INMATE WORK RELEASE PROGRAM

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1 This document is made available electronically by the Minnesota Legislative Reference Library as part of an ongoing digital archiving project. INMATE WORK RELEASE PROGRAM I) MINNESOTA DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS

2 The Minnesota Work Release Program for felons began in September The program permits adult and youthful offenders in correctional institutions to attend school or work in the "open community" while living in the institution or community corrections facilities during non-working hours. The primary objective of the program is to ease the difficult transition from the dependency of institutional life to acceptance of individual responsibility and independence in the "free community". The program does not operate under any specialized treatment modality but does offer individual and group counseling, along with instruction in money management, within the main Work Release Center. Goals within the program include assisting clients to secure employment or training, directing them to appropriate community resources for assistance in problem areas and helping them become financially independent of others when they are released on parole. In 1973, with the financial assistance through an LEAA grant for Project Reentry, the Department of Corrections was able to move the Work Release Program from County Jail settings to a Community Corrections Center known as Reentry Center, located in the Salvation Army Men's Social Service Center in Minneapolis. With this move, greater flexibility in individual treatment programming has been made possible. Although the major number of inmates taking advantage of W~rk Release come to the Twin City area, the program does operate on a statewide basis. The Department of Corrections has developed some vjork Release housing contracts with community corrections centers outside of the Metropolitan area. However, because of the shortage of such centers in rural areas, most participants on release to the rural area reside in county jails. Inmates who wish to enter the program make application to the Program Director. They may apply at any time \;\ \ l~ \ \ \

3 during a given institution time continuance but must be eligible for release on parole at the end of that continuance. If accepted for the program their request for Work Release status is brought before the Minnesota Corrections Board for their review and action. Applicants are screened against the following criteria and may be excluded if one or more conditions exist. A. Persons with escape records B. Persons with hardcore drug or alcohol use histories C. Persons with repetitive assaultive histories D. Persons with detainers from other jurisdictions E. Persons doing expiration on their sentence F. Persons who do not volunteer for the program G. Persons with physical or mental infirmities that would severely limit their ability to work H. Persons whose institution work records and program achievement records indicate a lack of relatively sustained effort at self-improvement Clients that are accepted are required to sign a treatment contract with both the Program Staff and the MCB. The contract outlines the rules and regulations under which they must conduct themselves and any special treatment programming in which they must participate. Special treatment may consist of programming in alcohol or drug therapy, mental health therapy, family counseling, financial management training or others. While on the program, clients can earn certain recreational pass and weekend furlough privileges by positive individual progress on the program. Positive progress or lack of progress are reported to the MCB and directly affects the length of time clients spend on the program. The minimum period on the program is 90 days

4 Each client at the Reentry Center meets with his counselor on a daily basis and with the program director once a week in staffing. During the director staffings individual programming is reviewed and altered or expanded as needed. Fu11time employment or training is expected of each client and they are required to contribute to partial payment of their daily room and board costs. Minnesota Work Release Law required that all paychecks be deposited in the State Treasury and credited to the Work Release account, subject to disbursement by the Commissioner of Corrections for the following purposes and in the following order: (1) The cost of such inmate's keep as determined by the provision of subdivision 7, which monies shall be deposited in the general fund of the state treasury if such inmate is housed in a state correctional institution, or shall be paid to the appropriate city or county treasurer if such inmate is housed in a city or county facility; (2) Necessary travel expense to and from work and other incidental expenses of the inmate; (3) Support of inmate's dependents, if a~; (4) After the above expenditures, the inmate shall have discretion to direct payment of the balance, if any, upon proper proof of personal legal debts; (5) The balance, if any, shall be disbursed to the inmate as provided in section , subdivision 1. The Work Release Program in Minnesota has been a successful program from the standpoint of reducing - 3 -

5 costs of incarceration. It has also been a valuable alternative to releasing inmates on parole when intensive surveillance and supervision is indicated as being needed. The following tables describe specific characteristics of inmates that have participated in the program since its inception. Characteristics for the first five years of operation have been compiled in one column headed Information on an individual breakdown of each of 'those years was reported in "Work Release for Felons -- ASummary of Five Years Experience". That report was published in March 1973 by the Minnesota Department of Corrections Research, Information &Data Systems Unit

6 TABLE I In Program start of Year Admitted during year Served during year Terminated during year (J'l In Program end of year In program start of year Admitted during year Served during year Terminated during year In Program end of year

7 SEX & RACE Sex &Race (Adults ) No. % No. % No. % No. % ~1a1e - Hh i te Nale - Negro r'a1e - Indian Male - Span. Am. 2.3 a a a a ~ Female - ~~hite Fema1e - Negro Female - Indian 6.9 a a 1.8 a a Female - Span. A~. a a a a Sub-total % % % :-0%

