Letter From the Director

Summer is a busy time at CCDO. It is a time when we travel to many of the Weed and Seed sites throughout the country and witness firsthand the transforming work that is taking place in these communities.

We see the "weeding" successes as neighborhoods are being made safe again, so that children can play in the parks and families can walk in their communities. We see the "seeding" successes as these sites help residents become homeowners and build economic opportunity in neighborhoods that had been dominated by vacant lots and boarded buildings. Weed and Seed sites throughout the country are creating healthy communities that offer safe after-school programs, health care, free tax assistance, job training, and child daycare. These successes reinforce our commitment to this work, and we want to take this moment to congratulate everyone involved with a Weed and Seed community—whether you serve as a site manager, law enforcement officer, Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) volunteer, language tutor, youth mentor, or Safe Haven volunteer.

Each issue of In-Sites celebrates our Weed and Seed contributors and recounts success stories. This issue is no exception. In this issue you will learn about law enforcement successes in Mount Hood, OR; an innovative anti-gang initiative in Binghamton, NY; reentry successes in Iowa and Michigan; and an exciting anti-meth initiative that will provide prevention resources that can be tailored to individual tribes in Indian Country. Do you have a story you want to tell? We want to hear from you. This e-magazine is your forum, and I encourage you to consider what you have to teach to your peers. We are always looking for new success stories and lessons learned. You never know; maybe you have a story or an idea that will provide inspiration for a peer located many states away.

At CCDO, we are busy putting the final touches on preparations for the 2007 CCDO National Conference. This year's theme is "Promoting Unity in Each Community." The conference is your chance to network with your peers and celebrate the excellent work we all have done over the course of the past year. Aside from meeting old friends and making new ones, this is your opportunity to learn about building community capacity, grant writing, strategic planning, partnership development, and creating and sustaining local community-wide efforts. You can learn more about the conference at the official Web site, http://www.ccdoconferences.org/. On this site, you will find a tentative conference schedule, information about the city of Detroit, the conference hotels, and exhibitor information. Online registration began on May 1, 2007.

Yes, summer is busy for all of us. Nobody ever said that building safe, healthy, and drug-free communities would be easy. But we also share a secret—few things are more rewarding. See you in Detroit, and I look forward to reading about your work and successes in the next issue of In-Sites.

Sincerely,

Dennis E. Greenhouse
Director
Community Capacity Development Office

Letter From the U.S. Attorney

It was the scene of the worst mass murder in the history of Philadelphia—816 Lex Street. On December 28, 2000, 10 people were shot, 7 fatally, after being ordered to lie face down on the filthy floor of an abandoned house in the city's Mill Creek neighborhood. For 6 years that address was synonymous with death.

Today, that address and that block are unrecognizable. Reminders of that horrific scene have been bulldozed, paved over, and transformed.

A few months ago, families began moving into their new homes on the 800 block of Lex Street. After the Philadelphia Housing Authority demolished 816 Lex Street and the houses around it, a block of 18 rental townhomes were built for low-income families. The total plan calls for 685 homes—585 rental units for low-income families and seniors and 100 homes for sale to middle-income families.

I was proud to be in attendance the day the first families moved in. Our office has joined forces with the housing authority as part of the Public Housing Safety Initiative (PHSI), a joint effort of the U.S. Departments of Justice and Housing and Urban Development which is administered by U.S. Attorney's offices in cities throughout the country. In addition to law enforcement and prosecution, PHSI supports various prevention efforts and programs such as Safe Haven, after-school enrichment activities, treatment options, and offender reentry initiatives.

In June 2006, we announced a grant that would provide for ongoing law enforcement efforts and community programs in the Mill Creek neighborhood. Approximately $40,000 was allocated for video surveillance cameras. The remainder of the money will support the Men of Mill Creek, an all-volunteer community organization that provides youth services—sports, life skills, youth mentoring, tutoring—at the Mill Creek Recreation Center. The money will also be used to develop a new computer learning lab complete with new software and to provide sports equipment, transportation, new outdoor lighting for the after-school recreation programs, and overtime pay for police officers who will be stationed at the Mill Creek playground.

The redevelopment of Lex Street serves as an example of how federal, state, and local agencies can work together not only to help fulfill the basic human need for shelter and safety, but also to change the culture in a neighborhood once known only for death and anguish. Our work is far from complete, however. To ensure that this neighborhood and surrounding areas do not fall back under the influence of drugs and violence, my office is actively working with residents and law enforcement agencies on a regular basis.

The ongoing law enforcement initiative in this area is modeled after the federal gun violence reduction program, Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN). PSN utilizes separate task forces made up of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies and targets the most violent individuals and gangs for potential federal prosecution. To date, PSN in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania has yielded more than 1,000 convictions. As a direct result of these prosecutions, law enforcement has obtained extraordinary cooperation from defendants who wisely choose to reduce their prison exposure by cooperating with investigators. Our partner agencies in this effort include the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the U.S. Marshals Service; the Drug Enforcement Administration; the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's Office of Inspector General; and the Philadelphia Police Department, Housing Authority Police, and District Attorney's Office.

No law enforcement effort or community program, no matter how successful, can erase the memories of what happened on Lex Street almost 7 years ago. Our mission is not to mourn the past but to help shape the future.

Brenda Mosely, one of the residents who moved into the new Lex Street homes recently, said, "A few years ago, this area needed a 'Do Not Enter!' sign. Now it should say, 'Welcome.'" We need to do everything possible to make sure that Brenda Mosely and her new neighbors still feel welcome in another 7 years.

Patrick Meehan

U.S. Attorney
Eastern District of Pennsylvania

Law Enforcement

LAPD Improves Neighborhoods and Lowers Crime With New Technology
By Ted Marquez, Law Enforcement Manager, U.S. Attorney's Office, California Central District, Los Angeles

New law enforcement technology is helping the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) transform the Jordan Downs public housing complex—one of the city's worst neighborhoods—into a safe and viable community.

Since the inception of the Public Housing Safety Initiative (PHSI) in 2004 and the implementation of the goals and strategies put forth by both the U.S. Attorney's Office and the LAPD, Jordan Downs has been attempting to transcend its violent past and welcome an era of peace and prosperity. The transformation began when the LAPD addressed the most significant contributing factor to improved quality of life: reduced crime, especially violent crime.

The Jordan Downs PHSI is designed to curb criminal activity and provide a safe environment for residents in one of the city's most notorious high-crime public housing areas. Jointly developed by the U.S. Departments of Justice and Housing and Urban Development, with contributions from the LAPD and local residents, the Jordan Downs PHSI includes two central components: state-of-the-art crime-fighting technology and a coalition of easily accessible social service providers to refer residents to services such as childcare, tutoring, English as a Second Language classes, and job training and placement programs.

Statistics for 2006 reveal a staggering decrease in crime as a result of the LAPD's efforts. Residents of the target area saw a 19-percent decrease in Part I crime—that is, violent crime such as murder, armed robbery, and assault and property crime such as burglary and motor vehicle theft. Most notable is the decrease in Part I crime within Jordan Downs itself. The community saw a 40-percent decrease in these crimes, which was the most significant Part I decrease within all the reporting districts for the southeast area. Comparing Jordan Downs to its neighboring housing developments, Nickerson Gardens realized a 33-percent reduction in Part I crimes, while Imperial Courts increased in Part I crime by 2 percent.

The Motorola Mesh Solution

On March 16, 2007, Los Angeles unveiled a municipal wireless network and video surveillance system in Jordan Downs using Motorola's Mesh Enabled Architecture (MEA) technology.

Motorola's MEA technology powers some of the largest mobile mesh networks in the world. MEA-based networks are resilient in terms of interference, attacks, and failures, and the technology is easy to update and expand to meet new security needs. Motorola's mesh technology takes the structure and stability of a wired network and makes it mobile. Even when traveling at speeds over 200 miles per hour, MEA technology delivers seamless mobility for a wide variety of applications.

The wireless network now in place in Jordan Downs gives LAPD officials access to real-time information that can help them prevent crime from occurring or escalating. The structure of the surveillance system allows the police department to share critical information with other first responders and security and operations agencies—thus enabling authorized public safety personnel to respond quickly and effectively to potentially dangerous situations.

Since July 2006, the LAPD has installed seven cameras on the mobile network within Jordan Downs. The first two cameras were installed on the perimeter of the housing development, primarily to deter after-school violence against students walking home from Jordan Downs High School. The second phase of installation occurred in late December, when five additional cameras were stationed within the housing development to monitor and impede crime at problem locations.

With this new video security system, one officer can monitor an entire area that previously would have required several officers on patrol. This technology also allows officers to view video of troubled areas from the station or their patrol cars in real time using laptop computers or handheld devices. First responders also can remotely control the cameras to pan across surveillance locations and zoom in on suspected criminal activity.

Many factors contributed to specific camera placement within the community. First, community members and civic leaders were asked for their input based on their privacy and community needs. Then, a statistical approach was used to determine hotspots or problem locations. Lastly, input from outside agencies operating within the community was considered, such as the Los Angeles Unified School District's Safe Passages program and the Department of Water and Power's field services.

The Jordan Downs surveillance system will record constant video feeds from each camera and store them on a networked server. The system allows for the video to be saved to storage without interrupting the feed—a process which is called video buffering—even during off-hours when the monitors are not staffed. The buffered video allows officers to generate after-action reports based on police incidents. Once recorded, the video is encrypted (or locked) and cannot be altered, modified, or deleted. The encrypted video feeds meet all standards for criminal prosecutions and have been tested within the criminal court system in Los Angeles.

Additionally, the city plans to expand the network to supply residents and schools in the Jordan Downs area with free public wireless-broadband access to the Internet.

