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The purpose of this grant was to develop a counseling program
that integrated emotional development with cognitive
restructuring to alter behavior.
The idea
that inmates leave the prison system without being emotionally
prepared for their new role in the community has haunted me
since my initial prison experience in 1972 at Trenton State
Prison in New Jersey. My initial job was to develop a
Pre-Release program for men leaving the system. The program
included various components of finding a job, money management
and other necessary life skills. There was a small component on
family reunification which dealt with the emotions, expectations
and thoughts necessary for meeting ones wife, parent, paramour
or child. After over a year of running this program it was
clear that the soon to be released inmate had unrealistic
expectations concerning his meeting the emotional needs of
release. I have carried these thoughts to this day. A recent
study by the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections of returning
parole violators indicated much the same as I discovered 35
years ago.
For many
years I waited for others to understand the emotional needs of
the parolee. Cognitive-behavioral as a solution came into
existence as a revolutionary form of therapy beginning 30 years
ago. It contained Cognitive or thinking skills and Behavioral
which is how we act in a situation. Emotions or the feeling
toward an event or person had been minimized. For me the balance
and interaction of thinking, acting and feeling must be in focus
and supportive of one
another.
.
Over five
years ago I began to understand there was another type of
intelligence other then IQ. There was EQ or emotional
intelligence which is an intelligence of feeling to perceive,
express, understand and regulate emotions.
In early
2001, I became aware of the Staunton Farm Foundation in
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, a foundation supporting mental health
issues. With their support and backing, the fundamental
components for a pilot project were put together, including a
group component for social interaction. The client buy in
was to be through the development of three goals that would
encourage success upon return to the community. The project
needed an emotional intelligence test that had been normed to
the inmates. An Internal Team with prison and agency personnel
was created to monitor the monthly administrative issues for the
grant. Also created was an External Team with an outside
evaluator to monitor goal achievements and to provide feedback
regarding program issues.
Start up
for the project began in the summer of 2002. The coordinator was
Dr. Holly Moore, of Duquesne University, and the counselor was
Jeni Clegg. The one year follow-up of our last client concluded
the active participation portion in the fall 2005. Outcome and
Process Evaluations will follow in separate portions of this
report. Inmates staffed to Operation Outward Reach at
SCI-Greensburg where to be test subjects while those staffed to
OOR at SCI-Somerset the control testing group.
ESCAPe (Emotionally Secure Community Adaptation Program)
is a counseling program curriculum designed to positively impact
the emotionally intelligent behaviors of pre release inmates in
order to facilitate their transition from prison to the
community. The program includes individual and group counseling
as well as case management and family counseling as needed.
Through this counseling process inmates are assisted in
developing self-awareness, including how to identify and process
emotion, interpersonal skills, effective and appropriate stress
responses. Additional areas of focus include adaptability,
management of mood, and problem solving skills. The objective
of the program is to work on increasing coping skills that will
enable the inmates to build lasting relationships at all levels
with employers, neighbors, friends, and family not only to
promote their own cognitive, emotional well being and behavior
but also the well being of others who are a part of their lives.
The
program begins with a pre-test using the BarOn Emotional
Quotient Inventory. The BarON EQi is a widely used emotional
intelligence assessment tool with composites in the areas of
intra- and interpersonal skills, stress management, adaptability
and general mood. The test also has stringent reliability and
validity indicators. Although the BarON is used in many schools
and businesses, the ESCAPe program is first program to utilize
the BarON in a corrections setting. The test had limited use
with inmates. Yet, the results of our testing program validated
areas of criminogentic need.
Following
the BarON pretest, a comprehensive assessment of each inmate is
completed using an interview format guided by a biopsychosocial
assessment form. The counselor reviews the results of the BarOn
and biopsychosocial assessment, including strengths and areas of
need. In conjunction with the inmate, three mutually agreeable
goals are developed. The inmate pledges to work on these goals
during the six-month counseling program as well as during 12
months of follow-up period either still in prison or paroled to
the community. Goals are mutually agreed upon, as
individual motivation levels are higher toward self-identified
needs. External criticism only serves further entrench
individual rationalizations.
