Michigan Prisoner Re-entry Initiative

Organizational Structure:

Adapting, Planning & Implementing the TPCI Model

The Michigan Prisoner Re-entry Initiative has formalized an organizational structure for the planning and implementation of improved prisoner transition. This organizational structure will provide the framework for our work to adapt for Michigan Transition from Prison to Community Initiative (TPCI) Model developed by the National Institute of Corrections.

THE STATE POLICY TEAM

The State Policy Team, consisting of representatives from the four departments involved in the initiative (Corrections, Community Health, Labor & Economic Growth, and the Family Independence Agency), has been appointed by the Governor to provide oversight to the Initiative. The team leader is Teresa Bingman, the Governor’s Deputy Legal Counsel. 

THE ADVISORY COUNCIL

The State Policy Team has formed an Advisory Council of 150 key stakeholders in the Re-entry Initiative. The Advisory Council’s primary purpose is to advise the State Policy Team on recommendations to improve the Re-entry process.   The Council is comprised of state and local stakeholders inside and outside of state and local government.  Advisory Council members are expected to be deeply involved in implementation planning for the adapted TPCI model through the various implementation work groups.  The Advisory Council also includes state employees from the four principal departments who have been appointed as members of the Executive Management Team and the various work groups. 

THE EXECUTIVE MANAGEMENT TEAM

The co-leaders of the Decision Point Work Groups (see below) and five Resource Specialists from the Department of Corrections (Prisons, Parole, Research, Policy, Liaison) serve as the Executive Management Team for the Initiative and will report to the State Policy Team every two months on the implementation and operational implications of the Initiative.  This Team, together with the State Policy Team, will be responsible for the systematic change expected from the Initiative.  The state employees from the four principal departments are responsible within their agencies for achieving systemic change to improve Re-entry practices.  The Executive Management Team will develop work groups and implementation committees as needed to focus on policy and policy changes that are needed to adapt and implement the TPCI model.

DECISION POINT IMPLEMENTATION WORK GROUPS

The Executive Management Team has formed Implementation Work Groups organized around the 7 Key Decision Points of the TPCI model and service areas.  These Work Groups are responsible for specific areas of implementation of the adapted TPCI model.  Each Work Group has established two co-leaders, one from  Corrections, one from the other departments, who are responsible for managing the Work Group process.

WORK GROUP CLUSTERS

Since the 7 Key Decision Points are interactive in that one set of decisions affects all subsequent decisions, overlap is evident and expected between the various Work Groups.  In order to minimize this overlap, the Work Groups will work together as “clusters” from time to time, particularly in the initial stages of implementation planning.