This session includes two presentations.
All Together: Creating a Prison-Based Therapeutic Community
Learn the story of WestCare's therapeutic community at an Illinois prison. Speakers will describe the overall structure and function of the TC model, explore the challenges of implementing a TC in a correctional setting (especially with the complications of COVID-19), and discuss how to measure program effectiveness in terms of impact on the lives of program participants, including recidivism data.
Educational Objectives
- Discuss the challenges of implementing a therapeutic community in a correctional setting
- Identify promising strategies for developing and implementing a therapeutic community
- State the advantages of facilitating therapeutic communities in correctional facilities
Level: Intermediate
Shared Life Experiences: Augmenting Treatment and Recovery Through Peer Support
This session explores the value of a corrections-based peer support program that offers continued support postincarceration, including through probation supervision and as a support to specialty dockets. Details include how to select appropriate peer supporters, the specific services provided by peer supporters, how the services are promoted to eligible individuals and effectively delivered, as well as the importance of building cooperative partnerships with corrections professionals, medical and mental health staff, and local treatment providers.
Educational Objectives
- Define peer support and applicable core competencies
- Describe the social framework and importance of peer support
- Examine effective means for integrating peer recovery services into corrections
Level: Intermediate