8 SEX &RACE Sex &Race (Youths) No. % No. % No. % No. %... I Male - 14hite Male - Negro Male - Indian a a ~,ta1e - Span..Am. 1.8 a a a a a a Female - Hhite a a a a a a Female - Negro a a a a a 0 Female - Indian a a a a a a 0 a Female - Span. Am. a a a a a a a a Sub-total % % % % TOTAL

9 AGE Age in Years (Adults ) No. % No. % No. % No. % co Unreported Sub-total % % % %

10 AGE Ate in Years Youth) No. % No. % No. % No. % < a a a a a a a a a a a a Unreported a a 0 a a a a a Sub-total % % % % TOTAL

11 ~4ARITAL STATUS ADULTS No. % No. /0 No. % No. % ~ 0 Single Married Annulled Legal Separation Non-Legal Separation Divorced Widowed Non-Legal Associ ati on Unknown Sub-total % % % %

12 MARITAL STATUS YOUTH 01 No. 10 No. % No. % No. % Single r 1arried Annulled Legal Separation Non-Legal Separation Divorced Hidowed a Non-Legal Association Unknown Sub-total % % % % TOTAL

13 NUMBER OF DEPENDENTS ADULT No. % No. % No. % No. -til N a a a a Unknown a 0 a Sub-total % % % %

14 NUMBER OF DEPENDENTS YOUTHS No. ()f No. % No. % No. at Ie /0 ~ w a Unknown Sub-total % % % % TOTAL

15 COMMITTING OFFENSE ~ Theft.j::> ADULTS O! No. 10 No. % No. % No. % Homi cide Crimes Against Person &Related Forgery &Related Damage to Property Crimes Against Family Sex Offences Drug & Liquor Escape Others Sub-total % % % %

16 COMMITTING OFFENSE YOUTHS No. % No. % No. % No. % Homicide Crimes Against Person Theft & Related <.TI Forgery &Related Damage to Property Crimes Against Family Sex Offenses Drug & liquor Escape Others Sub-total % % % % TOTAL

17 SENTENCE IN YEARS ADULT No. % 1973 No. % 1974 No. % 1975 No. %... 0'\ i);:? \~l Over Nor Reported o o o 0 o 0 o o o 0 o 0 o o 0 o 0 o 0 o 0 o 0 o 0 o 0 Sub-total % % % % ~ ~:::-'?- o ~t

18 SENTENCE IN YEARS YOUTHS No. % No. % No. % No. % Sub-total % % % % TOTAL

19 PRIOR CONVICTIONS ADULTS No. % No. /:J No. % No. % co Sub-total % % % %

20 PRIOR CONVICTIONS YOUTHS No. % No. % No. % No. % Sub-total % % % % TOTAL

21 DURATION OF TIME IN INSTITUTION PRIOR TO WORK RELEASE (Months) Time in Months (Adults) No. % No. % No. % No. % N Sub-total % % % %

22 DURATION OF TIME IN INSTITUTION PRIOR TO WORK RELEASE (Months) Time in Months (Youths) No. % No. % No. % No. % N a a a a 0 a 0 a a a 0 0 a 0 0 a a a a 0 a Sub-total % % % % TOTAL

23 ~ ~ SOURCE OF FIRST JOB AFTER INSTITUTION RELEASE ADULTS No. %- No. % No. % No. % Retained Previous Job Self Spouse N Children N Relative Social Agency Friend Department of Correcti ons TOTAL % % % %

24 SOURCE OF FIRST JOB AFTER INSTITUTION RELEASE YOUTHS No. % No. % No. % No. % N w Retained Previous Job Self Spouse a Children Relative Social.Agency Friend Department of Corrections TOTAL % % % % Table includes only those who were employed -- students and unemployed excluded.

25 HOUSING INSTITUTIONS ADULTS No. % No. % No. % No. % Ramsey County vlorkhouse ~1CIW Olmsted Jail SRM Meeker County Jail Hennepin County Jai Anoka State Hospital N Wright County Jail a 0 a..j::o Anoka County Jail St. louis Jail ue Earth Jail VOA Goodh ue Jail a Newgate House a 0 Salvation Anny Nobles County Jail 0 0 a Waseca County Jail a a Other Sub-total % % % %

26 HOUSING INSTITUTIONS YOUTHS No. % No. % No. % No. % Ramsey County l4orkhouse MCIW Olmsted Jai SRM Meeker County Jail Hennepin County Jail Minneapolis Workhouse Anoka Hospital N Wright County Jail (J'1 Anoka County Jail St. Louis Jai ue Earth Jail VOA Goodhue Jail Newgate House Salvation Army Nobles County Jail Waseca County Jail Other Sub-total % % % % TOTAL