Additional Technology

Since July 2006, the LAPD has equipped five patrol vehicles with digital in-car video cameras, which are used only by the PHSI Camera Detail. The vehicles enable LAPD to review all traffic stops, detentions, and arrests recorded. The vehicle's video camera can be activated both automatically—such as beginning to record when officers turn on their emergency lights—or manually. In addition, the vehicles are equipped with wireless microphones for recording voices.

New handheld technology is on the streets as well. Officers who patrol the southeast area are using five handheld facial recognition devices to help them enforce gang injunctions, trespass orders, and felony and misdemeanor arrest warrants. The officer captures a facial image of the suspect using the device, then the software in the device searches for matches in a database that also is stored in the device. This database contains photos of fugitive gang members that were taken when the individuals were arrested (i.e., booking photos). The device displays the best nine matches in a 3- by 3-inch display, and the officer uses a touch screen to select the most accurate match. Upon selection, the display switches to a side-by-side image comparison between the current photo and the matching database photo. This view helps the officer to decide whether the individual was correctly identified and, if so, insert copies of the images in the arrest report. This allows judges, attorneys, and juries to see the same images that the officer saw at the time of arrest.

Moving forward, all public safety officers in the Jordan Downs area will continue to implement these high-tech crime-fighting strategies, with the addition of 10 to 15 more cameras, a mobile and stationary license plate reader, and public Internet access via the new wireless-broadband network to meet the goals of PHSI.

For more information, contact:
Ted Marquez
Law Enforcement Manager
U.S. Attorney's Office, California Central District, Los Angeles
ted.marquez@usdoj.gov
213-894-2234

Rural Site Targets Drug Dealers
By Shirley Morgan, Site Manager, Mt. Hood Coalition Against Drug Crime

In Clackamas County, OR, residents and law enforcement are taking a stand against methamphetamine and marijuana dealers. Two recent drug busts indicate that their efforts are succeeding.

In Oregon, antidrug efforts are often hindered by two problems: medical marijuana is legal, and meth (or methamphetamine) manufacturing and distribution is on the rise. Areas that are especially affected are small, unincorporated rural communities that do not have the resources they need to keep local drug dealers from taking over. This was the case in Clackamas County, until residents formed the Mt. Hood Coalition Against Drug Crime and received official recognition as a Weed and Seed site in June 2004.

In September and October of 2006, Clackamas County Sheriff's Deputy Brandon Claggett participated in the arrest of two major drug dealers. Deputy Claggett is assigned to the Mount Hood corridor, and his work is financially sponsored by the Mt. Hood Weed and Seed site. He attributes the success of the Mt. Hood Coalition Against Drug Crime to community support during his investigations.

In the first case, a search warrant resulted in the seizure of 711 marijuana plants with a potential street value of $2.1 million. David and Karla Harvey were taken to the Clackamas County Sheriff's Jail, and two young children at the house were taken into protective custody by the Oregon Department of Human Services.

David Harvey moved to Oregon from Montana just 6 weeks prior to his arrest. He told police he chose Oregon because it is a medical marijuana state and he planned to apply for a medical marijuana card. The law states, however, that residents must live in Oregon for 6 months before they can obtain such a card. With 711 marijuana plants at their home, it was clear that the Harveys were planning to sell the drug.

“This guy didn't have a medical condition to apply for a medical marijuana card,” said Shirley Morgan, site manager of the Mt. Hood Coalition Against Drug Crime. “Karla Harvey had just applied for a job at one of our local ski resorts and was hired as the night auditor.”

The coalition has since put pressure on the ski resort to institute both preemployment and random drug testing to screen out such people. “When local businesses don't play their part, it allows criminals to enter our vulnerable rural community,” said Morgan. “This case was a good lesson to the criminal that you don't want to come to a Weed and Seed site to conduct your criminal activity.”

In the second major drug raid, Deputy Claggett and members of the Clackamas County Interagency Task Force, an antidrug unit comprising officers from various agencies, arrested George Lee Gress after executing a search warrant at his secluded cabin in the Mt. Hood National Forest. Police believe Gress has been a major dealer in the Mt. Hood corridor's meth trade for the better part of a decade. “We recently collected enough information to solidify this investigation,” said Deputy Claggett.

Police also arrested four other people during the nighttime raid. Investigators found meth paraphernalia, scales, and plastic baggies that contained meth residue. Although a significant amount of meth was not located, authorities said that arresting Gress dealt a “major blow” to the methamphetamine culture on the mountain.

These successes are the result of grassroots strategies that the Mt. Hood Coalition Against Drug Crime started implementing years ago. Even before the site received official Weed and Seed recognition, community members partnered with law enforcement by reporting all suspected illegal drug activity, recording license plate numbers, taking photos, and writing down descriptions of suspicious people and activities. Soon, law enforcement realized the extent of illegal activity throughout this rural community and began applying its own pressure.

The area's law enforcement strategies have evolved since that time, and officers now strive to—

• Identify and eliminate illegal marijuana growers and methamphetamine labs.

• Keep track of repeat offenders.

• Make home visits.

• Protect women and children who have been victims of domestic violence and refer them to shelters for their safety.

• Crack down on people who drive under the influence of alcohol.

These measures illustrate the commitment that this rural community has made to stamp out the area's drug trade.

In addition to law enforcement, the Mt. Hood Coalition Against Drug Crime has partnered with county, state, and federal agencies to develop a comprehensive plan to reclaim their community. Partners include the Oregon U.S. Attorney's Office, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, the Oregon Code Enforcement Association, state legislators, county commissioners, mental health departments, and local schools. By pooling the varied experiences, fields of expertise, and access to resources of these partners, the community's norms are beginning to change.

Members of the Mt. Hood coalition and the Clackamas County site have successfully internalized their community's needs and built partnerships to help meet those needs. They have also learned how to access resources, and today their successes extend beyond traditional law enforcement. For instance, the Village PAL (Police Activities League) Youth Activity and Family Resource Center was opened last year as a safe place for kids to go after school, but it is also a Safe Haven where families dealing with issues such as addiction and domestic violence can get help accessing the support they need. The coalition has also given the community its first mode of public transportation. A bus it obtained with grant resources transported more than 10,000 people in its first year of operation.

Putting buses on the road, opening a youth activity and family resource center, and getting criminals arrested have all been important, but the site's most important accomplishment is itself—that it gathered community members into a coalition that rose up and made a difference. The Mt. Hood Coalition Against Drug Crime has demonstrated that such an organization can indeed build capacity and, thus, sustain its efforts. That is a legacy that would make any community proud.

For more information, contact:
Shirley Morgan
Site Manager
Mt. Hood Coalition Against Drug Crime
shirley.morgan@aecinc.com

Resources

ONDCP Releases 2008 Drug Control Budget Summary
The Office of National Drug Control Policy has released the National Drug Control Strategy FY 2008 Budget Summary. A companion document to the National Drug Control Strategy, it identifies resources that support the three key elements of the strategy and demonstrates a balanced approach to drug control policy, in which activities to reduce the demand for narcotics are augmented by efforts to stem their supply.
View it on the Web: http://www.whitehousedrugpolicy.gov/publications/policy/08budget/08budget.pdf

New Look for Justice Resource Update
This redesigned issue of Justice Resource Update focuses on crime mapping. It also lists publications that address communications interoperability, crime and disorder in schools, burglary at house construction sites, street gangs, community corrections, childhood victimization, and internationally abducted children.
View it on the Web: http://www.ncjrs.gov/jru/vol1_issue1_2007/ index.html

Training Opportunities Focus on Child Protection
The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) is offering numerous regional training opportunities addressing child protection issues. The courses focus on investigative techniques and other services related to protecting children from victimization and responding to missing and abducted children. Tuition, materials, instructional costs, and single-occupancy lodging will be provided by OJJDP.
View it on the Web: http://dept.fvtc.edu/ojjdp

Guide Examines Bank Robberies
Bank Robbery, a publication from the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, describes the problem of bank robberies, reviews factors that increase banks' risks, and reviews research and police practice-based responses. This guide will help law enforcement professionals analyze their local bank robbery problems.
View it on the Web: http://www.cops.usdoj.gov/files/ric/ Publications/e03071267.pdf

Interoperability Information Offered
The National Institute of Justice offers a wealth of interoperability information through its Communications Technologies Web page. View InShort fact sheets to learn the interoperability basics, how gateways/interconnects work, why voice encryption is important, how to migrate from commercial cellular digital packet data, and more. Nine fact sheets are available in both HTML and PDF formats.
View it on the Web: http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/nij/topics/ technology/communication/welcome.htm

Strategic Plan Created To Combat Identity Theft
Combating Identity Theft: A Strategic Plan contains recommendations from the President's Identity Theft Task Force designed to strengthen the efforts of law enforcement, educate consumers and businesses about identity theft, help law enforcement officers apprehend and prosecute identity thieves, and increase the safeguards employed by federal agencies and the private sector regarding the personal data with which they are entrusted.
View it on the Web: http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/BJA/pdf/Pres_ID_Theft_Report.pdf

Online Tool Accesses Juvenile Offender Data
Easy Access to the Census of Juveniles in Residential Placement enables users to create tables displaying national census data, which can be imported into spreadsheets for analysis. The tool is an integral part of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention's Statistical Briefing Book, which provides information about juvenile crime and victimization and youth involved in the juvenile justice system.
View it on the Web: http://ojjdp.ncjrs.gov/ojstatbb/ezacjrp

Reducing Drug Use Is Budget's Main Focus
The Bureau of Justice Statistics offers a Drugs & Crime Facts Web page, which summarizes the latest statistics about drug-related crimes, law enforcement, courts, and corrections in the United States. Updates on the drug control budget and drug use are available. View it on the Web: http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/dcf/contents.htm

Community Policing

MCOPS: Bridging the Law Enforcement-Community Gap

Mobile Community Outreach Police Stations (MCOPS) proved instrumental in fostering a positive relationship between residents and law enforcement. They also created community meeting places and continue to provide direct access to police services.

