Rehabilitation Programs Division Bulletin Fall/Winter 2014 Executive Director Brad Livingston Employee Spotlight Deputy Executive Director Jennifer fication and Records Support Services Depart- Bryan Collier Jeffcoat, ment, where she provided administrative support, RPD Execu- which included typing committee cards and admis- Division Director tive Assistant sion summaries. In 1994, she moved to the Pro- Madeline Ortiz I to the RPD grams and Services Division (now known as the Director, is a Rehabilitation Programs Division), where through very depend- her extensive experience, skills, and knowledge, Inside this able hard- she has received several promotions. A primary i s s u e : working employee of the Agency, and has been for example of Jennifer’s ability to multitask is that the last 25 years. Even when faced with difficult while working full-time in an extremely visible and E m p l o y e e circumstances, her sense of duty does not waiver. busy office, she also managed to attend Sam Hou- S p o t l i g h t 1 She is known as the ‘go-to’ person for computer ston State University, where she earned a Bache- issues, the fastest typist in the RPD (maybe even lor’s degree in Sociology in 2002. RPD Director Program Spotlight 1 the Agency), and for bringing wonderful desserts Madeline Ortiz states, “I am so appreciative of for the staff to enjoy. Jennifer’s loyalty and dedication to the Agency and From the Editor 7 to me. I know I can always count on her to be Jennifer was born in Burlington, Iowa, but moved there and ready to help.” to Texas in 1984, attended Huntsville High School, Announcements 8 and graduated in 1986. In 1987, she attended Now in her 25th year with the Agency, we would court-reporting school at the American Institute of like to thank Jennifer for all that she does. Not Commerce in Bettendorf, Iowa, and she graduated only is she hard-working, intelligent, and dedicat- in 1988 with certification as a scopist - someone ed, but she also has a quick sense of humor and a who reviews, edits and proofreads court tran- love for reading. Her hobbies include playing pi- scripts produced by a court reporter. In 1988, she ano and organ duets with her mother at church returned to Huntsville and worked in the Huntsville services, card games such as Hand and Foot, and M i s s i o n Memorial Hospital Emergency Room, where she dominoes. She is a fan of Survivor, the Young S t a t e m e n t entered patients’ insurance information into the and the Restless, has a dog, chickens, and pigs, computer system. and bakes a “mean” pineapple upside-down cake. Jennifer is an asset to the Agency, as well as the In 1989, she began her TDCJ career in the Classi- To develop and provide RPD!! evidence-based rehabilita- tion programs that facili- Program Spotlight tate positive change in the lives of offenders by a ded- Sex Offender Rehabilitation Programs (SORP) Expansion by Geralyn Engman and Joseph Bon-Jorno icated team of skilled pro- TDCJ-RPD Sex Offender Rehabilitation Programs The SORP recently embarked upon a significant fessionals. (SORP) offers three (3) programs: an 18-month Sex expansion of the SOTP-9 programs to meet the Offender Treatment Program (SOTP-18), a nine- needs of the Agency. month Sex Offender Treatment Program (SOTP-9), The addition of 558 beds (shared between the Neal, and a four-month Sex Offender Education Program Beto, and Stringfellow units) represents a 60% in- (SOEP). crease in program beds over the last two years for Continued on Page 2 Fall/Winter 2014 Program Spotlight, cont’d. the program. Programmed offenders are typically at the point of pre- people with sexual offense convictions. The total capacity of sex of- release, and are being prepared to be productive members of society. fender programs is now 1,487. Enhancing their understanding of themselves, as well as equipping One of the challenges of this unprecedented initiative is providing for them with the skills they need to change their behavior is a primary the responsible staffing of these added unit operations. In particular, focus of treatment. One key element is for staff to help offenders real- sex offender treatment programming requires both individual and group ize that they are able to change their thinking and behavior. therapy to be conducted by licensed sex offender treatment providers. Through participation in SORP programs, a significant impact has been These professionals, who occupy Health Specialist (HS) positions with realized through a reduction in recidivism rates. Cooperation from all the SORP, must hold a Masters degree in Psychology, Counseling, departments has been key to the success of these programs and the Social Work, Marriage and Family Therapy, or a related field, as well result has been enhanced public safety. According to Executive Ser- as have a