are currently working.

Strategic Objective 1: Seek funding to coordinate and conduct at least 2 forums, roundtables or focus groups convening cohorts of the following individuals:

· Policy Makers, Governors and Legislators

· Department of Correction (DOC) Directors

· Chiefs – Urban Chiefs Association, Police Chiefs, Sheriffs

· Community Corrections Directors

· County Commissioners

· Probation and Parole Officers

· Correctional Officers

· Judges

· Direct Care Staff

· Victims and Victim Rights Advocates

· Prosecutors

· Defense Attorneys

· Ex-Offenders

Key Actions

· Revise proposal to Massachusetts Executive Office of Public Safety (EOPS) and renegotiate potential for this work.

· Pursue additional funding opportunities to convene forums and roundtables of stakeholders, both in Massachusetts and nationally.

Timeframe

· ongoing

Strategic Goal 5: Collaborative Work within CRJ

CJI is well poised to support the design, implementation, and evaluation of demonstration projects operationalized at CRJ sites. We can draw from best practices to tailor models to best serve our clients and program goals, which we can then test. CJI appreciates the wealth of talent, field expertise and knowledge throughout all of CRJ’s departments and recognizes the potential for mutually beneficial work. There are several ways in which a collaborative relationship could be strengthened amongst our departments.

Key Actions

· Develop a process for collaborative work within CRJ with the PSI Forum.

· Promote and maintain regular internal communication with other CRJ departments.

· Maintain active participation in CRJ committees and meetings.

· Work with Advancement Office and CRJ departments to explore external funding opportunities for collaborative projects.

· Encourage information-sharing opportunities among all CRJ employees.

Timeframe

· ongoing

Plan for Growth

· Develop an identity as an agency committed to reducing recidivism of people in the criminal and juvenile justice systems.

· Brand that identity and develop marketing tools.

· Develop a business plan.

· Do an assessment of our competition in Massachusetts and nationally.

· Develop packages and descriptions of work that we can offer to State and Local organizations. Develop ranges of costs and rates for specific types of services (recognizing the specific service and cost will need to be developed to meet the needs of the client).

· Work with Chief Advancement Officer to research foundations and other funding opportunities (i.e. Federal, state, local) that may be good prospects to provide general support and project-specific funding.

· Continue outreach efforts to agency heads and elected officials in Massachusetts and elsewhere.

· Continue to build a consulting and staff team with the appropriate expertise and experience.

Projected staffing and business development investments to increase our capacity and market our services:

1. Hire a consultant to assist us in the development of a business plan.

· Consultant and staff time for development of materials.

· Timeframe: begin in February 2005. Complete business plan and initial marketing materials and write-ups of specific packages of work by July 2005.

· Approximate cost: $50,000.

2. Hire a full time staff member with skills in qualitative research skills, including ability to facilitate focus groups and write policy documents.

· Timeframe: Disseminate job posting in August; Interview in November, Hire in December 2004.

· Approximate cost: $70,000.

3. Hire a part or full-time staff member with substantive knowledge in corrections and organizational development who can provide technical assistance to Massachusetts and other state and local projects.

· Timeframe: when funding becomes available

Approximate cost: $70,000.

Community Resources for Justice, Inc.

Strategic Plan

Program Department Plans

Adult Correctional Services

Overview

The current climate for Adult Correctional Services is quite good, with encouraging rhetoric on a local, regional and national level, particularly in the area of “re-entry” initiatives. While this is reassuring and full of opportunities, the reality is that competition will (and should) be fierce, and only the best will prevail. The Adult Services Department understands this and reaffirms our commitment to providing quality programming and services.

Observations which Adult Department staff has made over the past year include: an increase in treatment needs, particularly in the area of mental health; shrinking social service resources resulting in more gaps in the service network; and more clients who are not ready or are not able to maintain employment. As a department, indeed as an agency, our response to these observations must be to improve and increase our skills and programming options. This will mean a broader scope of services provided in-house, better and more specific training for our staff, and more creative options to present to our clients and our contracting agencies.

We are also aware that there is a great potential for CRJ to grow and expand in the area of adult corrections – there are upcoming opportunities in several New England states with departments of correction, the Federal Bureau of Prisons, and parole to name a few. As a Department, we want to ensure that we enter into these growth opportunities not just for the sake of growth, but because they further the CRJ mission, complement or enhance existing services, and are in keeping with our values and guiding principles.

While CRJ is well positioned to be a contender for these growth opportunities, we must be poised to outshine the competition. And while we have a decent base from which to “shine”, more work needs to be done to solidify and upgrade current services, programming, and staff expertise. We obviously have many years of operations experience, we know the unique barriers faced by our clients, we know the “what works” literature, we know the appropriate social service resources, and we have developed a certain degree of expertise in assessment and comprehensive case management. Based on the EBP literature and curriculum models, an analysis of where we currently stand reveals:

On assessment, we are in good shape. We have a good intake form in use at most of the programs (developed by staff). We are doing well at training staff and conducting LSI-R assessments, but need to ratchet up real use of the results and the analysis aspect.

On motivation, we are planning training on motivation enhancement -- Motivational Interviewing, primer on active listening, stages of change, etc.

