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FY 2006-2007 NON-RESIDENTIAL PROPOSAL
Proposal Element 1:
COVER SHEET
CSCD (CHIEF COUNTY OF JURISDICTION): Travis
PROGRAM NUMBER: 035
PROGRAM TITLE: Domestic Violence Specialized Caseload
CHECK IF REQUESTING: DP FUNDING
CCP FUNDING
PRIMARY FUNDING RECIPIENTS:
TAIP FUNDING
BS FUNDING
CSCD:
NON-CSCD:
BIPP
OTHER
NON-CSCD FUNDING RECIPIENT NAME:
REGIONAL CONSORTIUM:
ESTIMATE OF OTHER FUNDING SOURCES:
(NOT CJAD FUNDING SOURCES, NOT PARTICIPANT PAYMENTS)
FUNDING SOURCE
1st Year
2nd Year
RSAT
$
Victims Services $
Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) $
Gang Surveillance $
COG $
Other: $
$
Total
Primary Program Code: SCP O
Secondary Program Code(s):
DMV
COG
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
PROGRAM CODES*
(Code is DMVB for all BIPPs)
Facility Category (CRS)
*A PROJECTED OUTPUTS FORM MUST BE COMPLETED FOR EACH CODE.
Program Contact Information:
Name:
Mailing Address:
Telephone:
Fax:
E-mail:
Lila Oshatz
P.O. Box
Austin, Texas 78767
512-854-4600
512-854-4606
[email protected]
Vendor: Does contract service provider provide services? No
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Yes
Proposal Element 2: PROBLEM/NEED DATA
1. TDCJ-CJAD planning staff will gather additional problem/need data from the MCSCR, Offender Profile
Data, and CSTS to establish need.
2. Indicate Historic/Programmatic Information that substantiates your jurisdiction’s need for this program
(optional). (See appendix __ for an example)
In Travis County, as in other communities across the nation, we are striving for better community
education efforts and coordination of law enforcement and prosecutorial efforts in the area of domestic
violence. As a result, prosecution of domestic violence cases has been increasing.
Violence within families has been recognized as a growing threat in the State of Texas, and in 2001,
Family Violence incidents totaled 180,385 cases, an increase of 2.9% from the previous year.
It is estimated that the Travis County Domestic Violence Court will probate approximately 720 offenders
annually. This information should be viewed as describing the growing trends with regards to caseloads
over time. In order to address the multifaceted needs of the Domestic Violence offender and to ensure
public safety, the Department proposes to implement six Specialized CSOs/Caseloads to supervise these
very high-risk offenders that will be placed on Community Supervision. It is anticipated that all Domestic
Violence related personnel will be a part of the Domestic Violence Court Team and will receive extensive
training on domestic violence issues. The Domestic Violence Court Team will also coordinate with various
local family violence service providers, victims services programs, protective services, and law
enforcement agencies.
Offenders probated out of the Domestic Violence Court #4 or enhanced domestic violence felony offenders
for Domestic Violence offenses would meet the criteria for placement on the specialized caseloads.
Criteria includes offenders probated for their second or more Assault/Family Violence offense (not a first
offense), Assault/Family Violence Enhanced, Violation of a Protective Order when coupled with a second
related offense or related priors, for example, two violations of a Protective Order offense. Offenders not
meeting the criteria for the Specialized Caseload would continue to be supervised by regular field officers
who are required to follow specific Family Violence Procedures as a matter of standard operating
procedures. These procedures include specific attention being given to these offenders with respect to
counseling/treatment referrals, monitoring to ensure compliance, and direct consequences for not
completing referrals as ordered by the Court.
In addition to routine Domestic Violence counseling/treatment, offenders assigned to these Specialized
caseloads will be required to complete the Department’s cognitive program which is a program designed to
assist offenders in modifying their thinking patterns in an effort to improve behavior.
Since a large majority of the Domestic Violence offenses are committed when the offender is under the
influence of alcohol, where applicable, these offenders will be required to complete a substance abuse
assessment and follow all recommendations for education and treatment in this area.
