In the news: Peer mentoring for parolees

"I'm only looking forward," - Michael Everett

The Bronx Free Press covered our new peer mentoring program for parolees in its January 21st edition. Reporter Gregg McQueen visited our outpatient clinic in the Bronx to speak with Mary Callahan, senior manager, director of Outpatient Services, and Michael Everett, a certified recovery coach, about this innovative program and how it will help reduce recidivism in participants. Check out the full article here.

New peer mentoring program targets parolee recidivism

OdysseyHouse has been awarded a two-year, $300,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to implement a pre- and post-release mentoring and recovery program for parolees at the Edgecombe Correctional Facility (ECF) in Northern Manhattan. The program builds on the successful peer-mentoring model Odyssey House provides as part of its outpatient services and the intensive 45-day in-prison treatment program it currently operates at ECF for technical violators of parole.

The new mentoring program will provide services for up to 200 parolees and create a bridge from prison to community living during the critical re-entry period when many inmates are at risk of relapse.

Since the ECF program was established in 2008 through a joint effort with New York State Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services (OASAS), New York State Department of Corrections (DOCS), New York State Division of Parole, and Odyssey House, more than 3,660 inmates have participated in a holistic program designed to reduce recidivism and dependence on alcohol and/or drugs. An estimated 80 percent of state prison inmates have histories of drug or alcohol abuse, and approximately two-thirds of offenders in re-entry are re-arrested within three years of release, with 52 percent returning to prison for a technical violation or a new crime. 

As part of the Edgecombe Peer Mentoring Program (EPMP), Odyssey House counseling advocates, who are Credentialed Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Counselors, will work on-site at the prison to provide group recovery services. These groups will enhance treatment services currently offered by Odyssey House to assist inmates in creating a crucial support network that will be in place as they leave prison. This approach will provide a seamless continuum of service for parolees by linking them to a network of peer mentors who will serve as their recovery coaches as they adjust to sober lifestyles in their communities. The post-release component will be provided by volunteer recovery coaches consisting of individuals who have completed treatment and are in sustained recovery. All peer mentors will have received training in evidence-based programs including: Recovery Coaching; Thinking for Change; and Motivational Enhancement Therapy.

Dr. Peter Provet, president and CEO of Odyssey House, said he was excited to be partnering with the Department of Justice and NYS agencies in this innovative program that directs resources at reducing recidivism. “We know we can break the cycle of addiction and incarceration when treatment, law enforcement, and criminal justice agencies work together to provide real alternatives that help people with substance use disorders find a new way of living that supports recovery, offers work and life skills, and protects against relapse and recidivism.” 

South African delegation visits Edgecombe program

Odyssey House's Edgecombe Residential Treatment Program recently hosted an 11-member delegation from the South Africa Department of Correctional Services. Darrin Brown, director of Edgecombe, said the delegation, led by Correctional Services National Commissioner Tom Moyane, was particularly interested in the collaborative design of the program as well as our re-entry efforts related to community reengagement.

The visit was part of a seven day tour that included visits to a maximum security facility, a community corrections office, a juvenile center, a female facility, and a pre-release center. South Africa Minister of Correctional Services Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula previously visited Edgecombe and other DOCS facilities in April 2010, after which she decided to return with a group of regional commissioners that are central in conceptualizing and driving the implementation of departmental transformation programs aimed at better service delivery.

Above: The South African delegation with Edgecombe staff.

Above right: Commissioner Tom Moyane and Edgecombe Director Darrin Brown.

The Edgecombe Residential Treatment Program is a comprehensive substance abuse treatment program designed to reduce the risk of re-incarceration. It is a collaborative effort by Odyssey House, NYS Division of Parole, NYS Division of Criminal Justice Services, and NYS Department of Correctional Services. Click here for more information.

National drug czar visits Edgecombe

R. Gil Kerlikowske, director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), visited the Edgecombe Residential Treatment Facility in Harlem last week. Kerlikowske met with Odyssey House officials and commissioners from the Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services (OASAS), Department of Correctional Services, Division of Parole and Division of Criminal Justice Services to discuss alternatives to incarceration for non-violent drug offenders.

Odyssey House strongly supports such measures – last year, we were selected to run the Edgecombe program, which provides intensive services to parole detainees with the aim of returning them to their communities and engaging them in further addiction treatment. Dr. Peter Provet, president and CEO of Odyssey House, said, “Odyssey House is pleased to bring a cutting-edge, intensive clinical intervention to a population at high risk of relapse. Addiction is now recognized as a chronic relapsing disorder - this innovative program is treating relapse instead of punishing it."

Read the full press release for more on Director Kerlikowske’s visit.

Sentencing commission calls for reform

The Commission on Sentencing Reform issued its final report yesterday calling for major reforms of New York's drug laws. The report includes a number of recommendations of significance to Odyssey House, given our new parolee program and resources as a community services provider.

The plan would, among other things, double the existing weight requirements for most major felony drug sale and possession crimes, make many lesser first-time felony drug offenders eligible for probation or a jail term rather than mandatory prison, and expand parole as an option for convicted offenders.

“New York must continue to reserve costly prison resources for high-risk, violent offenders while making greater use of community-based alternatives to incarceration,” the report says.

Odyssey House is a strong proponent of alternatives to incarceration: Our newest program at Edgecombe is designed to provide intensive services to parole detainees with the aim of returning them to their communities and engaging them in further addiction treatment.