Funding was provided in 1998 for six Weed and Seed sites to obtain MCOPS vans. Uses planned for these mobile substations included not only basic law enforcement and victim and witness services, but also other community services such as child immunization and blood pressure screening. Sites were selected based on their crime-related needs and level of law enforcement commitment. All were using advanced community policing strategies.

The cities initially selected were Fort Myers, FL; Indianapolis, IN; New Orleans, LA; Norwalk, CT; Oakland, CA; and Washington, DC. Three additional cities were selected in 2000–2001: Atlanta, GA; Houston, TX; and Kansas City, MO. In each city, an MCOPS van was purchased to support law enforcement operations, educational outreach, and community service. Each van features office space, a restroom, a small food preparation area, communications equipment, and a large awning to facilitate outdoor meetings. The vehicles cost about $175,000 each and were expected to be in operation for 15 to 20 years.

Initial Assessment

Representatives from the first six cities met in 1999 to discuss how they used the vans during their first 6 months of operation; the vans had already been used an average of 50 times. Although some cities were using the vans for community events and to provide health services to the community, others were using them primarily for law enforcement applications. As their officers continued to use the vans, representatives from these cities expected broader and more creative uses to surface.

MCOPS Today

Staff from the Institute for Law and Justice (ILJ) recently contacted all nine MCOPS sites to survey them about their use of the vans since 1998. All sites reported that they are still using their vans for law enforcement and community outreach purposes. In several locations, the vans are made available for other agencies to use as well.

Conclusion

Local officials involved in the use of the MCOPS vans report that they are an effective crime prevention and control tool. Local jurisdictions have continued to maintain the vehicles long past their original funding, and at least one community said that it would like to be at the top of the list should new vans ever be offered. MCOPS vans remain a valuable asset to these communities almost 10 years after they were introduced.

Find out how each city uses its MCOPS van:

Fort Myers

April Bodemann, Weed and Seed Coordinator for the Fort Myers Police Department, said the van is used very frequently in Fort Myers and surrounding areas, and she provided usage logs and photographs. The van is used primarily for community policing, and the police department is its sole user. The department's budget includes an allocation for maintaining the van. Bodemann reported that the van has had a positive effect on crime in the area and that members of the Weed and Seed communities are fully aware of the MCOPS vehicle and its uses and benefits. Bodemann also said that the van maintains a positive image because it has been used only for community policing functions and not for activities such as drug busts or police raids.

The van is used for a variety of community purposes, including—

• Neighborhood watch meetings. Community members gather under the van's awning.

• Parking lot security. From Thanksgiving through New Year's Day, the van provides security for mall parking lots, and it serves as a command center for helping lost children find their parents.

• School career days. Officers teach youth about the different functions of the police department and answer their questions.

Indianapolis

According to Lt. Dennis Peters of the Emergency Preparedness Unit, Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, the MCOPS van is used approximately 200–250 days per year. It is also used by prosecutors, hospitals, and health centers for small events. The van was recently upgraded with new computers, radios, and a rear camera and surveillance system. The police department's budget includes allowances for the van's gas, repairs, and maintenance. Residents have told officers that they appreciate the police presence the van brings to their neighborhoods and that it makes them feel safer.

The van has been used for many community and law enforcement events, including—

• Police community days.

• Community events. These occasions include the Circle City Classic, the Indiana Black Expo, the Indy 500 and Formula 1 races, Hispanic festivals, bike rodeos, NCAA Final 4/Big Ten Championships, and state fairs.

• Roving police roll calls. Officers begin their shifts on the streets rather than at the police station and participate in roll call using their patrol car laptops or radios. This protocol keeps officers in the community where residents can interact with them.

New Orleans

According to Capt. Louis Colin of the First District New Orleans Police Department, many divisions of the New Orleans Police Department have used the MCOPS vehicle. The van is used to attract residents and give them easier access to police officers. It also serves as a mobile command post for special police operations and major events within the area. Funds to sustain the MCOPS van come from donations, as well as from the city of New Orleans. While staffing the MCOPS van, officers are routinely approached by citizens, who are now more comfortable approaching officers than they were prior to the use of the van.

The New Orleans MCOPS van is used in several ways, including—

• Command post for major annual events, including Mardi Gras, Sugar Bowl football games, and the Jazz and Heritage Festival.

• Community outreach station during NFL football games.

• Added presence for community events involving youth such as health fairs and sporting events.

• Mobile substation, where police officers who have walking beats can complete tasks such as filling out incident reports and doing computer searches.

Norwalk

Lt. Thomas Kulhawik of the Community Policing Unit, Norwalk Police Department, believes that the presence of the MCOPS vehicle is a deterrent to crime. The van is used primarily as an outreach vehicle for community policing within Norwalk's public housing complexes. It is included in the city's fleet and is maintained by the city's Fleet Services. The vehicle is well known to city residents, especially those who live in the public housing complexes, and is sometimes even requested; residents have said that they feel more secure when they see officers and the MCOPS van nearby.

The MCOPS van is often used in conjunction with other agencies such as the Norwalk Housing Authority and the Norwalk Health Department. These uses include—

• A mobile office for various programs, including book drives and health screenings.

• A mobile office for city events, such as fireworks displays, holiday tree lightings, and vehicle safety checkpoints.

Oakland

According to Candice Jessie, Weed and Seed Administrative Coordinator for the Oakland Police Department, Oakland's MCOPS van is used extensively in Weed and Seed sites for law enforcement and community-based efforts. The city of Oakland covers the van's operational and maintenance expenses; Jessie stated that the MCOPS van earns its keep by giving communities access to many important services.

MCOPS-related law enforcement and community outreach activities include—

• Command outpost. The van provides a mobile command station for gang, prostitution, and drug buy/bust details; DUI enforcement; and sting operations.

• Public safety fairs. Officers hand out safety information and community outreach materials about the police department.

• Drug Education for Youth (DEFY) Camps. The MCOPS van provides an office and home base for the camps.

• Community outreach events. The van provides a home base from which representatives of neighborhood programs can share information about help that is available, such as employment-referral services, municipal lending opportunities, childcare screening and immunizations, and blood pressure screening.

Washington, DC

According to Lt. Debra Manigault of the Metropolitan Police Department, the MCOPS van is rotated between the different Weed and Seed sites in the District of Columbia. When a violent crime occurs, especially a homicide, the van is driven to the respective site and staffed by two uniformed officers until the District Commander gives the directive to relocate it. The van is also deployed during community events and high-visibility and overtime patrols.

When the van enters a particular community, residents often come out to see what is going on. Patrol officers use these opportunities to engage residents from a community-policing perspective. During this time, information is exchanged regarding crime statistics and current and upcoming events scheduled in the community.

The van has been used for various community and law enforcement events. These events include—

• Forty Days of Increased Peace. This is a city-wide series of free events, activities, and services targeted toward youth and young adults as an alternative to violence.

• East of the River Safety Awareness Day. This is a day for citizens to come out and participate in workshops on car seat installations, self defense, home and auto security, and medical emergency and life-saving techniques.

• Intelligence gathering regarding violent crimes.

• Drug activity deterrent.

• Fight Backs. In these operations, the streets are cleaned, trash is picked up, abandoned vehicles are towed, and crime and safety tips are distributed to the community.

Atlanta

Karen Rogers, Director of the Mayor's Office of Weed and Seed, indicated that the MCOPS van is still being used frequently in Atlanta for Weed and Seed activities and other community events. It is used to patrol neighborhoods and assist in various police details, including visibility patrol. The city of Atlanta maintains and provides funding for the vehicle.

Numerous community and law enforcement events for which the van has been used include—

• The Weed and Seed “Fingerprint Initiative.” About 60 children were fingerprinted and their parents were given information that could help police identify their children.

• Law enforcement sweep. A multijurisdictional sweep was conducted in the Weed and Seed communities of Pittsburgh and Mechanicsville.

• Mayor's Teenage Prostitution Summit. Police officers provided information on prostitution and child exploitation to attendees.

• National HIV/AIDS Day. HIV testing was offered.

• Miscellaneous events. The van was featured at various community parades, ribbon cuttings, school presentations, and concerts.

Houston

Ron Cutlip, Community Relations Officer for the Houston U.S. Attorney's Office, reported that Houston's main goal for MCOPS is to project a positive law enforcement image. The van also has been a major success in fighting and preventing crime, he said. Law enforcement officials leave the van in targeted high-crime areas, primarily in Weed and Seed communities, for a week at a time to assist in high-visibility enforcement efforts to rid the areas of drug and alcohol abuse, traffic violations, gangs, and prostitution. Cutlip reported that people associate seeing the van in their neighborhood with a crack-down on criminal activity. The U.S. Attorney's Office also uses the van for outreach and it has received substantial coverage from the local media. The city of Houston pays for the van's maintenance.

The van is also used for community activities, including—

• Crime Prevention Fest. Community and health service providers, the mayor's office, churches, police and fire departments, medical practitioners, and the Texas Employment Agency offer their services to residents and discuss how to prevent crime.

• DEFY Camps. The MCOPS van is frequently used as an office and contains radios, training materials, information for organizing athletics, and more.

• Community health assessments. The van is taken into Weed and Seed neighborhoods to provide youth with health assessments, flu shots, other medical attention, and information on the police department.

• School career days. Officers teach youth about the different functions of the police department and answer their questions.

Kansas City

Sgt. Randall Sims, Operations Sergeant for the Central Patrol Division of the Kansas City Police Department, reported that the MCOPS van is used primarily for community and business functions that are held outside in warm weather. It is also used for special events and is being outfitted as a secondary command post to supplement the primary command post at critical incidents. Funding for the vehicle is part of the city's Fleet Operations budget. The MCOPS vehicle has enabled Kansas City to better serve its citizens and to help its police department do its job. For 2 weeks last summer, the van even housed the North Patrol Division's staff while they waited for air conditioning repairs to their own building, which high temperatures had made uninhabitable.

