The Intensive Parole ReEntry Unit (IRU) was developed under the Michigan Prisoner ReEntry Initiative (MPRI) to assist prisoners in developing strategies that will enable them to successfully complete parole and become productive citizens within the community.

The program is voluntary and eligibility is

Cooper Street Correctional Facility IRU transition team members Jim Little, staff social worker; ARUS Chad Williams; IRU Agent Frank Reese; Parole agent Tony Pascarella; ARUS Andrew Benn and IRU agent John Yirku set up for a video conference meeting with Grand Rapids area team members .

determined by the Parole Board. The Cooper Street Correctional Facility (JCS) in Jackson and the Huron Valley Complex-Women (WHV) in Ypsilanti, are currently designated as Intensive Re-entry Units.

In the IRU a prisoner is immersed in concentrated programming within the facility and works with Field Operations Administration (FOA) staff and community transition teams to develop a comprehensive parole release plan.

"In this program prisoners are immediately plugged into the services they need," said Warden Bruce Curtis, Cooper Street Correctional Facility. "It's designed to address the individual needs of each prisoner, from cognitive restructuring to parenting skills."

The field agents inside the institution, referred to as re-entry agents, work in conjunction with Correctional Facility Administration (CFA) staff, the prisoner, and the community to develop the prisoner's Transition Accountability Plan (TAP). The TAP identifies the prisoner's strengths and needs and breaks down into nine categories: housing, employment, educational/vocational/employment training, substance abuse, mental health, physical health, income support, family reunification and transportation issues.

The re-entry agent also works on developing updated parole placement information with the prisoner to identify the best possible placement for their release.

"We have a social worker on staff who works on family reunification and placement issues," said Warden Curtis. "He addresses problems and tries to anticipate what will work best for the prisoner in terms of placement."

Information gathered during the social worker's interview is then forwarded to FOA staff and the community transition team, who in turn utilize the information to develop the prisoner's parole release plan.

"One of the advantages to this program is the enhanced communication between FOA and CFA," said Warden Curtis.

Transition teams, comprised of CFA and FOA staff and community agencies and service providers, work with the prisoner inside the institution to develop the prisoner's parole release plan. They match a prisoner's needs with available services in the community such as substance abuse, health care, employment and housing assistance to help develop a smoother transition back into the community.

The teams meet individually with prisoners to discuss their areas of need through visits at the facility or by video conferencing.

"We have people from all over the state in this program so many of the transition team visits are done by video," said Warden Curtis. "As the program expands we expect to do more video-conferencing visits."

Reunification sessions are another important element in the program. The sessions are meetings between the prisoner and their family or support system to discuss and resolve issues that may act as a barrier for the prisoner's success in the community.

A major distinction between the IRU and other facilities is the intense programming provided to prisoners. Day rooms and TV rooms are used as class rooms throughout the day and sometimes in the evenings as well.

"The prisoners spend the day studying, taking classes or completing programming," said Warden Curtis. "The one thing they need to understand is that if they want to be successful in the community they need to learn how to get up every day and have structure in their lives."

The women's program at Huron Valley differs in that it operates on a closed-entry format meaning that the participants enter the unit in groups and remain in their group throughout the 16-week program.

Each prisoner participates in a series of common programming such as prerelease, cognitive restructuring and anger management. They also choose a selection of electives which can focus on budgeting, fair housing issues, child care concerns and domestic violence. The program is continually being refined as well.

"We listen to what the women have to say about the program so if we need to do some fine tuning or if someone has special needs we can work on them," said WHV Warden Susan Davis.

It was discovered that one of the IRU candidates needed intensive tutoring from school staff in order to be able to fully participate in the program. The parole board agreed to defer her until her reading skills improved. She was then able to successfully complete the next IRU session.

In addition the Intensive Re-entry Unit works closely with the Residential Substance Abuse Treatment (RSAT) staff for those with severe substance abuse problems.

Fortunately WHV is located in Washtenaw County, a resource-rich area with a number of social service agencies and other providers.

"We're forming nice partnerships with those outside the facility," said Warden Davis. "And we are drawing on our own staff to step outside their traditional roles. For instance our finance person teaches budgeting skills."

Facility staff also work closely with the institutional parole officer.

"Our re-entry agent is an integral part of the team and institution staff is learning a tremendous amount about parole," said Warden Davis "She has offered innovative ideas that we have been able to put in place."

The fifth group of women has recently entered the IRU. The program has the capacity to accommodate 52 prisoners with 26 prisoners transferred every two months.

The IRU program at JCS runs for four months and has the capacity to accommodate 480 prisoners.

Michigan Department of Corrections FYI 031606