45
3. What other services, that meet this need, are available to the offender in this jurisdiction?
There are currently three approved batterer intervention programs in Travis County: The Austin Stress
Clinic, Lifeworks, and Lonnie Hazelwood. The Austin Stress Clinic provides a 12-week and a 24week program. Lifework provides a 21-week and a 30-week program. Lonnie Hazelwood provides a
38-week program. Travis County Counseling and Education Services provides Domestic Violence
assessments and referrals to the three-batterer intervention programs. Agencies providing resources
and service coordination to victims include the Family Violence Task Force and related Victim
Assistance Programs in the prosecutor’s office, Austin Police Department and Travis County Sheriff’s
office. Having specialized caseloads in this area would provide continuity of service and enhanced
coordination of public safety efforts.
Proposal Element 3: TARGET POPULATION
Please note that the Target Population element does not require narrative description. TDCJ-CJAD staff will gather
additional information from the MCSCR, Offender Profile Data, and CSTS.
a.
Felony only
Misdemeanor only
b.
Male only
Female only
c. Age restriction?
No
Both
Both
Yes
If yes, describe:
d. Offense-related characteristics or exclusions: All offenders must have a domestic violence offense either a Felony or
Misdemeanor.
e. Are participant referrals accepted from outside your jurisdiction?
No
Yes
No
Yes
If yes, what proportion are from other jurisdictions 3 %.
f.
Is this program designed to serve any specific cultural, ethnic, or gender group?
No
Yes
If yes, please identify and cite proportions, if applicable.
g. Is this program designed to serve MHMR participants?
h. Are participants who are not on community supervision accepted in this program? (e.g. pre-trial, jail inmates, state jail
confinees, family members, or others)
No
Yes
If yes, please identify. Pre-trial
i.
Do participants meet specifications in TX Government Code §76.017 Treatment Alternative to Incarceration Program
(TAIP)?{This applies to TAIP programs ONLY}
No
Yes
N/A
46
Proposal Element 4: PROGRAM DESCRIPTION AND PROCESS
REQUIRED STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES
The Travis County Community Supervision and Corrections Department Domestic Violence Program will provide more intensive supervision and treatment follow-up for offenders probated for misdemeanor and felony assault offenses. When probated, based on standardized criteria, these offenders will be placed on specialized caseloads for assault offenses as related to domestic violence. The caseloads are designed to address criminogenic needs of offenders such as criminal thinking errors, education, and employment and substance abuse needs, if applicable. These offenders will remain on these caseloads for one year. Caseloads will not exceed 45 offenders per CSO with 2 face-to-face contacts per month and at least 2 collateral contacts per month. It is anticipated that there will be substantial communication with victims and coordination with Travis County Attorney’s Office Protective Orders Division. The officers supervising these offenders will receive 40 hours of training annually in the area of family violence. Offenders will be required to complete an assessment for family violence treatment, and will be directly referred to whatever program is recommended. Thereafter, the officers will regularly follow-up on treatment compliance via collateral contacts with treatment agencies. Additionally, offenders will participate in cognitive restructuring classes. The Domestic Violence offenders will be assessed at the pre-trial level to determine risk factors. Recommendations at this point will include treatment and appropriateness of placement on a specialized caseload. Upon sentencing, offenders determined appropriate for the family violence program will meet with their officer within one week of the date their term of community supervision commenced. The first referral upon placement on community supervision will be for batterer intervention treatment as recommended at the pre-trial level, unless other issues such as substance abuse are a higher priority at the time. If the offender was initially court-ordered to be placed on electronic monitoring, the offender will be ordered to comply within the first 72 hours of caseload assignment. ELM may also be ordered as a sanction for non-compliance with BIP program participation. The officer will be required to obtain monthly reports from the treatment agency documenting progress or lack thereof. Additionally, monthly telephone contacts shall also be made with the treatment provider. Within 60 days from the date of supervision, the officer will begin referring the offender to any other special conditions such as contracted cognitive impulse control programs or the Department’s cognitive programming. The Domestic Violence Program will benefit offenders of felony as well as misdemeanor family assault offenses. Family violence offenses include, but are not limited to, offenses committed against a spouse, child, parent, or sibling of the offender, and may include cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents, and any other member of the household shared with the offender even if otherwise unrelated. In other words, all relationships, whether or not a relative in the traditional sense, will be considered family if the offender and the victim live in the same