Events where the MCOPS van has been used include—

• St. Patrick's Day parade and various festivals.

• Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) graduations.

• Community outreach events. Officers park the van in neighborhoods where they are serving drug search warrants so residents can come by the van to ask questions about what's happening in their neighborhoods.

For more information, contact:
Callie Long
Project Management Assistant
Institute for Law and Justice
703-684-5300, x103
1018 Duke Street
Alexandria, VA 22314

Peer-to-Peer Public Safety Summit Empowers Residents
By Karen Rogers and Lateefah Raheem, Atlanta Weed and Seed; and Jill Strickland, Women's Business Enterprise National Council

The city of Atlanta is highlighting best practices from Weed and Seed sites to improve resident-led public safety strategies in the city's most distressed areas.

On March 17, 2007, more than 70 Atlanta neighborhood leaders and other community stakeholders gathered for the Peer-to-Peer Public Safety Summit: Working Together to Build Safer Communities. Hosted by the Mayor's Office of Weed and Seed, the public safety conference allowed individuals to exchange ideas on increasing the effectiveness of resident-driven strategies for improving community policing and crime deterrence.

To host the summit, the Mayor's Office of Weed and Seed partnered with the Atlanta Renewal Community Coordinating Responsible Authority (ACoRA), the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta, and Georgia State University's Department of Criminal Justice and Partnership for Urban Health Research. Invitations were sent to residents, neighborhood leaders, public safety advocates, law enforcement officials, and other community stakeholders representing the city's 30 Empowerment Zone (EZ) communities—both current and previous. The federal EZ program nurtures community-based development in Atlanta's poorest neighborhoods by increasing the residents' capacities to be self sufficient and by helping them to revitalize and strengthen their physical environments.

At the summit, the attendees interacted with their peers and representatives of four national Weed and Seed sites to discuss proven community-based crime prevention tactics. Public safety experts and advocates shared established community policing strategies, and community leaders discussed how to proactively tackle the issues that lead to neighborhood decay and crime.

The day-long event was part of an ongoing effort to promote safe and livable communities by increasing the effectiveness of resident-led community policing and neighborhood restoration strategies. Representatives of both local and national Weed and Seed sites held workshops to present the lessons they have learned and their best practices, and participants received an overview of the foundations of community policing and problem solving. In addition, participants explored topics such as neighborhood-specific crime mapping, community asset mapping, and project planning. Summit participants also took an interactive survey using perception analyzers technology. A perception analyzer is a handheld device used to answer questions, give feedback, and communicate opinions. Resulting data points are instantly available on computers to moderators, viewing clients, event facilitators and instructors, allowing the opportunity to see instant results.

The national best practices session featured speakers who shared their successful resident-driven public safety strategies. First on the agenda, from Manchester, NH, were Sgt. Dana Langton, Weed and Seed Police Liaison, and Tracey Degges, a community resident representing Neighbors for a Better Manchester. Sgt. Langton recounted how the murder of an officer in a Weed and Seed community spurred his neighbors to band together and demand safety within their neighborhoods. Tracey Degges spoke on resident and civic engagement. Following this presentation, Lt. Terry Patterson and Capt. Dan Silk of Athens-Clarke County, GA, discussed the challenges their site faced and how residents and other stakeholders successfully partnered with the police force to improve their community. Carolyn Brown of Charleston, SC, closed the session by sharing the successes of Operation Neighborhood and the Citizens Patrol Against Drugs in Charleston.

A local best practices session was then conducted by Atlanta Weed and Seed neighborhood representatives. This session highlighted Atlanta's best practices, including the Vine City Sector Concept (a neighborhood watch and resident engagement strategy), Pittsburgh Project Color the Crime (a neighborhood public safety initiative), and Mechanicsville "Steps in Developing a Pubic Safety Plan."

Finally, through ACoRA's Integrated Strategic Plan Priority 2.1: Implement Comprehensive Neighborhood-Based Public Safety Program, more than $450,000 will be awarded to neighborhood- and community-based organizations. These organizations will receive ongoing training and technical assistance to help them better support their projects.

Response from the summit's participants was positive. Several participants commented that they were excited about starting public safety programs in their communities. With all of the information the residents and stakeholders shared at the summit, its sponsors are confident that participants returned to their communities armed with proactive strategies and techniques that they will share and implement with fellow stakeholders—and that their success will benefit all of Atlanta's families and communities.

For more information, contact:
Karen Rogers
Atlanta Site Coordinator
404-215-2890

Resources

Conducted Energy Devices Resource Now Available
Conducted Energy Devices: Development of Standards for Consistency and Guidance presents a glossary of terms and recommended national policy guidelines. It provides the law enforcement profession with a better understanding of the devices and fosters the use of consistent terminology related to conducted energy devices and less-lethal weapons.
View it on the Web: http://www.cops.usdoj.gov/mime/open.pdf?Item=1967

COPS Guide Addresses Performance Measurement
Law Enforcement Tech Guide for Creating Performance Measures That Work provides a six-step process for measuring performance, practical real-life examples, templates, recommendations, and checklists. It will help agencies develop the evaluation tools they need to improve programs and initiatives.
View it on the Web: http://www.cops.usdoj.gov/mime/open.pdf?Item=1968

New Resource Offers Information Technology Security Guidance
Law Enforcement Tech Guide for Information Technology Security provides strategies, best practices, recommendations, and ideas for developing effective security policies. It will help readers identify and assess risks and provide ideas for mitigating them.
View it on the Web: http://www.cops.usdoj.gov/mime/open.pdf?Item=1969

Victims' Rights Law Database Released
The National Center for Victims of Crime, with funding from the Office for Victims of Crime, has released a new tool called VictimLaw. This online database includes more than 15,000 victims' rights statutes, tribal laws, constitutional amendments, court rules, and administrative code provisions.
View it on the Web: http://www.victimlaw.info

Prevention

The Growing Connection Nurtures At-Risk Youth
By Beth Harrington, Program Director, Broome County Gang Prevention

This summer, at-risk youth in Binghamton, NY, will gain job skills by growing, harvesting, and marketing fresh vegetables, herbs, and flowers, courtesy of The Growing Connection.

Gearing up for its third summer, this innovative entrepreneurial program aims at providing job training skills such as customer service, advertising, and marketing. It is sponsored primarily by the Binghamton's Center City Weed and Seed Strategy and Binghamton University's Center City Coordination Program, and implemented by Broome County Gang Prevention (BCGP).

Poor economics and lack of job skills and experience are among the top risk factors for juvenile gang involvement and therefore a key program objective for BCGP staff. As a job-skill consultant for BCGP, Benjamin Wood, a retired Cornell University education professor, initiated the Binghamton project because he realized The Growing Connection's potential for connecting high-risk, gang-prone youth to hands-on, out-of-classroom experiences.

The Growing Connection project began at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and was first introduced in Africa and Latin America as a low-cost, water-efficient, and sustainable food-growing technique that uses patented self-contained gardens called Earth Boxes. The project's goal in third-world countries is to teach families and children how to fight hunger and malnutrition in their hometowns. Now being implemented in the United States, the project has expanded to join youth ages 13 through 16 together in common educational and entrepreneurial activities.

Jurell Spivey, Outreach and Case Manager for BCGP, said he "couldn't think of a better way to get these kids excited about learning to run their own business. It's amazing to see their faces when it's time to harvest boxes and display their produce."

During the first week of June, the youth and staff transport the boxes from four solariums that the Binghamton Housing Authority provides for initial planting to the housing authority's courtyards. Residents help the youth maintain these self-contained gardens by watering them on weekends and participating in dead-heading, pest control, and harvesting.

The most rewarding part of the project, according to BCGP staff, is the intergenerational bond that forms between the youth and the residents at the housing authority. "The residents line up at the farmers market table every Thursday to support the kids and praise them on their harvest," said Spivey.

In addition to learning the science of using the Earth Boxes—planting, growing, and harvesting—the youth practice customer service, advertising, table display, and overall marketing skills. Youth receive interactive instruction in these areas via WORKPlus—a workshop-based training approach developed by Public/Private Ventures in Philadelphia, PA—and engage in weekly staff meetings at which job responsibilities alternate among table display, signage and advertising, and financial management. They polish their presentation and sales skills by displaying their Earth Boxes and produce two or three times per summer at the downtown Binghamton Farmers Market.

BCGP staff also invite representatives from the nutrition department of Cornell University's Cooperative Extension of Broome County, local and organic farmers from around the county, and banking experts to speak to the kids. In fact, a nutritionist's cooking class led the youth to add a new product to their inventory in 2005: freezer jam. The youth packaged more than 200 jars of strawberry and blueberry freezer jam last year, and the residents are already placing orders for more this year.

In the fall, youth and their families attend a harvest celebration where they receive certificates of completion and enjoy their produce, which is served as appetizers, entrees, and desserts prepared by the nutrition staff at Cornell Cooperative Extension. The staff also discuss the nutritional value of each dish and offer user-friendly recipes for families to try at home.

BCGP is extremely grateful for the support of all of The Growing Connection partners, especially the city of Binghamton's Center City Weed and Seed strategy, which funds the purchase of new Earth Boxes, seedlings, classroom supplies, and speakers fees. A formula grant from the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services pays for incentives that the youth receive weekly for completing each week's program requirements.

For more information, contact:
Beth Harrington
Program Director
Broome County Gang Prevention
harringtonb5@hotmail.com
607-723-9491, ext. 141

NCPC Aims To Eliminate Cyberbullying
By Al Lenhardt, President and CEO, National Crime Prevention Council

Cyberbullying—using the Internet to harass, demean, or abuse youth and to spread malicious rumors and gossip—is a social problem that, if left unchecked, can have major implications for young people, leaving many of them with emotional scars that remain later in life.

