Program Profile: Auglaize County (Ohio) Transition (ACT) Program

This is a jail reentry program that works to reduce inmates’ recidivism once they reenter the community, in part by linking them to various resources. The program is rated Promising. Approximately 12 percent of program participants were rearrested during the 12-month follow-up period, compared with 82 percent of control group participants, a statistically significant difference.

A Promising rating implies that implementing the program may result in the intended outcome(s).

Program Goals/Target Population

The Auglaize County Transition (ACT) Program is one of the Nation’s first jail reentry programs. The goal of the program is to reduce recidivism of jail inmates once they reenter the community, and thus the program addresses the numerous problems faced by inmates during reentry, such as medical and mental health issues, job placement, or drug and alcohol addiction. The ACT Program relies on case managers that link inmates to resources that can appropriately deal with these issues, both in the community and in jail.

Auglaize County is a rural Ohio county located between Detroit and Cincinnati, with a population of approximately 46,000 residents. The ACT Program operates in the Auglaize County Correctional Center (ACCC), a full-service, 72-bed jail that holds both felony and misdemeanant pretrial, presentenced, and sentenced inmates for up to 18 months. Of the approximately 1,200 inmates that enter ACCC every year, more than half will be released within 72 hours. Of the remaining 600, about 200 inmates will actively participate in facility programming, including the ACT Program.

Services Provided

Immediately upon entering ACCC, correctional staff perform intake assessments, in which inmates report any problems or issues that may require treatment or services. Case managers review every inmate’s assessment and design a Reentry Accountability Plan based on inmates’ individual needs to assist them both during their time in jail and after their release. On top of reducing recidivism, the ACT Program strives to ensure that program participants meet the conditions of the Reentry Accountability Plans, through conducting drug screenings, monitoring program attendance, and conducting compliance reports.

Because the program works on a philosophy of providing individualized treatment to program participants, there are a variety of services and treatment options available to participants. These include employment placement, drug and alcohol treatment, mental health counseling, and education support (e.g., General Educational Development [GED] programs). Other treatment services—the majority of which are available to participants in jail—available through the ACT Program include Moral Reconation Therapy, Bible study/church services, anger management, Alcoholics Anonymous (or AA), and life skills training. In addition to access to these services, inmates meet with their case managers, who provide individualized, face-to-face monitoring.

Once a program participant is released from ACCC, case managers work with the Ohio Adult Parole Authority or the Municipal Court Probation Department to coordinate a transition plan that ensures aftercare services are continued and maintained while participants are under community supervision. Case managers also work with the Ohio Department of Jobs and Family Services to provide them with job placement assistance.

Key Personnel

The ACT Program also involves an interagency collaboration called the Reentry Case Management Team. The team meets monthly and brings together a number of organizations that provide inmates with treatment and services to successfully reintegrate back into the community after release from jail. These community organizations include the Auglaize County Sherriff’s Office, the Auglaize County Municipal Court, Ohio Adult Parole Authority, the Auglaize County Probation Department, Community Connection for Ohio Offenders, Lutheran Social Services, St. Mary’s School District Adult Basic Education/GED Program, and ASTOP (a local substance abuse provider).

Study

Miller and Miller (2010) used a quasi-experimental design to study the effectiveness of the Auglaize County Transition (ACT) Program in Ohio to reduce inmate recidivism following release from jail. The main outcome variable of interest was recidivism, which was measured as a dichotomous variable (yes or no) indicating any arrest during the 12-month follow-up period. Inmate recidivism data was collected from the Auglaize County Sherriff’s Office. Independent variables included program participation (yes or no), age, race, sex, drug dependency, current charge (felony or misdemeanor), violent offense (yes or no), and criminal history.

The study looked at the effects of program participation on the experimental group ( n =73), compared to a carefully matched control group ( n =72) that received no services. Program participants were 81 percent male, with an average age of 32 years. The control group was also 81 percent male, with an average age of 33 years. Race was measured as “other” and “nonwhite.” The experimental group was 96 percent “other” and 4 percent “nonwhite,” while the control group was 94 percent “other” and 6 percent “nonwhite.” Almost half (45.2 percent) of the experimental group was drug or alcohol dependent, and 46.6 percent had a current felony offense. More than half of the control group (54.2 percent) was drug or alcohol dependent, and 39 percent had a current felony offense. There were no significant differences between the groups on these variables.

Chi-square analyses examined the relationship between the included independent variables and recidivism. In addition to bivariate analysis, logistic regression was used to estimate the simultaneous effects of the independent variables on the likelihood of rearrest. Subgroup analyses were conducted on program completion, race, sex, age, drug dependency, type of offense (violent or felony), and criminal history.

Subgroup Analysis

Miller and Miller (2010) conducted subgroup analyses on program completion, race, sex, age, drug dependency, type of offense (violent or felony), and criminal history. There were no statistically significant differences between program completers and non-completers in rearrest rates. There were also no statistically significant differences in race, sex, age, drug dependency, or type of offense. However, there was a statistically significant association found between criminal history and higher likelihood of rearrest during the 12-month follow-up period.

These sources were used in the development of the program profile:

These sources were used in the development of the program profile:

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