Transition from Jail to Community Initiative Practice Brief

“Consistent with effective correctional practice, jails and their community partners should identify risk levels and criminogenic needs of returning [offender] populations and should focus their resources on individuals with the highest levels of both ... This brief presents the two-stage screening and assessment process to determine risk and needs levels that is a core element of the Transition from Jail to Community (TJC) model” (p. 1). Sections of this publication include: the TJC initiative; risk and need in a triage approach; risk screening-selecting a screening instrument, administering risk screening, norming and validating the screening instrument, and using screening data; TJC screening principles; proxy triage risk screener; key implementation lessons learned-screening to determine risk of offending and assessment of criminogenic need; TJC assessment principles; assessment of criminogenic need--selecting an assessment instrument, administering assessment, and using assessment information; key implementation lessons learned-assessment of criminogenic risk/need; and lessons learned from the TJC site implementation.

This brief explains why “it is imperative that jurisdictions use an effective case management process that includes a strong community handoff component, particularly at the moment of release, and that ensures continuity of care between in-jail and community-based programs and services ... [and] presents the Transition from Jail to Community (TJC) initiative’s approach to case planning and community handoff” (p. 1). Sections of this publication cover: the TJC initiative and model--a triage approach to interventions; the TJC case management approach; TJC case management principles; development of the case plan; referral process-inventorying available programs and services, and creating a seamless referral process; establishing continuity of care-jail “in-reach,” and consistency of programming and services; information sharing; and role of probation/community corrections.