The problem is growing:

• About 4 in 10 teens experienced cyberbullying at least one time in the past year.

• Nearly 20 percent of teens had a cyberbully pretend to be someone else in order to trick them online, getting them to reveal personal information.

• Girls report having been cyberbullied more than boys—a rate of 51 percent compared to 37 percent.

• Seventeen percent of teens were victimized by someone lying about them online.

• Thirteen percent of teens learned that a cyberbully was pretending to be them while communicating with someone else.

• Ten percent of teens were victimized because someone posted unflattering pictures of them online, without permission.

These figures come from a national online survey that the National Crime Prevention Council (NCPC) recently commissioned to determine how teens define cyberbullying, explore their experiences with it, understand their emotional and behavioral reactions to it, and find out what teens think would be the most effective ways to prevent it. Middle and high school students between ages 13 and 17 participated in the survey. Other survey findings include the following:

• Only 1 in 10 teens who experienced cyberbullying had talked to his or her parents about it.

• Nearly 6 in 10 teens said cyberbullies "probably didn't see their actions as a big deal."

• Teens believe that cyberbullying prevention needs to occur at three levels—individual, parental, and online. They feel the most effective way to prevent cyberbullying is to block people who cyberbully from communicating with those they want to bully, refuse to pass along cyberbullying messages, and tell their friends to stop cyberbullying.

In a new advertising campaign, McGruff the Crime Dog and NCPC offer some advice: "Delete cyberbullying. Don't write it. Don't forward it." By asking people to stop cyberbullying by intercepting and stopping its online messages, this campaign seeks the public's help in making sure that children grow up in a healthy, positive environment.

Teens between ages 13 and 17 are the most affected by cyberbullying because they spend a lot of time online, and, unlike children and preteens, this time is largely unsupervised. They use the Internet to talk to friends, gather information for reports, create their own Web pages, look up sports scores, and check out movie times. They have access to the Internet at home, at school, and at friends' houses.

Results of the survey helped shape NCPC's new advertising campaign. Radio advertising, viral video, and Web banners reach kids through the media they use most—the Internet and the radio. New response pieces accompany the messages from McGruff and NCPC, and can be downloaded from the NCPC Web site (http://www.ncpc.org/media/Cyberbullying.php), along with tips for kids and parents on dealing with cyberbullying. The teen component explains how teens are cyberbullied and how victims react, and it offers tips on preventing cyberbullying and how teens can be cyber safe.

NCPC also is running another campaign, "Take a Bite Out of Cyber Crime" (http://www.bytecrime.org), which encourages young adults and teenagers to protect themselves, their families, and their communities against cyber crime. The adult component offers statistics and information regarding cyberbullying, how to take action against cyberbullying, and where to go for more information.

NCPC is committed to protecting children and youth and responding to emerging crime trends, such as cyberbullying. One way NCPC will meet these goals is through its 8th National Conference on Preventing Crime: Helping Build Safer Communities (http://www.ncpc.org/training/National_ Conference.php). Weed and Seed site representatives are encouraged to attend this conference to learn more about protecting young people in their communities. In particular, there will be training sessions focused on protecting children and youth, including a series of sessions on bullying and intimidation and a workshop on preventing cyberbullying.

The conference—to be held October 3–5, 2007 in Atlanta, GA—will feature more than 65 training sessions, providing many opportunities to learn cutting-edge strategies and crime-prevention practices and to meet others from throughout the world who are engaged in crime prevention.

For more information, contact:
Brian Snyder
Director of Conference and Meeting Planning
National Crime Prevention Council
bsnyder@ncpc.org

Franklin Road Introduces New Youth Association

This spring, about 75 youth of Franklin Road in Marietta, GA, came together to let their voices be heard. At the first meeting of the Franklin Road Youth Association on April 19, 2007, the theme was "Youth Who Lead and Succeed."

With more than 1,000 school-age children and only limited youth programs and youth facilities to meet their needs, Franklin Road Weed and Seed sought to take direction directly from the youth it aimed to serve. "The vision was to ask the kids what they wanted to do in their community," said Daneea Badio, Franklin Road Weed and Seed Coordinator. "Oftentimes, we implement the programs we think our children want and need, and we fail to empower them to be involved in that decision-making process. Most of them are perfectly capable of telling us what they would really want."

At the first meeting of the Franklin Road Youth Association, youth were not asked simply what they would be interested in; stronger questions were asked. "We wanted to probe for their personal commitment," said Badio, "so we asked: What will you show up for? What will you help with because you care? And how do you want to shape your youth association?"

A community of more than 12,000 people living in a 1.5-mile radius, Franklin Road is in the heart of the city of Marietta. It is a multicultural community composed of individuals and families living in 11 apartment complexes and 2 condominium subdivisions. The area has more than 300 businesses, most of which are small businesses, but has very few organized youth-serving programs. There is a thriving Boys & Girls Club serving more than 100 children—nearly twice the capacity of the available space—and a Prevention Program for Latino Youth serving 20–25 students.

With the Weed and Seed funding awarded on October 1, 2006, however, things are really beginning to take off for Franklin Road. More youth program partners have joined the cause, like Girls Incorporated, Boy Scouts of America, and Soccer in the Streets. Even the drama ministry of a local church, Turner Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church, has offered to provide a drama camp for youth this summer.

But there were still the challenges of space and resources. Consequently, several steps were taken to move the process of providing increased youth programming forward. First, because the neighborhood has no community center, several small spaces were being used instead of one big one. Weed and Seed began coordinating monthly meetings of the 11 apartment managers and persuaded four of those managers to allow their properties to provide additional meeting space for youth and adult programming. In addition, said Badio, "we sought various program partners specifically targeting programs looking for communities to serve, like churches and organizations with a strong focus on outreach."

Next, the Franklin Road Youth Association meeting provided the opportunity to inform area youth about existing program opportunities and to receive their feedback regarding future youth programs. The event was strategically marketed directly to area youth; a team of volunteers met school buses in the days prior to the meeting, fliers in hand. An announcement promoting the meeting also was posted in the local newspaper, and a flashing police message sign was positioned near the entrance to the meeting at the Castlebrook Apartments.

On the day of the event, all bases were covered. Food—pizza and pasta—was donated by the Wingate Inn, a local hotel, and beverages and paper products were donated by Kroger grocery store. The program began with "meet someone new" time and dinner. Then, everyone separated into five age groups: 8–10, 11–12, 13–15, 16–18, and parents. Each individual completed a 10-question survey that asked how they felt about their community, the police, and their future. Program coordinators were on hand to assist with food and program coordination and to hear from the youth directly.

A "post-it" exercise followed. This activity allowed participants to post their responses onto big flip charts as they answered questions regarding program interests, ideas for community service projects, and the future of their youth association. Each team then shared their top three answers with the entire group.

To wrap up the meeting, a "Best Sales Pitch" contest was held, whereby several youth-serving organizations had 2 minutes to present their program to the youth, who then voted on which presentation most impressed them. The Franklin Road Boys & Girls Club won the contest by a rousing round of applause.

"From this exciting exchange of information," said Badio, "we learned that our children would show up for a variety of sports and arts programs, leadership opportunities, empowerment and career development."

To serve their community, the older teens said they would provide mentorship, tutoring, and coaching for the younger children. Overall, the youth wanted fun, responsibility, and ownership. They offered to clean up the community, feed the hungry, babysit, distribute community information, coach sports, and write grants. They wanted their youth association to be made up of those who live in the community—the youth, parents, family, and friends.

According to Badio, this first meeting of the Franklin Road Youth Association was an exciting success. "With 43 youth, 9 parents, 3 law enforcement representatives, 3 community volunteers, 1 sponsor, and 16 program coordinators in attendance, we sparked the beginning of youth empowerment. The kids spoke, and we listened."

Looking forward, a second meeting of the youth association is being planned by the youth and adults from the community. The first event they intend to hold is a summer pool party. Additionally, on June 11, the Franklin Road Boys & Girls Club opened a teen center for youth ages 12–18.

Program coordinators felt it was important to give the kids a big win immediately following their first meeting. The new teen center is something they requested, and the association made it happen. Looking to the future, Jean Aaron, a volunteer youth association coordinator, said it best: "Our goal is to partner with our youth to help them prevent risky adolescent behaviors and promote positive choices. We're identifying mentors who will provide oversight, direction, and opportunities to help our youth develop their leadership skills as they identify their goals, projects, and events that will engage them in community involvement."