household. Contracts will be developed with approved BIP providers to insure indigent offenders have access to court-
ordered BIP programs. Unsuccessful discharge from the caseload will be defined as a subsequent offense leading to revocation or absconding. Non-compliance with administrative conditions which are indicative of needing additional services in the Department’s continuum of sanction will not result in an unsuccessful discharge. Contract Monitoring The Department has an annual plan to monitor contracts for compliance using a standardized Site Visit process or desktop audit process. A Site Visit Team, composed of CSOs and Supervisors, will use a contract compliance monitoring instrument to monitor contracts based on vendor’s service delivery compliance with the vendor's
47
operational plan and other contractual requirements. Any identified deficiencies in contract compliance will result in specific recommendations to vendor(s) to achieve contract compliance. Vendors will be required to submit an Action Plan on how they will achieve contract compliance. The Department will provide technical assistance to the vendor as needed. Responsivity This program recognizes the principles of responsivity in developing and implementing the program design. Responsivity issues are initially addressed during the screening/placement process. When appropriate, staff assignment will include the offender being matched with a CSO/Counselor/designated staff whose characteristics would be most effective in establishing rapport with the offender. All direct service staff will receive special needs population training to enhance responsivity and ensure effective service delivery. Additionally, staff will be trained in motivational enhancement techniques. Tracking On an annual basis, the Department will track program outputs and monitor outcomes to assess utilization of services and supervision activities. Additionally, the program will be evaluated annually based on BIP Program completion, completion of specialized services (cognitive, etc.) and the rate at which offender’s recidivate, taking into consideration where the offender was in the BIP program when re-offending occurred. SOP SOPs will be available by November 2005 if this program is funded.
REFERRAL PROCESS
Court Ordered
Assessment Process
Self Referral
Other:
PARTICIPANT ACTIVITIES
Offenders probated by the Travis County Court #4 Domestic Violence Program, or any felony court, for
domestic violence-related offenses, will be assigned to one of six specialized caseloads based on assaultive
history and a risk assessment such as one completed during the Pre-Trial phase by the Travis County
Counseling and Assessment Department. For those high risk offenders placed in Specialized Caseloads, the
following activities will occur: See attached Chart.
Sanctions will be used as follows to encourage offender’s compliance with BIP program participation.
Misdemeanor offenses
- 1st no show/non-compliance to assessment or BIP = Supervisory Hearing @ next scheduled meeting;
- 2nd no show/non-compliance to assessment or BIP = Administrative Hearing @ next available time slot;
- 3rd no show/non-compliance to assessment or BIP = Violation Report within 5 days of no show notification.
Felony offenses
- 1st no show/non-compliance to CES or BIP = Supervisory Hearing or Administrative Hearing;
- 2nd no show/non-compliance to CES or BIP = Violation Report
48
Offenders will be eligible to transfer off of the Domestic Violence Specialized Caseload to a regular field
caseload upon successful completion of one year in the program in which all mandated conditions have been
met.
Documentation of all participant activities, whether regarding compliance or non-compliance, will be entered
by a Specialized CSO from the unit into the case management system within 24 hours of occurrence or
notification of occurrence.
49
Proposal Element 4 A. Participant Activities CSCD Domestic Violence Program # Mo.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
Field
Visits
Office
Visits
Drug
Test
Initial
Interview
Electronic
Monitoring
BIP
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
Subs.
Abuse
Eval./trmt
Other*
Contact
W/BIP
Other*
Cognitive
Prog. **
Contact
W/VC
Coord.
X
X
X
X
X
X
Within One week of date of probation.
As recommended throughout term of supervision
Within One week of date of probation
As need occurs throughout term of supervision
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
*Collateral
** To begin upon completion of Domestic Violence treatment X=noted event occurs once per month W/VC=With Victim Contact
50
X
X
CHOICE OF PROGRAM DESIGN
The June-July 1998 issue of the Domestic Violence Report reveals important data about domestic violence.
According to Edward W. Gondolf, Ed.D. and Associates the results of a 15 month Follow-Up Batterer's
Program Education study stated, "one of the most pressing questions for policy makers and practitioners in the
domestic violence field is whether counseling programs for men who assault their female partners – or “batterer
programs” – are effective in preventing further assaults on women." Based on previous research and
practitioner experience, initial expectations were that batterer programs do help interrupt the violence for the
majority of men referred to them and that the longer, more comprehensive programs have lower rates of reassault, especially given the social reinforcement for the abuse and compounding problems of many batterers
(e.g., alcohol abuse).
