Capital Region Ex-Offenders Support Coalition (CRESC)
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HACC's STEP Academy

6/20/2017

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Set Goals.  Take Action.
Expect Success.  Put In The Work.
HACC's STEP Academy is a program geared to prepare and steer participants to be successful and ready for the workforce.  The STEP Academy is designed to educate, empower and encourage participants to take the next step toward increasing their readiness for the world of work.  The STEP Academy focuses on confidence building, self-esteem, employment readiness preparation and other strategies to assist individuals to get prepared internally and externally for today's workforce.

This four week training will prepare underemployed and unemployed workers with the tools needed to be successful in today’s work environment and address the “essential skills” needed to perform today’s jobs. This four week training will empower students to convert the conceptual understanding of soft skills into everyday practice on the job. Some areas to be addressed during this training include: communication skills; teamwork and collaboration; adaptability; problem solving; critical observation; and conflict resolution.

The students participate in a rigorous four week session.  Once the participant completes the training, they go on to their choice of vocational training such as Warehouse / Logistics, Welding or CNC.  Participants can earn various certificates in these fields, while at the same time, learning valuable skills.  Upon completion, HACC works with employment partners in placing participants for employment.
Classes enrolling today!  For enrollment information, contact 717 780 2383.
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Reentry Spotlight: The RASE Project

6/9/2017

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The RASE Project is a 501 (c) 3, non-profit, charitable organization. RASE is a Recovery Community Organization, which means that it is comprised entirely of staff and volunteers from the Recovery Community and it exists to serve the Recovery Community. Recovery Community is defined as: any person in, or seeking recovery, their families, close friends and other loved ones. The RASE Project stands for Recovery, Advocacy, Service and Empowerment, and exists to reduce the stigma associated with the disease of addiction as well as offering support in the process of recovery. Our mission is to assist all those individuals affected by substance use issues, problems and concerns by fostering progress, enriching lives, and ultimately enhancing the recovery process.

We offer multiple programs that all work closely with the criminal justice system. In particular, we have full-time Recovery Specialists that work hand in hand with Dauphin County’s Drug Court Program. Participants in the Recovery Specialist Program are paired with a Recovery Specialist who works side by side with them as peer support and a recovery coach. We offer recovery service planning unique to our agency. The RSP facilitates change and instills hope. We are dedicated to helping others build self-esteem, increase good decision making skills, re-build families and empower participants to become productive and active members of society. The RASE Project believes that every individual is unique and special and deserves the opportunity to recover. Referrals for the RSP go directly to our Lebanon office. For more information on the RSP or to schedule an intake please call 717-277-7400.

In addition to the RSP, RASE offers residential services for men and women. This transitional housing program includes individuals in the criminal justice system. We ask for a minimum commitment of 6 months so these individuals can recreate their lives free from active addiction. Each house has its own Residential Coordinator. RASE House programming is designed to assist each resident achieve the following objectives: sustained recovery, permanent full-time employment, understanding and possession of bank accounts, and the necessary skills needed to navigate through life successfully. RASE House encourages the residents to reach these objectives by utilizing the following tools: daily 12-Step meeting attendance, weekly Recovery 101 groups, weekly Life Skills classes, appropriate referral to necessary ancillary services, recovery plan development, house meetings, supervision and weekly contacts. We believe that it is essential for the residents at RASE House to examine all aspects of their lives and to replace old negative behaviors with new positive ones to achieve ongoing recovery and success. For more information on The Harrisburg RASE House please call 717-232-8535, for the Carlisle RASE House call 717-249-6499 and for the Lancaster RASE House call 717-295-3080. Please note that the Harrisburg and Carlisle RASE Houses are for women and Lancaster is for men.

For more information about The RASE Project, visit their website at 
http://www.raseproject.org/
CRESC thanks The RASE Project for their tireless efforts to support recovery throughout ex-offender reentry into the community!
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Workforce Development Committee

9/18/2012

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The CRESC Workforce Development Committee, working with the Harrisburg Regional Chamber and the PA Board of Probation & Parole Citizen's Advisory Committee, has scheduled an employer breakfast for Thursday, December 13, 2012, 7:30am to 9:30am at the Best Western Premier - The Central Hotel & Conference Center at 800 E Park Drive, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. All three organizations will sponsor the event. The employer breakfast is intended to highlight businesses that have had success in hiring ex-offenders and to recruit new individuals to work with ex-offenders as mentors and employers . The cost is $15.00 per attendee and registration will be available shortly at the Chamber’s web site www.harrisburgregionalchamber.org/  Please contact Dr. Robert G. Garraty if you have any questions. His phone is717-561 0209 and email is rgarraty1@comcast.net 
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Subject: Papillon Foundation / Expungement of Criminal Records

3/12/2012

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The Papillon Foundation is a 501(c)(3) charity which helps indigent
ex-offenders clean-up their criminal records for free.  It is a
non-partisan, non-profit corporation which is a licensed and bonded legal
document preparation service.

