GREENFIELD — The case worker had been on the phone for an hour, and he was starting to make progress.
His client — a former inmate at the Franklin County House of Corrections — was having a crisis, and had found himself on the verge of making a very bad decision that could land him back behind bars.
The former inmate had de-escalated to the point of beginning to calm down, but then a police officer arrived on the scene. The case worker acted quickly, instructing the client to hand the phone to the officer so the situation could be explained.
That could have been another flash point, but the case worker’s training helped keep the man calm and the situation under control — it was one of about 100 instances where Franklin County Sheriff’s Office staff have intervened to prevent return trips to jail through new grant-funded programming over the last four years, according to Ed Hayes, the assistant superintendent of treatment and programs at the office.
Thursday afternoon, Hayes and other office staff described to the office’s Executive Committee and local legislators how the jail has been using those grants, including a federal Transition from Jail to Community technical assistance grant, to build the re-entry programs that are being used to help reduce recidivism, treat substance abuse, and build skills to help former inmates succeed after release.
Hayes said the sheriff’s department has used new evidence-based programming and community engagement to shift its focus toward treat-ing the underlying causes that lead to incarceration — factors like substance abuse, education, family problems and homelessness.
“The role of corrections has changed,” Hayes said. “We’re living in a crisis of opioid addiction in our communities. It’s no longer sufficient to have corrections follow this paradigm of containment — it’s not just a holding cell anymore.”
Hayes said repeat offense and recidivism poses a threat to public safety, and that it’s the jail’s responsibility to work with that population and support them.
The programs have seen new job training programs, group therapy sessions and medically-assisted addiction treatment services made available to inmates, Hayes said. Sheriff Christopher Donelan said the jail sees a 98 percent participation rate in those programs.
The skill that helped the inmate recognize the decision he was about to make that night and instead call his case worker, for instance, was taught through mindfulness training while serving his sentence.
“It lets them take a moment and create space. In that space is choice,” said Levin Sibley-Schwartz, the Sheriff’s Office’s clinical re-entry coordinator. The programs also offer photography, vocational training and organic gardening opportunities. A general equivalency diploma program graduated 20 last year.
Hayes said data collected by the office shows:
46 percent of inmates leave with a scheduled behavioral health or primary care appointment, and 16 percent leave eligible for support from the state Department of Mental Health.
88 percent leave enrolled in MassHealth, which allows them to access the health care and services they need.
39 percent received transportation services to make sure they kept their appointments.
Nine percent leave with a prescription for Vivitrol — a medication that stops cravings for drugs.
“Corrections is more than just a warehouse for men,” noted Donelan. “We’re doing good work, essential work, to try and change our communities.”
You can reach Tom Relihan at:
413-772-0261, ext. 264 or trelihan@recorder.com On Twitter, @RecorderTom