Comparing 1992 and 1996 defendants, there is a drop in the six month cumulative recidivism rate for violating
a restraining order. The 1996 recidivism rate dropped to 13% compared to a 20% recidivism rate in 1992. The
drop in recidivism may be attributable to the current collaborative strategies used in Massachusetts in dealing
with crime in general and domestic violence in particular. There has been an increased amount of resources and
education applied to fighting domestic violence in particular. The judicial and law enforcement systems have
been at the forefront in making a very pronounced and public effort to fight domestic violence, and treat
violators severely.
Participating in a [Batterer’s] program appears to contribute to reducing re-assaults. The program dropouts
(35% of the sample) were approximately 13% more likely to re-assault their partners. The dropouts were also
more likely to be rearrested for domestic violence (20% vs. 5%). Program attendance remained a significant
predictor when controlling for background factors in a logistic regression for re-assault. Moreover, the
voluntary participants were significantly more likely to drop out of the programs and more likely to re-assault
than the court-ordered men.
According to Tony Switzer of the Texas Council on Family Violence, 27 BIPPs in Texas participated with
follow up data on participants from Fiscal Year 2000 with regard to re-arrest rates. Out of 2419 batterers who
completed BIPPS, 136 were rearrested for a family violence offense, or 5.62%. However, out of 1766 batterers
who did not complete BIPPS, 208 were rearrested for a family violence offense, or 11.78%.
It appears that structured specialized caseloads which can provide better surveillance and monitoring of
offender activities, partnered with offender participation in Batterer's Program is a strategic intervention for this
offender population.
PROGRAM STAFF AND PROGRAM STAFF ACTIVITIES
1. Staff (Title) Community Supervision Officer
Process activities: Specialized Caseload Officers to provide specialized supervision as a Domestic
Violence Court Team member and to report victim’s concerns to the Court.
2. Staff (Title) Secretary
Process activities: Provide clerical support to the Domestic Violence CSOs and track data.
3. Staff (Title) Cognitive Counselor
Process activities: Responsible for facilitating cognitive restructuring groups for Unit offenders.
Designs curriculum and documents offender’s participation.
51
ADDITIONAL PROGRAM DATA
Please indicate that program design and/or staff training includes sensitivity to gender, race, ethnicity,
culture and differing physical abilities.
YES
52
Proposal Element 5. PROGRAM MILESTONES
Is this a new program?
No
Yes
If yes, please complete milestones chart. If no, this element if optional. Do not insert if chart is blank.
Sept Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May June
Locate Site
& Contract
Staff. Ad.
Hire & Initial
Training
SOP
Participant Intake
Quarterly Report
Revise Budgets
Submit Data
Reports
Additional
Staff Training
Annual Fiscal
Report
Annual Program
Report
Monitor Vendors
53
July Aug
PROJECTED PROGRAM OUTPUTS/OUTCOMES FOR FY 2006 - 2007
DATA FORM
Program Title: Domestic Violence Specialized Caseload Chief CSCD County: Travis
Program Code: SCP O
Facility Category:
NA
Data Contact Person: Lila Oshatz
Projected Number to be served: 270
General Instructions: The purpose of this form is to provide projections for services that will be
provided with funding obtained from the program proposal. Provide projections for the applicable
information for the services offered to participants during the funding cycle. Only include services
that will be paid for from the program proposal award. Do not include referrals or other services that
will be provided to program participants outside the program proposal. Complete a separate form for
each program code that was listed on the CSCDP Cover Sheet. Please provide counts, not percents,
and make sure all blanks are filled. Answer with “N/A” if not applicable.
A. Group/Individual Counseling
Number of Participants
N/A
B. Urinalysis Tests
Number of Individuals Tested
NA-See Program Services Proposal
C. Academic Education Services
Number of Participants
Number Mandated by CCP 42.12 Sec. 11(g)
Number of GEDs obtained
N/A
N/A
N/A
D. Electronic Monitoring
Number of Participants
NA-See Program Services Proposal
E. Cognitive Training/Cognitive Behavioral
Number of Participants
270
F. Substance Abuse Education
Number of Participants
N/A
G. Employment Services
Number of Participants
Number who secured employment for 3 days or longer
N/A
N/A
H. Victim Services
Number of Victims Served
Number of Victim-Impact panels held
Number of Victim-Offender mediations completed
N/A
N/A
N/A
Outcomes – Successful Program Completion
Number of participants successfully completing the program
Date: March 1, 2005
54
189