On targeted interventions, we have awareness, but need solid implementation and practice (which criminogenic needs can/should be addressed in the time we have clients, what is the right treatment dosage, matching clients to services (responsivity), what community programs are effective and how do we assess them).

On skill training, we need to (re) implement cognitive skills development.

On support, we need to pay more attention to identifying what supports our clients have (family, church, etc) and identifying what we can do to create support.

This analysis tells us that we need to more consistently “practice what we preach” -- to focus on each and every one of our assets to ensure that we are doing the absolute best that we can. Two efforts will put us ahead of the pack – implementing our Treatment Culture guidelines and core elements, and adhering to evidence-based practices across the board.

Strategic Goal 1: Develop a training strategy specific to the set of skills necessary to meet unique and ever-changing client needs.

Strategic Objective 1: Coordinate with the Juvenile Services Department to share existing training resources and to collaborate on new trainings relevant to both by June 30, 2005

Key Actions:

· Adult staff participate in all or part of the week-long Juvenile Department trainings for new staff.

· New training offerings developed.

Strategic Objective 2: Complete training on Motivational Interviewing, implement practice, and train trainers for continuation of the effort by December, 2005.

Key Actions:

· Initial training held for Directors and Case Managers (adult and juvenile)

· New staff and refresher training to be held on an annual basis.

· Initial training to be held.

· Train the trainers completed.

· New staff/refresher training.

Strategic Objective 3: Develop comprehensive Case Manager training for adult services Case Managers by July, 2005.

Key Actions:

· Identify resources and issues, including:

The issue and the barriers

Gaps in services/policies

Current resources within the department, the agency and/or the community

Best practice/evidence-based solutions

How to implement improvements within our department.

· Identify curriculum content, including: Housing, employment, addictions, mental health, and LSI-R, service planning, and discharge planning.

· New case manager “primers” completed.

· Resource directories/resources shared and available at all programs

Strategic Goal 2: Operate all of its programs in keeping with the CRJ Treatment Culture guiding principles and core elements.

Strategic Objective 1: Complete training on CRJ’s Treatment Culture Philosophy and implement practice of the guiding principles by June, 2005.

Key Actions

· Treatment Culture Committee-facilitated training held at all adult programs.

· Practice of guiding principles is observable at all adult programs.

Strategic Objective 2: Provide additional in-house services in order to address the core treatment elements of the Treatment Philosophy -- cognitive skills, employment/education, life skills, and addictions by July, 2005.

Key Actions:

· Offer cognitive skills development groups facilitated by CRJ staff.

· Offer job readiness and job retention groups facilitated by CRJ staff.

· Offer life skills groups facilitated by CRJ staff and/or outside providers.

· Offer addictions education groups facilitated by community-based providers of substance abuse services.

Strategic Objective 3: Increase our capacity to address the mental health needs of our clients by May 2005.

Key Actions:

· Develop partnerships (internal or external) established to address this need.

· Begin mental health clinical service hours provided to clients

Strategic Goal 3: All programs and initiatives of the Adult Correctional Services Department are based on practices proven to be the most effective with our client population, in other words, on evidence-based practices.

Strategic Objective 1: Provide basic training on Evidence-Based Principles (EBP) to senior adult department staff, in collaboration with CJI by September, 2005.

Key Actions:

Adult department senior staff trained on EBP.

Strategic Objective 2: Analyze existing and proposed internal program services to gauge fit with EBP, in collaboration with CJI by October, 2005.

Key Actions:

· Services analyzed.

· Documentation of EBP status.

Strategic Objective 3: Analyze external referral agencies (and their programs) to gauge fit with EBP, in collaboration with CJI by January, 2006.

Key Actions:

· Programs analyzed.

· Documentation of EBP status.

Strategic Goal 4: Grow the Department either geographically or programmatically.

Strategic Objective 1: Analyze current and future opportunities for growth in adult services, focusing on their harmony with CRJ’s mission and on our capacity to manage additional initiatives.

Key Actions:

· Consider potential opportunities.

· Review options with Growth Committee and executive committee.

Strategic Objective 2: Develop at least two new programs by July, 2006.

Key Actions:

· Attend Bidders Conferences.

· Submit RFP’s

Strategic Objective 3: Secure future funding for the BRP outreach programs by September, 2005 that will support the program at a break-even financial basis.

Key Actions:

· Coordinate with CAO

· Develop proposals

· Negotiate higher level contracts with funding sources.

Community Strategies

Overview

Community Strategies of Massachusetts (CSMA) and Community Strategies of New Hampshire (CSNH) both have a reputation of successfully serving people with intellectual disabilities and behavioral challenges. Our understanding of people with intellectual disabilities, together with our competence in treatment of psychiatric and behavioral disorders, provides many individuals with the opportunity to live safe successful lives in the community. For most of the individuals we support we provide the only alternative to an institutional or other more restrictive setting.

Each state department is committed to providing quality supports in an efficient and cost effective way. We also realize that service provision must be done in a flexible and realistic manner, considering the different needs of the consumers and the community at large.

CSMA and CSNH have developed different models of residential and clinical services as a result of our efforts to meet the various requirements of the funding sourc