During FY2023, the Virginia Department of Corrections (VADOC) has continued to apply evidence-based practices towards its community corrections supervision strategies and programs. For the seventh straight year, VADOC leads the nation with having the lowest or second lowest recidivism rate, with a current recidivism rate of 20.6%. This is a testament to the agency’s commitment to improve long-term public safety by successfully reintegrating released inmates to our communities and effectively supervising probationers and parolees through a culture of safety, respect, accountability, and ethical behavior.

Successes:

• Community Corrections Alternative Program (CCAP) facilities offer a sentencing alternative to circuit courts for probationers who need intensive substance use disorder within the structure of a VADOC operated community residential facility. Outside employment opportunities are available to CCAP participants. In addition, CCAPs now offer continuation of buprenorphine as another option for Medication Assisted Treatment.

• VADOC’s sex offender containment model of community supervision has operated effectively and provided intensive GPS supervision, polygraph examinations and treatment services to sex offenders, including the supervision of Sexually Violent Predator (SVP) conditional release cases from the Virginia Center for Behavioral Rehabilitation (VCBR) on behalf of the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services (DBHDS).

• VADOC utilizes evidence-based interventions with medium to high-risk probation cases by training and coaching staff on the effective use of core correctional practices using the EPICS II research-based model. It has now become an established business practice in community corrections.

• VADOC continues to improve the consistent use of supervision practices in its Probation and Parole Districts through the implementation of Community Operational Vulnerability Assessments conducted by teams of staff from other Probation and Parole Districts. The review examines policy compliance, probationer and parolee contacts, case-plan driven supervision and the use of evidence-based practices to reduce recidivism.

• VADOC continues to operate Learning Teams in all community corrections units whereby staff meet together in small groups twice per month and utilize dialogue practices to resolve concerns, advance teamwork, create improved operations and better their intervention skills with probationers/parolees.

• Probationers just released from prison are provided with brief cognitive-behavioral peer support groups to follow up prison treatment. These groups provide guidance during the critical period immediately following release.

• VADOC continues to operate the Federal Fidelity Bonding Program for all justice-involved persons in Virginia to assist with employability. Expansion of bonding efforts include additional educational materials such as posters and videos that are available in all Probation and Parole Districts to better inform probationers/parolees about the Virginia Bonding Program.

• Chief Probation Officers actively participate as co-conveners of Local Reentry Councils in most localities in Virginia, in partnership with the Virginia Department of Social Services (VDSS) or other non-profit organizations.

• The VADOC applied for and won the competitive State Transformation in Action Recognition (STAR) Award from the Southern Legislative Conference for its innovative and evidence based use of technology to supervise low level probationers in the community. These new tools have allowed for increased engagement with probationers despite the challenges of the pandemic. VADOC’s Voice Verification Biometrics Unit for low-level supervision continues to operate successfully. The recidivism data shows that cases assessed as low risk can be supervised with minimal contact and that over-supervision can actually have an adverse reaction causing their crime rate to increase. In this supervision program, probationers/parolees are monitored through the use of biometric surveillance for voice, facial, and location verification, as well as routine automated interviews. Eight specialists are responsible for 11,000 cases, demonstrating the effective use of resources in this program.

• In conjunction with the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services and local community services boards, VADOC offers a piloted medically assisted treatment (MAT) program for individuals reentering the community after completing substance use disorder treatment (SUD) in prison or in a CCAP facility. The program operates in conjunction with counseling and provides Vivitrol to volunteering individuals to support their desistance from opiate use after release. The initial dose is provided within the correctional facility, with MAT services provided after release by the local community services boards.

• VADOC continues to receive the State Opioid Response (SOR) grant which Refunds Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) at reentry and the Peer Recovery Specialist Initiative. In FY2023, The PRS initiative expanded to provide the 72-hour Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services (DBHDS) PRS training to incarcerated inmates and probationers in CCAPs. Additionally, the SOR grant allowed for elevating two of the three regional community based PRS positions to full time from part time. These regional PRS’ provide recovery support within Probation and Parole Districts and CCAPs. To qualify for PRS support, an individual must have a history of opioid use disorder, stimulant use disorder or history of overdose. groups support the ongoing needs of individuals with a diagnosis of opioid dependence, stimulant dependence or who have experienced an overdose.

• For the second year in a row, VADOC was selected by the National Institute of Corrections and the Center for Public Policy to pilot implementation of the Gender-Responsive Policy and Practice Assessment-Community Corrections Version. This assessment assists Probation Districts and their community partners align policies, procedures, services, training, and data collection to evidence-based research on justice-involved women. The model includes the use of trained site coaches and includes opportunities for inclusion of justice-involved women at all levels of the project. The assessment was conducted in Alexandria, Abingdon, and Williamsburg, Virginia.

Challenges:

In addition to sizable accomplishments, VADOC continually evaluates its operations and seeks to improve. The agency operates as a learning organization that continually strives to improve its operations based on evidence-based practices. The VADOC will continue to be innovative towards the goal of lasting public safety.

• Probation and Parole Districts continue to be confronted with large workloads, limiting the time and services that can be provided to probationers/parolees.

• Vacancies among Probation Officers is a critical issue that is reaching crisis proportions in some districts. Low compensation and heavy workloads make it difficult for VADOC to attract and retain employees in the overall economy where many other options are available.

• Too many people still enter the community from prison without housing. Housing is particularly challenging for those with sexual and violent offenses. There is also a critical housing need for individuals who need assisted living, nursing homes, and geriatric care.

• Many individuals are released to state probation supervision from local jails without receiving proper reentry preparation, medication or housing planning.

• The rising number of cases placed on GPS and the increased number of individuals with an identified gang affiliation require more intensive probation supervision at a time when Probation and Parole Officer caseloads are already stretched.

• Substance use disorder continues to be a high treatment need among probationers/parolees and community resources for treatment, particularly residential treatment and medically assisted treatment, are extremely limited. Services in rural areas are even more limited than in metropolitan areas.

Moving Forward:

With its many successes and opportunities, VADOC is committed to creating lasting public safety by preparing probationers/parolees to reintegrate into law-abiding lives after their community supervision period is completed. The Department continues to see significant benefits from its organizational development and application of evidence-based business practices to create a learning organization with the culture that sustains staff and probationer/parolee growth. By following evidence-based practices, VADOC will continue to:

• Identify probationer/parolee risks and needs and give priority to those who pose the greatest risk to public safety

• Continue to update case plans that address identified risks and needs

• Utilize research-based services to respond to individual needs and reduce the risk of recidivism as resources allow

• Quickly and appropriately respond to compliance and non-compliance with proportionate incentives and sanctions

• Continue to evaluate our supervision practices and services and seek ways to improve our operations to achieve our goal of creating lasting public safety.