For more information, contact:
Daneea Badio
Weed and Seed Coordinator
Franklin Road Weed and Seed
dbadio@mariettaga.gov
770-794-5640

Resources

SAMHSA Launches New Database
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration has launched the National Registry of Evidence-based Programs and Practices (NREPP) to help local organizations make informed decisions about evidence-based interventions for preventing and treating mental health and substance use disorders. NREPP is a searchable database with up-to-date, reliable information on the scientific basis and practicality of interventions, including programs specific to Indian Country.
View it on the Web: http://www.nrepp.samhsa.gov

Guidelines To Prevent Prescription Drug Misuse
New guidelines have been issued for the proper disposal of unused, unneeded, or expired prescription drugs. The Office of National Drug Control Policy, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the Environmental Protection Agency jointly released these guidelines, which are designed to reduce the diversion of prescription drugs while also protecting the environment.
View it on the Web: http://www.whitehousedrugpolicy.gov/news/press07/ 022007.html

Drug Abuse Prevention Newsletter Now Available
Strategies for Success: New Pathways to Drug Abuse Prevention, a newsletter from the Office of National Drug Control Policy, provides a wealth of guidance and resources on how to develop, implement, and maintain a student drug testing program. Subscribers will be kept informed of events and developments in the field, including research findings on the effectiveness of drug testing as a tool for reducing substance abuse.
View it on the Web: http://www.randomstudentdrugtesting.org/newsletter/fall_winter_06/index.html

Prevention News Wire Now Online
Those involved in drug prevention can receive and display the Drug Prevention News Wire, which highlights the latest prevention headlines from the Office of National Drug Control Policy, on their own Web site or blog. The news feed automatically refreshes, keeping your Web site up to date with the latest news.
View it on the Web: http://www.whitehousedrugpolicy.gov/prevent/ newswire.html

Report Finds Decline in Youth Substance Abuse
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration has released the report State Estimates of Substance Use from the 2004–2005 National Surveys on Drug Use and Health, which provides state estimates for 23 measures of substance use and mental health problems.
View it on the Web: http://oas.samhsa.gov/2k5state/toc.cfm

Information on Preventing Youth Drug Use Available
The National Institute on Drug Abuse has released a second edition of Preventing Drug Use among Children and Adolescents: A Research-Based Guide for Parents, Educators, and Community Leaders. The new edition includes information on risk factors for youth drug abuse, guidance for planning community drug abuse prevention programs, and descriptions of core elements of effective prevention programs.
View it on the Web: http://www.drugabuse.gov/ Prevention/Prevopen.html

Truancy Reduction Toolkit Now Available
The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention's online truancy reduction toolkit covers topics such as the extent and causes of truancy, its connections to quitting school, juvenile delinquency, and lessons learned from evaluating truancy reduction programs. It provides resources and information to guide communities, schools, and parents in addressing this problem.
View it on the Web: http://ojjdp.ncjrs.gov/publications/PubAbstract.asp?pubi=238899

Program Profiles Available for Mental Health Courts
The Criminal Justice/Mental Health Information Network (InfoNet) is a free Web-based database that inventories collaborative criminal justice/mental health programs throughout the country. Its program profiles are drawn from information obtained through comprehensive surveys.
View it on the Web: http://cjmh-infonet.org

Neighborhood Restoration

In the Spotlight: Friendly Temple Church VITA Center

The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program has completed another successful tax season. The Friendly Temple Church VITA center in the Hamilton Heights Weed and Seed site, St. Louis, MO, was one of this year's most successful centers. It has been helping residents prepare their income tax returns for about 9 years.

The center's phenomenal growth started 4 years ago, however, when about 1,200 returns were filed electronically in 2004, and that number has been surpassed every year—1,800 in 2005 and 3,000 in 2006—to reach 3,200 returns for 2007. These figures do not include paper returns (such as past years and amended returns). At least half of the returns came from returning clients. By any measure, the Friendly Temple Church VITA center is one of the program's stars.

Reaching Clients

According to Desmond Leong, Friendly Temple Church VITA Coordinator, a major reason for the center's success is that it prepares returns that the typical VITA center does not. For instance, because many of the volunteers are Internal Revenue Service (IRS) employees, the center can prepare returns that feature pension income, capital gains, abandonment, debt cancellation, education credits, and itemized deductions. The center also prepares returns in which the adjusted gross income is higher than the VITA limits.

The center has also succeeded through community partnerships, such as the one it has with the local IRS Tax Assistance Center (TAC). During the filing season, TAC does not prepare prior year or amended returns, so the local TAC office distributed fliers to taxpayers stating that the service was no longer available. The fliers listed contact information and locations of sites that could accommodate such requests, and as a result, the Friendly Temple Church VITA center prepared about 150 returns for clients referred by the TAC office. The center also prepared more than 300 prior-year tax returns and additional amended returns for former H&R Block and Jackson Hewitt clients, who have found that returning to these commercial preparers to amend returns can be prohibitively expensive. Although this work is time consuming, Leong saw it as a way to attract new clients and said that each of these returns represents "a future customer that we will have for years to come."

This high level of service is standard at the center. For instance, center volunteers electronically file returns within 48 hours of preparing them. If a return is rejected, a volunteer promptly reworks it and follows up with the client. This might sound basic, but some sites do not offer this service, said Leong. "If you deliver a quality product, your clients will return," he said.

Leong also stresses the importance of community outreach to increase a center's client base. Each season he approaches the producers of community-based radio talk shows about having their show feature a guest spot on the VITA center. Last March, he also had 2 minutes on a cable newsmagazine that is sponsored by the nonprofit People's Health Center. The show airs several times a week via the largest cable provider in St. Louis. Leong tied his segment to the show's health focus by encouraging people to reduce their stress by having their taxes prepared at the center free of charge. Exposure in newspapers is also important. The St. Louis American, a free newspaper with a circulation of 70,000, did an article about the center in 2005 and plans another for early 2008.

Finally, Leong emphasized the importance of reaching out to day-to-day contacts. "The people you are in daily contact with—those you meet at grocery and department store checkouts, fast food restaurants, banks, cleaners, and churches—are in the income category of your target market," stated Leong. "Engage them in conversation."

Recruiting Volunteers

Although community outreach and partnerships are key to a VITA center's success, its volunteers are at the heart of its success. The commitment of the Friendly Temple Church VITA center volunteers—and the resulting low attrition rate—springs from the program's faith-based roots. In the early years, the volunteers were Friendly Temple congregation members or IRS employees who had a passion for serving the community and preparing tax returns. As the program grew, more and more of the individuals who volunteered were not church members, but the sense of mission has remained unchanged.

According to Leong, all of the volunteers have Christian backgrounds and want to give back to the community. "The success of the program is a testament to God's work in this community through His people," said Leong. "I often comment that for some 30 volunteers to show up every Saturday for 12 consecutive weeks, there is a higher power at work in our program."

The program recruits its volunteers from a variety of sources. Church announcements are still valuable because a bulk of the volunteers come from the Friendly Temple congregation. Leong also attends quarterly luncheons for new church members and recruits individuals who are looking for a ministry to join.

In addition, Leong said, "Customers this year become volunteers next year." One such customer was an engineer at Boeing. "During the tax return preparation, she observed the operations and asked questions," he said. The center collected her information and added her to the e-mail list. "Between her and another volunteer who works at Boeing, we added two more volunteers," he said.

Word of mouth is another effective means of recruitment. Leong has found that volunteers impressed with the operations bring in their friends.

Retaining Volunteers

A primary reason for the center's high retention rate is the extensive training that it provides. "Most [people] are afraid of taxes [before going through training]," he said. The center provides 9 hours of tax law and 6 hours of tax software training and conducts periodic workshops to supplement the training. Past workshop topics have included dual-state allocations (work in one state; live in another) and Form 1099 issues, such as the different kinds of 1099s, the distribution codes, and what they mean.

Leong also credits the IRS's decision to use Taxwise software 10 years ago for its high retention of volunteers, who need only data entry skills to master it, he said. But the center also prides itself on creating an atmosphere of encouragement and learning. All questions are answered without criticism or belittlement.

Leong has one final reason that his volunteers return each year. He feeds them . . . well! Each year, one volunteer does nothing but prepare meals. Coffee, fruit, and pastries are available in the mornings, and hot meals in the afternoon after the clients leave. "Think fried fish, fried chicken, roast pork, barbeque, seafood pasta, peach cobbler, pound cake," said Leong. "No pizzas, no lunch boxes."

For more information, contact:
Desmond Leong
Friendly Temple Church VITA Coordinator
314-239-6915 or 314-367-5508

Rockwood VITA Tax Aide Center Aids Residents
By Sarah Broderick, VITA Tax Aide Center Coordinator; and Cathy Sherick, Rockwood Weed and Seed Project Manager

This spring, Rockwood Weed and Seed in Gresham, OR, successfully filed more than 300 tax returns—worth more than $400,000 in federal and state refunds—free of charge for its residents. The site accomplished this through its Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) center—the Rockwood VITA Tax Aide center—which opened this past February.

After receiving funding from CCDO to hire someone to set up and operate the center, Rockwood Weed and Seed received five computers from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) for the purpose of providing a free tax preparation assistance program for two years. The VITA Tax Aide center also has the option of maintaining one computer throughout the year for ongoing tax work and allowing community members to use the computers during the eight months that are not tax season. At the end of two years, the computers will go to the sponsoring and partnering agencies who assisted with the VITA Tax Aide and computer center.

Rockwood's VITA Tax Aide effort began in early November, when the site hired Sarah Broderick to implement the center's operations. Broderick came to the program with an extensive background in community work, experience with new program development, and a genuine enthusiasm for the mission of the center. To start up the center, she had to set up the computers, undertake tax training, build partnerships, develop outreach materials, establish center hours, and recruit, train, and schedule volunteers. Broderick's extensive tax preparation training took several weeks to complete and was also required of all the tax assistance volunteers.

Partners included the local chapter of the Association of Retired Persons (AARP), IRS staff, the Police Activities League, several local nonprofit agencies, and Tax Aide of Oregon. These agencies helped Broderick set up the center and conduct community outreach.

Because volunteers were required to run the center and perform all tax preparation, recruitment was Broderick's number-one priority. By late December, the VITA Tax Aide center had only a short list of volunteers, but Easter Seals soon informed the center that it knew two gentlemen who were interested in helping out. Adding these names to the slowly growing list of volunteers was a great end-of-the-year gift.

In late January, after spending every Saturday for a month in training, the Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP) participants were ready to start work with Rockwood Weed and Seed. Despite all the previous excitement over the SCSEP program, Broderick was concerned when she first met the gentlemen who had volunteered in December. One seemed to be a bit anxious, possibly dealing with some personal challenges, and he had no previous computer experience, yet he was slated to be one of the main tax preparers. The other volunteer had a surly demeanor and did not appear as though he would get along with others in the center. He was to be the greeter for the office, welcoming all clients and helping them sign in. Needless to say, Broderick thought these two personalities could present significant challenges when the center opened.

