In January, CSG Justice Center staff continued to assist the North Dakota implementation team in launching Free Through Recovery (FTR), the community-based behavioral health program established with the state’s reinvestment funds. This month, the FTR team executed three webinars and two 40-hour trainings, hired three more staff, began receiving referrals, and prepared to launch services statewide on February 5, 2018.
The FTR team added an additional community provider as a FTR vendor, bringing the total number of vendors to 15. This new provider is located in the Dickinson region, one of the areas with the least program capacity. Moreover, the Department of Human Services (DHS) hired three additional regional administrators for the program, meaning DHS has hired five of the six staff appropriated to DHS through SB 2015. DHS is continuing to look for qualified applicants in the Dickinson region to fill out the administration team.
CSG Justice Center staff also assisted the implementation team in creating guidance documents for probation and parole officers and hosted three webinars for probation and parole officers to introduce them to the program, their role in the local care team, and how to submit referrals. By the end of the month, officers had submitted about 50 referals to the FTR clinical administrator. Overall, over 60 officers were trained. CSG Justice Center staff also assisted the implementation team in hosting a 40-hour training for about 60 provider staff and managers on care coordination. The following week, the team and the Appalchian group, an outside consultant, trained approximately 80 people to become peer support specialists. First Lady Kathryn Helgaas Burgum attended portions of both trainings to emphasize the support of the governor’s office for FTR.
The Justice Reinvestment Oversight Council (JROC) met in January to discuss implementation progress and the legislative Justice Reinvestment Interim Committee held a hearing. At both these meetings, state leaders had the opportunity to hear about the progress implementing FTR and other justice reinvestment and criminal justice reform policies enacted during the 2017 legislative session. Director Leann Bertsch of the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (DOCR) presented that North Dakota’s prison population decreased in 2017 for the first time in many years. The justice reinvestment policy that allows good time to be calculated on time spent in county jails prior to transfer to DOCR is one of the factors contributing to this prison population trend – on average, the policy is saving 18 bed days per person in prison. Moreover, 40 people have been released onto probation immediately after completing substance use treatment in prison, another policy from HB 1041. Additionally, the North Dakota parole population is at an all-time high and statewide felony filings have decreased.
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• Meeting with DOCR Clinical Director, FTR Clinical Administrator (DOCR), and Statewide FTR Administrator (DHS) to prepare for the upcoming JROC meeting and supervision officer FTR trainings.
• Meeting with Director (Probation and Parole Supervision), 3 District Program Managers (Parole & Probation Services, DOCR), and DOCR Clinical Director to discuss specialized caseloads and other management strategies for supervision officers participating in FTR.
• Meeting of the justice reinvestment implementation oversight committee with members General Counsel (Office of the Governor), DOCR Director, Senate Appropriations Committee Member, Senate Judiciary Committee Chair, DHS Director, DHS Director of Behavioral Health, DHS), and Chief Deputy Attorney General, DOCR Health Director, ND Legislative Council Counsel, and other top level staff. The committee reviewed JR implementation progress and discussed current issues in criminal justice reform in the state.
• Meeting/webcast of the FTR implementation team to at least 20 supervision officers and managers in the Fargo and other remote locations area to train on how to participate in FTR and refer participants to the program.
• Meeting/webcast of the FTR implementation team to about 20 supervision officers and managers from the Bismarck/Mandan area with officers joining remotely from Dickinson and Minot to train officers on how to participate in FTR and refer participants to the program.
• Hearing of the Justice Reinvestment Interim Legislative Committee, chaired Senate Judiciary Chair. The committee discussed a wide range of issues related to juvenile justice reform and heard a report-out on FTR implementation from DHS Director of Behavioral Health and general JR implementation from DOCR Director.
• Meeting with DOCR Clinical Director, FTR Clinical Administrator (DOCR), and Statewide FTR Administrator (DHS) to debrief and plan next steps.
Attended 2.5 days of the 40-hour Free Through Recovery care coordination training. The training was produced by the FTR core implementation team, including DHS Behavioral Health Director, DOCR Clinical Director, FTR Clinical Administrator (DOCR), Statewide FTR Administrator (DHS), and FTR Region 5 FTR Administrator (DHS), FTR Region 3&6 Administrator (DHS), and FTR Region 4 Administrator (DHS). The First Lady of North Dakota made welcoming statements to approximately 35 care coordinator trainees and managers who attended the weeklong training.
• 1/8: Call with DOCR Clinical Director to discuss upcoming meetings with supervision officers and managers.
• 1/18: Video conference of the FTR implementation team to supervision officers and managers from small probation and parole offices to train officers on how to participate in FTR and refer participants to the program.
• 1/19: Call with Statewide FTR Administrator (DHS), FTR Clinical Administrator (DOCR), and DOCR Business Analyst to discuss FTR outcome reporting.
• Bismarck Tribune, N.D.’s data-driven push to reduce prison populations follows growing trend among states
• Bismarck Tribune, ND strives to shut revolving door to prisons and jails
• Bismarck Tribune, North Dakota to launch recovery services program
• Bismarck Tribune, Peer support helps those in grip of addiction
• Minot Daily News, ND departments of Human Services and Corrections and Rehabilitation set to launch Free Through Recovery
• Bismarck Tribune, Recovery services program to launch for formerly incarcerated people
• Inforum, Editorial: ND's Free Through Recovery is a bold experiment
• KFYR TV, Free Through Recovery
• KVRR Local News, "Free Through Recovery" To Launch Thursday In North Dakota
• KFYR TV, Free Through Recovery looks to change behavioral health treatment in North Dakota
• Minot Daily News, Governor offers vision of promise
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