primary mental health license in order to qualify for these vices, approximately one in five offenders in the agency are catego- positions. Staffing for the Stringfellow, Beto, and Neal units includes rized as a sex offender. The importance of a combined effort toward two, four, and eight HS positions, respectively. In addition to the HS impacting the lives of these offenders has made many lives safer. positions, the programs are staffed with Case Managers, who teach psycho-educational classes and provide case management functions; For their contribution to this effort, the RPD thanks the Correctional and clerical staff that provide administrative support. Institutions Division, the Facilities Division, and the Windham School District for helping to make facilities and staff available for conducting Another significant consideration is the timing for placing offenders in this important expansion initiative. Program Spotlight, cont’d. A Matte A Matter of Degrees: Lee College programs inside the walls give students real-world skills By: Mark Fleming, Lee College Second Chances Magazine, March 2013, edited by Rhonda Slater, reprinted with permission by Lee College The Lee College Huntsville Center computer literacy, public speaking and humanities courses. offers eleven technical programs, An Associate of Arts or Associate of Science degree, which requires at each designed to help students least 44 hours of general education, requires more course work in the gain skills and prepare them to take same areas. Under any of the programs, the student must complete a — and pass — an appropriate certi- total of 60 credit hours to graduate. fication test. For example, welding students are prepared for nationally How do these programs help students? Here’s a “personal look” at recognized skill certifications in several of these popular programs. industrial welding skills, and truck Air Conditioning Program is a Cool Success driving students are encouraged to take a commercial driving test. In most ways, former Offender Smith* is like many other owners of small air conditioning companies. He opened up shop about a year ago Certificates help students get val- after working several years for a larger company. He depends largely ued jobs in the real world. In some on a few major clients—in his case, a large Humble-area church and a programs, students have the oppor- property management company with 300 or so properties. tunity to take classes such as Tech- nical Math and Technical Writing Like hundreds of other people in similar positions, he employs people, and earn an associate degree. buys supplies, pays taxes, and keeps the cool air flowing that Houston depends upon. The Associate Degree adds a well-rounded state-mandated curriculum to vocational skills classes and provides students the same degree What’s different is that he has accomplished this in just over five years they would attain in any other two-year college in Texas. since he’s been out of prison — and he credits a Lee College program An Associate of Applied Science degree requires at least 19 hours of with making the difference. general education, including English, social science, math or science, Continued on Page 3 Page 2 Rehabilitation Programs Division Bulletin Program Spotlight, cont’d. move from Smith* went to prison San Antonio to at the age of 18. Like Houston to most offenders, he work for his air did not have a high conditioning school diploma, and company. no obvious indication that he wouldn’t fol- Smith* was low the all-too- enrolled in the common cycle of Lee College’s repeated incarcera- a i r c o n - tion, known cynically ditioning pro- as “serving life on the gram while installment plan.” Jones* was still in prison, serving as a teacher’s aide in the AC pro- gram. However, after making use of the opportunity offered by Windham School District to get a GED, Smith* enrolled in Lee College’s air condi- Jones*, like Smith*, entered the prison at age 18. It was his first time, tioning and refrigeration program. he said, but he already had a long list of felony convictions behind him. “If I hadn’t had classes in prison,” he said, “I don’t know what I’d Sentenced to 15 years, he served eight, and used that time to accumu- do, because I don’t know how to do anything else. If I didn’t have late as much education as he could. an actual skill that I could make a good living with, I can’t imagine “It wasn’t that I was stupid,” he said, “but that I had no marketable where I’d be today.” skills. That’s what got me into trouble. So, when I was sentenced, I was He was released from prison before he could complete his Associate determined to become a better and more productive member of society of Applied Sciences degree, but said he took all the classes he could in when released.” the time he had.