The center was open for the duration of tax season, from February 1 through April 17, and preparers were available Wednesday through Saturday. During that time, Rockwood VITA Tax Aide filed 315 federal returns, resulting in $349,745 worth of refunds.

By the time April 17 rolled around, everyone involved was thrilled with their accomplishments, but ready to be done with tax season. The VITA center owes much of its success to all the partners and volunteers, and to the SCSEP participants. The gentleman who had no previous computer experience quickly caught on. He not only learned how to use the tax preparation program efficiently, but also gained additional computer skills. Center volunteers translated tax information and questions for Russian- and Spanish-speaking clients, shared recipes, worked extra hours, and became a great team. The greeter shed his negative attitude and became a favorite of everyone in the office. He learned how to deal with all types of people coming to the center, and he managed the front office with precision, steadiness, and humor.

The five computer stations will remain at the Rockwood Community Office during the off season. One station will be dedicated to ongoing filing of tax returns and for other tax-related purposes in the community. The center will add three additional computers so that it can run computer classes, to be made available through its partners. Rockwood Weed and Seed staff will manage all the policies, schedules, staff, and volunteers that are required to operate the center.

For more information, contact:
Sarah Broderick
VITA Tax Aide Center Coordinator
taxaide@weedandseedoregon.org

Cathy Sherick
Rockwood Weed and Seed Project Manager
c_sherick@yahoo.com
503-816-1530

Resources

Exploring Innovative Employment Strategies
Innovative Employment Approaches and Programs for Low-Income Families reviews employment approaches that a number of states, localities, and organizations are taking that have the potential to improve the economic success of low-income individuals. The study also provides direction to those looking for innovative employment strategies for low-income populations.
View it on the Web: http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/opre/welfare_employ/inno_ employ/reports/innovative/innovative_toc.html

Identifying Employment Services and Homelessness Reports
The Chronic Homelessness Employment Technical Assistance Center has published An Annotated Bibliography on Employment and Homelessness, which lists 131 journal articles and reports on employment services and homelessness. This comprehensive list will help program planners identify researched practices that can inform their program design and assist grant writers in locating key research articles to substantiate funding for certain approaches or programs.
View it on the Web: http://documents.csh.org/documents/cheta/CHETA-bibliography.pdf

Grading Development of the States
The Corporation for Enterprise Development's 2007 Development Report Card for the States measures not only the strength of each state's business development, but also the state's standard of living and working and how well the state is building foundations for future growth. The report card presents a portrait of each state, including its structure, operation, and potential.
View it on the Web: http://www.cfed.org/focus.m?parentid=34&siteid=2346&id=2346

Preserving Family and Community Assets
A Lifetime of Assets—Asset Preservation: Trends and Interventions in Asset Stripping Services and Products, produced by the National Community Reinvestment Coalition and the Woodstock Institute, describes the various ways in which abusive lenders strip assets and wealth from hard-working families. The paper offers policy and program recommendations for preserving family and community assets.
View it on the Web: http://www.ncrc.org/policy/analysis/policy/2006/ 2006-09_LifetimeOfAssets_NCRC-WoodstockPaper.pdf

Ranking State Trends in Civic Life
Volunteering in America: 2007 State Trends and Rankings in Civic Life is the second annual study by the Corporation for National and Community Service that gives a detailed breakdown of America's volunteering demographics, habits, and patterns by state and region. The report also provides the agency's first ranking of levels of civic engagement by state through a new Civic Life Index. In conjunction with the report, the corporation has launched an online toolkit called Resources for Retention.
View the study: http://www.nationalservice.gov/pdf/VIA/VIA_fullreport.pdf
View the toolkit: http://www.nationalserviceresources.org/volunteerweek

Reentry

Michigan Prisoner ReEntry Initiative
By Tamela Aikens, Community Coordinator, Michigan Prisoner ReEntry Initiative

Michigan, like many states throughout the country, is facing an exorbitant prisoner population crisis. But there is a light at the end of the tunnel, thanks to the Governor's Michigan Prisoner ReEntry Initiative (MPRI). According to the Michigan Department of Corrections (MDOC), prisoners in the MPRI are 21 percent less likely to return to prison. Partly in response to this success, Michigan plans to roll out the program to the whole state in 2008.

With a budget of $2 billion and an inmate population of 51,000, Michigan's prison system is larger today than at any time in its history. Every year in Michigan nearly 10,000 prisoners are paroled from correctional facilities throughout the state. The MPRI focuses on parolees as a means of preventing additional crime in the communities and repeated cycles of incarceration.

Initiated in 2005, MPRI is working to create safer neighborhoods and better citizens through state and local collaborations. It is striving for a seamless, individualized plan of services and supervision that begins when offenders enter prison and continues through their transition, reintegration, and aftercare in the community. MPRI brings together key state and local stakeholders—including state agencies, community leaders, policymakers, faith-based institutions, social and clinical service providers, and MDOC—to influence the success of each prisoner who returns to the community.

MPRI's vision is to provide every prisoner released to the community with the tools needed to succeed. To that end, partners from a variety of public and private sectors are working together to achieve two goals:

• Promote public safety by reducing the threat of harm to persons and their property by released offenders in the communities to which those offenders return.

• Increase the success rates of former prisoners by fostering effective risk management and treatment programming, accountability, and community and victim participation.

Getting Ready, Going Home, and Staying Home

Three phases make up the MPRI.

Phase I: Getting Ready. This is the institutional phase and represents the details of events and responsibilities that occur from the time the offender enters prison until the parole decision is made. During this phase, prison staff use an assessment and classification tool called the Correction Offender Management Profiling for Alternative Sanctions to measure each prisoner's risks, needs, strengths, and weaknesses. This assessment is then used in combination with prisoner input to create a Transition Accountability Plan (TAP). This plan specifies programs, treatments, and interventions that will enable the prisoner to succeed in returning home and reintegrating into the community. The point of these interventions is to manage, if not reduce, the risks and address the needs.

Phase II: Going Home. The TAP is updated as needed during phase II and is reworked into a collaborative, prisoner-centered plan involving each prisoner, prison staff, parole agents, and human services providers in the community. During this phase, both the community and the prisoner are mutually preparing for the offender's release by discussing and verifying the offender's needs, such as housing, employment, substance abuse prevention and intervention, and clothing. The TAP describes actions that will prepare the offender for release, defines the terms and conditions of that release, and specifies the supervision and services the offender will receive in the community. During this phase, each prisoner meets with his or her transition team, comprising service specialists from the community, the parole officer, and the institution case managers who discuss and confirm the TAP and provide appointment dates and service-provider contact information.

Phase III: Staying Home. While under community parole supervision, the former prisoner, his or her parole officer, and the human service providers connected with the aftercare plan work together to ensure that the parolee successfully completes the parole term. The parolee and the community-based service providers also prepare for the end of parole, when these providers will take over the case (i.e., without the involvement of the MDOC) by providing a continuum of care that includes mentoring, development of positive social networks, and constructive community involvement.

Wayne County MPRI Site and Northwest Detroit Weed and Seed

Nowhere in the state is the success of this program more evident or sure to have more bearing than within Michigan's Weed and Seed communities. In Wayne County, the partnership between the state's reentry program and the Weed and Seed communities has resulted in not only increased communication across law enforcement agencies, but increased participation from community and service providers.

Annually, nearly 35 percent of all Michigan prisoners return to the state's largest county—Wayne. Of this total, 85 percent return to the city of Detroit. The reality of 3,000 to 3,500 former prisoners returning to a community every year requires not only engaging stakeholders to address the needs of former prisoners effectively, but also a critical reframing of how each partner is interconnected and equally relevant to ensuring the safety of the community.

Since early 2006, the Wayne County MPRI site and the Northwest Detroit Weed and Seed site have collaborated to transport former prisoners returning to Detroit via Greyhound Bus. Community partners; a community relations officer, when possible; and MPRI staff and providers meet the parolee at the Greyhound terminal. Then, some ex-offenders are taken to community housing by van, while others receive enough bus fare to get home and to their parole officer the next morning. Sometimes offenders get rides directly to the parole office. The reentry team distributes everything from water to bus route maps to toiletry kits.

In addition, Officer Myra Gracey of the Northwestern Police District manages the Weed and Seed Men's Clothing Closet as part of the site's reentry project. This MPRI and Weed and Seed partnership started with a year-long (and still ongoing) city-wide men's clothing drive. To date, the effort has netted thousands of clothing donations, which are distributed to the several MPRI community aftercare service locations. The majority of the clothing donations have been received from churches, community organizations, and local enforcement officers.

At the core of this collaboration is the belief that—with the appropriate support—former prisoners can transform their lives as they strive to achieve self-sufficiency, rebuild family and community ties, and—most important—become assets to the communities they left behind.

To that end, northwest Detroit's Weed and Seed community is a hub of innovative reentry partnerships and initiatives. In addition to this partnership, northwest Detroit also is the site of another program: Operation TIDE (tactical intelligence-driven initiative), the multijurisdictional law enforcement and community development initiative. The Detroit Chief of Police and the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan jointly lead Operation TIDE in close cooperation with state and federal law enforcement partners. This effort is an initiative of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN)—led by U.S. Attorney Stephen Murphy—that includes the Detroit Police Department, the Michigan State Police, the Wayne County Sheriff, MDOC, and virtually every federal law enforcement agency that conducts operations in Michigan.

The primary objective of PSN is to work with Weed and Seed sites to reduce violent crime, especially gun violence, by sharing intelligence among various agencies and jurisdictions. Since Operation TIDE's inception, Wayne County MPRI has been essential as a partner in the dual-purpose parolee call-in meetings held in the police district. Each meeting serves two purposes:

• To inform parolees of the community's commitment to reducing crime and gun violence and that their involvement with guns may result in federal prosecution.