After
assessment and goal setting are complete, individual counseling
occurs at least once per week, more often during crisis
situations. During the weekly counseling sessions, the
counselor assists the inmate in addressing their goals, progress
and lapses. Of course, this time can also be used to address
crisis issues as they occur.
In
conjunction with individual counseling, a twenty-four week
psychoeducational counseling group reinforces issues related to
emotional intelligence. The group incorporates writing and
discussion activities and role playing that cover aspects such
as emotions, assertiveness, self-regard, problem solving, goal
setting, empathy, relationships responsibility, stress,
flexibility, and moods.
Case
management and family counseling issues can also be addressed
during individual counseling sessions. The counselor discusses
with the inmate obstacles identified during the course of the
assessment such as lack of employment/income, housing,
transportation, and medical needs. Support may be provided to
the inmate in developing healthy support systems and networks.
Studies have shown that determining factors of long-term success
for an individual are employment, strong support systems,
adequate housing and avoidance of conditions or people that
influenced the offense.
Aftercare
and follow-up support services would be provided as needed. The
inmate would be able to access the Reentry Counselor via our
toll-free phone number for follow-up counseling, problem
solving, and/or referral sources to continue to assist with the
reduction of obstacles barring his transition to a productive
life.
All
counseling sessions are fully confidential, enabling the inmate
to be open and honest concerning their experiences. Research
supports that authority based counseling relationships are not
conducive to honesty. Often, the authority figure is seen as
having an influence on the release outcome for the inmate. The
ESCAPe program counselor is not involved in the institutional
release process in any way, maintaining the confidentiality and
integrity of the counselor/patient relationship.
To
evaluate the grant the agency hired Dr.Waln Brown to evaluate
the process in our meeting the goals of the Staunton Farm Grant.
In the development of the program a review of the three main
models of emotional intelligence, Salovey-Mayer, Goleman and
Reuven Bar-On, took place. Salovey-Mayer has E.I as pure
intelligence or cognitive ability. Reuven Bar-On and Goleman are
both mixed models involving cognitive ability and personality
aspects. Goleman’s model focuses on how cognitive and
personality influence workplace success while Bar-On’s model
indicates the same two has an influence on general well-being.
We choose the Bar-On model, test and the test outline for the
twenty-four week psychoeducational counseling group’s topics. It
seamed like a good fit.
After
Dr.Moore and Jeni Clegg began the above program the testing
results provided a problem in one respect. The only inmates to
be tested where those of the same high custody status which is
eligibility for community placement. Realizing this, inmates
from SCI-Fayette in different custody status were tested as
well. The results helped to norm the Bar-On within a
correctional population.
The
Principles of Effective Correctional Intervention was used
to evaluate only the ESCAPe Manuel in 2004. Missing from this
evaluation was a site visit, employee and student interviews,
document evaluation and agency design, yet, this evaluation
proved helpful as we look forward to redesigning the ESCAPe
program.
1.
Principle
1. Target Criminogenic Needs-
In the evaluation was a concern that we spent equal time on both
criminogentic and social needs. This may well be true, but our
philosophy is that self-esteem, anxiety/depression, feelings of
personal inadequacy and low socio-economic status do effect
criminogenic needs. However in the continued development of
ESCAPe there is a value to expanding criminogentic needs areas.
2.
Principle 2: Conduct Through Objective Assessments of
Risk and Needs and Target Intervention to High Risk/High
Offender Needs.-
While
there is concern that the Bar-On EQ-I does not appear to
target weather an offender will reoffend, there needs to be
additional research and norming with other established tools
that are predictors of inmate success or failure.
3.
Principle
3: Base Design and Implementation on a Proven Theoretical Model-
There is
some concern that EI/ emotional intelligence has little or no
basis as a theory of criminal offending. Yet in a recent study
by the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections, 74% of the PVs
indicated on the survey that some sort of dysphoric emotion was
the strongest emotion experienced in the last 48 hours preceding
the violation.