It is 100% web-based and provides free of charge all of the necessary forms
and instructions for the expungement and sealing of criminal records in all
50 States, the District of Columbia and American Territories so ex-offenders
may eliminate this significant barrier to employment, housing and
educational opportunities, thereby reducing recidivism and assisting in
their effective re-entry into society.

If we can assist your organization in furthering its mission, please add our
website at www.papillonfoundation.org as a link on your website or simply
recommend our services to your indigent clients who wish to expunge or seal
their adult or juvenile arrest and conviction records anywhere in the United
States.

Thank you,

Nina Courtney, President
The Papillon Foundation
PO Box 338
Creston, CA 93432-0338
            (805) 712-3378       
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A new resource for low income members of our community: Comcast Internet Essentials

9/6/2011

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Please spread the word:

Comcast has announced that it will begin offering a new service, Internet Essentials, in time for the 2011-12 school year. This initiative will directly address the major barriers that many in our communities face for in-home broadband adoption: affordability and lack of digital literacy.

In today's world, it is important for everyone to be digitally literate. Broadband adoption is vital for our communities because it helps improve our children’s education, our local economy, and the ability for members of our communities to find jobs and benefit from opportunities available online.

Comcast Internet Essentials will provide eligible families with:

-Affordable home Internet service ($9.95 per month)
-A low-cost computer ($149.99 plus taxes)
-Access to free Internet training online, in print and in classroom(at established community training sites)

Internet Essentials will be available everywhere that Comcast offers its high-speed Internet service. Students in more than 4,000 school districts in 39 states and the District of Columbia will be able to participate.

Comcast will accept new Internet Essentials participants for at least three years, through the end of the 2013-14 school year. Any household that qualifies during this three-year period will remain eligible for Internet Essentials, provided the household still qualifies for the program, until that child graduates from high school.

For more details visit their website at http://www.internetessentials.com/.


Vladimir Beaufils
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CSG Justice Center Releases Guide for Transforming Probation Departments to Focus on Recidivism Reduction

8/9/2011

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The Council of State Governments (CSG) Justice Center announced today the release of a guide for policymakers committed to reducing the likelihood that probationers will reoffend. A Ten-Step Guide to Transforming Probation Departments to Reduce Recidivism provides probation leaders with a roadmap to overhaul the operations of their agencies so they can increase public safety in their communities and improve rates of compliance among people they are supervising.

Click here to download the report.

The first section describes how officials can engage key stakeholders, evaluate agency policies, and develop a strategic plan for implementing reform; the second section provides recommendations for redesigning departmental policies and practices; and the final section includes steps for making the department transformation permanent. The report provides numerous examples of how these steps were used in one probation department in particular (Travis County, Texas). Since transforming its operations between 2005 and 2008, the Travis County probation department has seen felony probation revocations decline by 20 percent and the one-year re-arrest rate for probationers fall by 17 percent (compared with similar probationers before the departmental overhaul).

Geraldine Nagy, Director of Travis County’s adult probation department and one of the authors of the report, said, “Probation leaders across the country share the conviction that probation administrators play a key role in community safety. In Travis County, we’ve made preventing crime and reducing reoffending the focus of our mission statement. Everyone, at all levels of our agency, along with judicial leaders, sees recidivism reduction as our shared and topmost priority. The Ten-Step Guide captures the key lessons we learned in reforming our agency.”

While probation officials in every state are experiencing cuts to their budgets, the number of people they are supervising is increasing. According to a recent study by the Pew Center on the States, more than five million people are currently on probation or parole in the U.S., representing an increase of 59 percent over the past 20 years. Facing high expectations and intense public scrutiny, probation officials should revisit their agency’s goals, processes, and measures for success. The Ten-Step Guide is designed for these community corrections officials and policymakers responsible for funding and overseeing probation.

North Carolina State Representative David Guice (R-Transylvania County), who is a member of the board of the CSG Justice Center and worked as a probation officer for over 30 years, said, "As a member of my state’s General Assembly, I worked diligently with fellow lawmakers to author legislation to overhaul the probation system across North Carolina. I believe it's important to realize how state governments can position probation staff to go beyond 'trailing and nailing' probationers who don't comply with conditions of release, and actually work to change behaviors among this population so they commit fewer crimes. The Ten-Step Guide is a critical tool for any state lawmaker who wants to help accomplish these same goals in their state."

Work on the guide was supported by the U.S. Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Assistance, Pew Center on the States Public Safety Performance Project, Texas Department of Criminal Justice-Community Justice Assistance Division, and the Travis County (TX) Community Supervision and Corrections Department.

Download the report for free. It was produced under grant number 2009-DD-BX-K139 of the Bureau of Justice Assistance. Additional resources can be found at www.nationalreentryresourcecenter.org.

This is a National Reentry Resource Center Spotlight Announcement. This announcement is funded in whole or in part through a grant (award number: 2009-CZBX-KO01) from the Bureau of Justice Assistance, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. Neither the U.S. Department of Justice nor any of its components operate, control, are responsible for, or necessarily endorse, this announcement (including, without limitation, its content, technical infrastructure, and policies, and any services or tools provided).

