Section 1: Identifying Your Present Interventions
This section will help you first identify the current jail and community transition intervention programs currently in place and then determine gaps in service. This is a starting point in any intervention process and is useful for the following reasons:
- Helps you to understand service availability and accessibility
- Helps you identify gaps in services
- Assists in evaluation of new resources and/or approaches
- Improves responsiveness
- Improves system continuity
- Helps jails and service providers coordinate their interventions
- Gives you information to develop resource guides
Intervention examples
- Resource information and referrals
- Courses
- Training sessions
- Formal services, treatment, and training
- Case management
- Mentoring
- Supervision
You will want to briefly describe the type of interventions available, the client and staff type, and when and where the intervention takes place.
Next, use other sources to add to your inventory. These can include the following:
- Health and human service resource guides are available in most cities and counties. The United Way or government agencies publish these guides, which often focus on a particular need, such as homelessness, HIV/AIDS, or job training.
- Partnering agencies and stakeholders, discussed in the Collaborative Structure and Joint Ownership module, have a wealth of knowledge on available services.
- The presently and formerly incarcerated are often willing to assist in understanding system efficiencies and gaps in service. Consider convening several focus groups of recently released individuals and others released some time ago, and ask them directly which resources were helpful and which were not.
Do not assume that all the information you receive is accurate and current.
- All services must be contacted before being listed in your final inventory and should be contacted every six months to verify the information.
- Some service providers will tell you they provide multiple programs, when the reality is they mainly refer clients to other services.
- Make sure to question providers on the specific programs they offer and the eligibility requirements.
- Services not meeting the needs of the inmates or not consistent with known best practices should be deleted from the database and alternative agencies sought.
The following are categories that might be included in a community inventory:
Service Provider Database Categories |
| Agency name |
Appointment required |
| Program name |
Referral required |
| Services provided |
Language(s) spoken |
| Address |
Eligibility requirements |
| Contact person |
Program exclusions |
| City, state, zip code |
Space availability |
| Neighborhood or geographic zone |
Documents required |
| Phone number |
Fee structure |
| E-mail address |
Other information |
| Web site address |
Date agency first contacted |
| Fax number |
Date agency information last updated |
| Hours and days of operation |
Comments |
| Weekend days and hours |
|
Finally, develop a database that inventories programs in the jail and the community to better manage available services and help you identify any gaps or lack of continuation of services from the jail to the community.
Provided here is a template of a jail- (J) and community-based (CB) service and treatment inventory table. You will want to revise the template based on the service availability in your community. However, the 29 interventions listed are the most common services offered and found useful by those transitioning from jail to the community.