27 SKILL LEVEL ADULTS No. % No. % No. % No. % Profess i ona1 6.9 a a 1.8 a a Managerial Semi-Professional a a Clerical N Sales C'\ Ski 11 ed Labor Semi-Skilled Labor Unskilled Labor Student Not Employed Unreported 5.8 a 0 a 0 a a Sub-total % % % %

28 SKILL LEVEL YOUTH No. % No. % No. % No. % Profess i ona Managerial Semi-Professional Clerical N... Sales Skilled Labor Semi-Skilled Labor Uns ki 11 ed Labor Student Never Emp1oyed Not Reported Sub-total % % % % TOTAL

29 NUMBER OF JOBS HELD Success - Failure Number of Jobs (Adult) s* **F S F s F S F a N TOTAL Number of Jobs (Youth) S F S F S F S F TOTAL * Success ** Failure

30 NUMBER OF JOBS HELD Number of Jobs {Adult) No. % No. % No. % No. % N ~ I Sub-total % % % % Number of Jobs O! (Youth) No. 10 No. % No. % No. % Sub-total % % % %

31 NET INCOME ADULT * 1974* 1975* No. % No. % No. % No. % w a 0 0 a 0 a a a a a 0 TOTAL % % % % * Does not include work re1easees who were students

32 NET INCOME YOUTH * 1974* 1975* No. % No. % No. % No. % w ,JI TOTAL % % % % * Does not include work re1easees who were students

33 AVERAGE NUMBER DAYS ON WORK RELEASE ADULT No. X No. X No. X No. X Successes Tenninated Failures Tenninated Tenninated Other w Reasons 7 45 a a a a a a N I Sub-total Current Participants Adult Client Days 40,558 8,451 9,807

34 AVERAGE NUMBER DAYS ON WORK RELEASE YOUTH No. X No. X No. Y No. Y (.oj (.oj Successes Terminated Failures Terminated Terminated Other Reasons Total Client Days 8,741 Sub-total Current Participants Youth Client Days 8,652 1, Total Client Days 49,299 9,788 10,376 8,398 Total Clients

35 STATUS OF PARTICIPANTS TERMINATED DURING YEAR ADULTS No. % No. % No. % No. % w ~ Rules Violated New Offense Escaped Paroled Discharge at Expiration a Discharge Prior Expiration IIIness a Other 1.2 a Sub-total % % % %

36 STATUS OF PARTICIPANTS TERMINATED DURING YEAR YOUTH No. % No. % No. % No. ~ w 0'1 Rules Violated New Offense Escaped Paroled Discharge at Expiration Discharge Prior Expiration Illness Other Sub-total % % % % TOTAL

37 "SUCCESS AND FAILURE" ADULT No. % No. % No. % No. Success Fail ure Sub-total % % % % - - % YOUTH Success Fail ure w O'l Sub-total % % % % COMBINED ADULT AND YOUTH Success Fail ure TOTAL % % % %

38 PROGRAM COSTS Calendar Year Total Cost Number of Participants Number of Days of Care Participant Cost per Day of Care Per Client Cost , , , w , , ,376 8, , ,920.00

39 Costs are composed of salaries paid employees, travel and subsistence for these employees, support for work re1easees either while out of work or to supplement income and for supplies for unit operations. Part of the costs for was also incurred through the operation of the Lino Lakes Pre-Release Program. All salary and travel expense for the Pre-Release Program Director was paid from the above program cost. Some Pre-Release clients also spent weekends at the Reentry Center but their days of care were not included in the above figure. Thus the cost of care per day is somewhat inflated for fulltime program participants. The above table details the annual costs. Daily costs of incarceration during fiscal year for the State Prison were and for the State Reformatory for Men were During fiscal year State Prison costs were and State Reformatory for Men costs were In addition, it must be noted that clients on Work Release contribute to.their room and board, family support, pay taxes and generally are a contributing member to the communinity's economy

40 CLIENTS EARNINGS AND EXPENSES For Clients Terminated From the Program During the Year Room Dai1y* Average Cash Gross Taxes and Token living at Time Year Earnings Paid Board Support Expenses of Release w < ,657 21,483 15,331 1,225 44, ,345 30,092 22,845 1,456 66, ,150 14,868 13, , * Daily living expenses include transportation, car purchase and repair, auto, health and life insurance, tools for jobs, apartment rent and damage deposits, medical, dental and optical expenses, in some cases financial assistance to families, union initiation fees and dues and weekly expense money.