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Local Track Team Headed to Junior Olympics

7/28/2011

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The Harrisburg Parks and Rec Track Team is headed to the Junior Olympics on August 3rd.  Congratulations to the team, the parents and much thanks to Mayor Thompson for supporting these young people. This program has helped change the life of 35 young people, 15 of which made it to Nationals, and kept them positively involved in a healthy physical activity over the summer. Well with that being said, my daughter is one of those young people, and her and I are headed to New Orleans on Wednesday. All that to say I will not be at the meeting on Thursday morning, I'm sure you all can hold down the fort in my absence, I'm gonna go get me some southern Louisana food for a couple days.  See you all when I return.


Marsha Banks
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CRESC Strategic Planning Session - LiveScribe Transcription!

2/21/2011

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CRESC held a strategic planning session Friday, Feb. 18, 2011 from 8am to noon at the CMU 1100 South Cameron St.
The session was recorded with a LiveScribe Pen (visual notes and synchronized audio).  You can access the transcription and listen to the audio online.

The Planning Session took place in two parts.  The first part included introductions and group work to identify critical topic areas for the Strategic Plan.   The second part included further group work and report out about priorities and next action steps.

When you get to the online presentation, move your mouse over the Green written notes.  Click on a portion of the Green notes to hear the audio that is synchronized with that portion of the se

To access Part 1:  click here
To access Part 2:  click here


Respectfully ssubmitted
Barry Nazar
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Historic Levels of Funding for Homelessness Programs in President FY12 Budget

2/18/2011

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The President's Budget includes $4.8 billion for targeted homeless assistance funding, a 23.4% increase over the previously enacted Fiscal Year 2010 Budget and a 13.3% increase over the President's Fiscal Year 2011 Budget proposal.  The US Interagency Council on Homelessness published a Budget Fact Sheet reflecting past and future funding trends.  Visit the Interagency Council's website www.usich.gov  for more information, including the first-ever Comprehensive Federal Strategic Plan to Prevent and End Homeless.
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Mentoring Results for Dauphin County Probation/Parole

11/4/2010

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On February 18, 2010, the Dauphin County Adult Probation Office in collaboration with Capital Region Ex-Offender Support Coalition created a Mentoring Pilot Program.   The Successful Ex-Offender Mentoring Support Group (SEMSG) is held weekly and serves to assist men and women of Dauphin County on probation, parole or work release to become productive members of our community. The SEMSG was established in partnership with Dauphin County Parole and Probation by the Capital Region Ex-Offender Support Coalition and is comprised of formerly incarcerated men and women who have changed their lives and become true success stories. These men and women who were former members of the drug, gang and criminal lifestyle are now business owners, multiple college degree holders, and community leaders. With the assistance of various agencies within the area, the SEMSG provides resources to education, training, jobs, transportation and any other identified needs of the group. The SEMSG presents inspiration, encouragement and real life experience in overcoming barriers in transitioning from prison to being productive citizens,  motivation by spotlighting the success stories of ex- offenders and directing the group to change their way of thinking in order to better their self- worth, communication skills and family dynamics. The SEMSG also fosters a more cooperative relationship for offenders with Dauphin County Probation and Parole, law enforcement, and the community as a whole.

The following report will reflect data pertaining to this program from its inception to August 4, 2010.   It will examine the increase in attendance, the total number of offenders who attended employment and unemployment facts, offenders who were incarcerated or absconded, and the number of offenders who were successfully discharged from supervision during their course of time participating in this program.

The Ex-Offender Pilot Mentoring Program began on 2-18-2010 and the first class consisted of 12 offenders.   Over the next several months the class size continued to grow significantly, and on 6-24-2010 we had our largest attendance of 69 offenders.   From 2-18-2010 to 8-4-2010 (24 classes) the average class size was 37 offenders.  This significant increase can be attributed to the positive feedback from our offenders, and the PO’s encouraging their offenders to attend.  

During this time period we had 360 different offenders attend the Program, and a total attendance of 876.   Of the 360 offenders 114 of them (32%) attended the Program 3 or more times, and the remaining 246 offenders (68%) attended less than 3 times.   The offenders who are unemployed are the ones who are highly encouraged to attend, and currently 147 (41%) of the 360 offenders who have attended are employed.  Approximately 158 or (44%) of the 360 offenders are unemployed.  The remaining 15 % are comprised of offenders who are currently attending school, in treatment, or on SSI, and there are several individuals who attended that came as visitors with an offender.

Dauphin County Adult Probation & Parole has successfully discharged 37 offenders (10%) of the 360 total offenders who have attended.   These are offenders who have complied with the rules and conditions of their supervision and have paid their fines and costs in full.

A very positive note pertains to the low recidivism rate among these offenders.  Currently only 10 offenders or ( less than 3%) have been arrested for new criminal charges, and 14 or ( less than 4%) have been incarcerated for technical violations of their supervision.   Of the 360 offenders our office has had to issue only 3 warrants due to the unknown whereabouts of the offender, and this equates to less than 1%.

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