4.
. Use a
Cognitive-Behavioral Approach-
While
early on in the development of the project we used a definition
that indicated EI alone is a non cognitive construct while
ESCAPe’s approach is inclusive of cognitive, behavioral and
emotional components working together. There are several
differences or enhancements to ESCAPe over and above NIC’s
Thinking for a Change. First, there is an assessment process
using a standardized test and a biopsychosocial history whose
purpose is to understand where the client is or has behaved in
the past and the depth of emotional needs. Second, to make the
24 group sessions more meaningful individual counseling and goal
setting components. Third, there are follow-up efforts tied to
these goals for a year.
5.
Principle
5:
Disrupt the Delinquency Network- Interpersonel skill
sessions must be expanded to practice the skills of forming
pro-social friendships and avoiding friendships with criminal
associates.
6.
Principle
6: Provide Intensive Services- Effective programs offer services that occupy
40-70 percent of offender’s time the last three to nine months
of incarceration. ESCAPe was offered along with the CReW program
which is a six month 40hr/week program. No doubt with a redesign
ahead and an expansion of the curricula in certain areas and an
expansion of single counseling hours there will be an increase
in hours. Also program stacking or doing ESCAPe with other
programs makes sense. In a pre-release mode our program could be
used with both CORE and CWP.
7.
Principle
7:
Match Offender’s Personality and Learning Style with
Appropriate Program Setting and Approaches- During the
initial counseling assessment process the counselor is aware of
how and what to deliver to the offender based on
testing and interview sessions.
8.
Principle
8:
Include a Relapse Prevention Component- With the initial
pre-release pilot project there were limitations to relapse
prevention since most of the trainees lived in the other end of
the state and all efforts where done by telephone. If used in a
post release setting at the Day Treatment Program this issue
could be resolved. If used in the institution as a pre-release
program then counselors in the Day Treatment System could be
handed the case upon parole.
9.
Principle 9 Integrate with Community-based Services-
Certainly if used in a pre-release or a post
release setting a strong aftercare component must be integrated
into the approach. However, the program could be rewritten to be
used on the housing units to promote positive institutional
adjustment and adaptability.
10. Principle
10:
Reinforce Integrity of Services- It goes without saying
that to be an effective program organizational development,
staff selection, training and development as well as program
evaluation must be included and are critical. Operation Outward
Reach has just been certified as meeting ethics and
accountability standards of the Pennsylvania Association of
Non-Profits.
While
doing research into the development of our ESCAPe program it
became necessary to describe our approach in the diagram. We are
convinced Thinking, Acting and Feeling must act in tandem with
each to be effective. In doing so there will be a positive
impact on institutional adjustment and recidivism for all
inmates.
Operation
Outward Reach entered this process of developing a counseling
approach for Pre-Release several years ago and was fortunate
enough to get a foundation grant from Staunton Farm for its
development. It centered on the idea that emotional needs must
be addressed if a person was to be successful in the community.
Cognitive-Behavioral therapy indicates that both behavioral and
emotional are controlled by thinking. Our program saw it
differently in that both cognitive and behavior are immersed in
a bath of emotion thus working together.
Operation
Outward Reach plans to pursue and advance the construct that
emotional intelligence influences both thinking and behavior and
that through a harmoniously interaction can success be achieved.
In corrections we see several used for this approach. First,
there is a need for quick and continuous institutional
adjustment. Institutional disciplinary actions can be reduced by
having the inmate redirect his or her anger toward positive
programming and a positive quicker return to the community.
Secondly, both pre and post release use of ESCAPe will better
prepare the inmate for a supported community return. With this
in mind we plan to seek monies to develop the curriculum for
each area and to practice these concepts.
Raymond Thompson
President
Operation Outward Reach
March 24, 2006 |
The idea for this program started thirty
years ago when I was given the task to design a Pre-Release Program at
Trenton State Prison in New Jersey.