• To link parolees with the necessary community supports, including job training, job placement assistance, transportation assistance, and temporary housing options.

MPRI contractors are on hand to schedule appointments and provide referral assistance. The next phase of MPRI's involvement with PSN will include incorporating this meeting into the prerelease process for each offender returning to this Weed and Seed community.

In late 2006, MDOC committed $500,000 to an initiative called Ready4Work to further establish this Weed and Seed community's resilience and its ability to serve as a hub of reintegration resources anchored by job training, job opportunities, law enforcement support, community involvement, and family services and resources. This funding was enhanced by an additional $500,000 grant from the Michigan State Housing and Development Authority.

Through the MPRI Ready4Work Initiative, offenders returning to Detroit's northwest neighborhoods will be offered employment on construction and housing rehabilitation projects, where they will receive on-the-job training in a supportive environment aimed at preparing them to work outside of the program. Prior to release, offenders will have participated in the MDOC building trades and training program and will leave prison with certification enabling them to join the Ready4work program.

Although it is still too early to measure its success, this innovative and synergistic place-based approach to crime prevention and community stabilization is well poised and perfectly suited to achieve its reentry and community development goals. At the same time, MPRI is a national model for communities that want to achieve reduced crime and improved quality-of-life outcomes.

For more information, contact:
Tamela Aikens
Community Coordinator,
Michigan Prisoner ReEntry Initiative—Wayne County
aikentr@michigan.gov

Iowa Reaches Out to Ex-Offenders With Mental Illness

Ex-offenders with mental illness are staying out of jail thanks to a pilot reentry program in Iowa. Initial statistics suggest that program participants are 8 percent more likely to successfully reenter the community than those who do not go through the program. What is the key to this success? Community Accountability Boards (CABs) that secure an effective support system.

Mental illness is a heavy burden that ex-offenders returning to the community often have to bear alone. With rising prison populations and tighter budgets, more and more inmates with mental illness are not getting the support they need when they leave prison. Without adequate services and community supervision, many of these individuals become homeless and quickly return to crime and, subsequently, prison. Iowa's pilot program is working to correct this problem.

Mental illness among ex-offenders is a significant problem. According to the Iowa Department of Corrections, the state housed 8,578 prisoners in 2005, and more than one-third of them suffered from chronic mental illness. Because these individuals typically serve longer portions of their sentences than other inmates, they often receive less time for community supervision when they reenter the community. In Iowa, inmates who serve their entire prison sentence are returned to their communities with $100 and, in principle, a 30-day supply of medication or a prescription for that amount.

Iowa's mental health reentry program targets offenders who have mental health disorders, many of whom struggle with multiple mental illnesses and a history of substance abuse. The program strives to provide the support these individuals need to successfully transition back into the community upon their release from prison. This support includes providing mental health treatment and advocacy, substance abuse treatment, housing, employment, family therapy, spiritual guidance when appropriate, support from local law enforcement agencies, and other community services.

The following three programs serve ex-offenders with mental health disorders in Iowa:

• The Sixth Judicial District of Iowa Department of Correctional Services, which serves Benton, Iowa, Johnson, Jones, Linn, and Tama counties, encompassing Cedar Rapids and the surrounding area.

• The First Judicial District Department of Correctional Services, which serves Allamakee, Black Hawk, Buchanan, Clayton, Chickasaw, Delaware, Dubuque, Fayette, Grundy, Howard, and Winneshiek counties, including Waterloo and the surrounding area.

• The Black Hawk-Grundy Mental Health Center, which also serves Black Hawk County.

Individuals served by any of the programs listed above must have a diagnosed mental illness, such as a DSM IV Axis I diagnosis, and must be from the program's county or plan to settle there after they are released from prison. Typically, sex offenders and those with an extensive history of violent crime are not accepted into these programs. People with level of supervision inventory (or LSI) scores—which measure the level of criminal risk—higher than 40 are also not eligible for the program. Ideally, program participants should spend at least 6 months under community supervision to give reentry program staff adequate time to work with the participant.

At the heart of this program is the CAB, which serves as a support system for returning prisoners with mental illness. CAB is composed of volunteers representing private and public organizations that have an interest in assisting ex-offenders who have a diagnosed mental illness. The role of CAB members is to link program participants with community services, to encourage and praise participants when they are doing well, and to offer suggestions when they are not complying with the requirements of the reentry program. These members have specialized knowledge about the resources available in each community and can help program participants identify the community services they need and explain how they access those services.

Services and support provided by CAB members include—

• Linking with mental health service providers who will monitor the participant's medication.

• Applying for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), Supplemental Security Income

• (SSI), Medicaid, food stamps, and other programs that can help participants pay for medication and food.

• Finding housing and applying for public housing programs.

• Providing monetary assistance for rental deposits, rent, medications, transportation, psychiatric appointments, and individual therapy.

• Finding transportation to appointments or obtaining bus passes.

• Linking with other community services.

• Enrolling in education or job training programs.

• Providing emotional support and guidance.

• Providing correctional supervision and urinalysis (First and Sixth District programs only).

CAB members meet regularly with participants to guide, support, and help them. At each meeting, members learn about participants' progress and any setbacks they may have had.

The program has seen much success. Recent evaluations show that ex-offenders who have a mental illness and participate in the mental health reentry programs are more likely to be successfully discharged from the program and remain in the community rather than reoffending and returning to jail or prison than those with a mental illness who work with a traditional parole officer. Only 24 percent of the participants were unsuccessfully discharged from the program, compared with 39 percent of the comparison group who were reincarcerated. Sixty-nine percent of participants in mental health reentry programs successfully completed those programs, versus 61 percent of the comparison group members.

In addition, participants in the mental health reentry programs were less likely to return to prison within 3 years than the general population of Iowa's ex-offenders with a mental illness. For instance, the felony rearrest rate for participants in the mental health reentry programs—9 percent—is lower than the felony rearrest rate for Iowa parolees with a mental illness who did not participate in a mental health reentry program—12 percent.

The following is a partial list of the mental health reentry programs' successes:

• The housing stability of program participants improves over the course of the program.

• Participants are applying for SSDI and SSI and more participants are receiving these benefits than had been at the beginning of the program.

• The percentage of those who continue with their mental health therapy increases over the course of the program. Similarly, the percentage who continue with substance abuse treatment also increases.

• The frequency of psychiatric hospitalizations decreases over the course of the program.

• The percentage of those who attended all of their psychiatric and medical appointments starts out high—72 percent during the first reassessment period—and increases over the course of the program.

• The employment rates of reentry program participants are similar to, and in some cases better than, the employment rates of other groups with similar disabilities.

Reentering a community after imprisonment is difficult enough without the extra burden of mental illness and addiction. With programs like those profiled here, that burden can be significantly lightened.

All statistics were derived from An Evaluation of Three Transitional Mental Health Re-entry Programs in Iowa: Fourth Annual Evaluation Report (http://www.ised.us/doc/MH%20Re-entry%20yr%204%20exec%20summ%20(final)%202-15-07.doc), Prepared by the Institute for Social and Economic Development, February 15, 2007.

For more information, contact:
Alyssa Kupka
Americorps VISTA Leader
Central Cedar Rapids Weed and Seed Operation
alyssa.kupka@iowa.gov

Resources

NIC Releases Publication About Leadership Competencies
Correctional Leadership Competencies for the 21st Century: Manager and Supervisor Levels highlights the types of support and leadership that sheriffs should provide to enable jail administrators to manage jails effectively. It includes information that will help sheriffs address jail problems, manage liability issues, and improve operations.
View it on the Web: http://nicic.org/Downloads/PDF/Library/020475.pdf

Publication Outlines Culture-Building Strategies for Corrections
Building Culture Strategically: A Team Approach for Corrections presents a model designed to produce high-quality work, build collaboration and interdependence, create safer and more secure environments, and, ultimately, help correctional facilities move strategically toward a more positive culture that will improve the quality of life for both staff and offenders.
View it on the Web: http://nicic.org/Library/021749

More Drug Offenders Being Sentenced to Prison
The Bureau of Justice Statistics offers a Drugs & Crime Facts Web page, which summarizes the latest statistics about drug-related crimes, law enforcement, courts, and corrections in the United States. Updates on pretrial release, prosecution, and adjudication are available.
View it on the Web: http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/dcf/contents.htm

Training Available for Jail Inspectors
Jail Inspection Basics: An Introductory Self-Study Course for Jail Inspectors explains the roles and responsibilities of jail inspectors. Questions are asked at the end of each chapter that lead to answers from and discussion with inspectors' supervisors. The training companion guide, Jail Inspection Basics: Supervisors Guide, examines legal issues, standards, the inspection process, facility design, and communication.
View the self-study course: http://nicic.org/Library/022124;
View the supervisor's guide: http://nicic.org/Downloads/PDF/Library/022123.pdf

American Indian/Alaska Native

Pascua Yaqui VITA Center a Success

As its first season in operation drew to a close, the Pascua Yaqui Tribe Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) center in Tucson, AZ, reported success in helping tribal members file their taxes.

The Pascua Yaqui tribal community began participating in the VITA program last year when its tribal council authorized the tribe's development services department to apply for grant funds from CCDO to establish the center.

The tribe used this funding to train 16 volunteer tax preparers, all of whom were tribal members and employees. Volunteers learned to prepare basic tax returns using Taxwise software, and each devoted 40 hours to training before becoming certified tax preparers. CCDO grant funds provided four laptop computers and a printer for the center.

VITA volunteers assisted taxpayers during 23 scheduled sessions between February 8 and April 16. Scheduling and location selections were coordinated to give as many low-income tribal members as possible easy access to the center's free services. For example, 13 VITA sessions were held at the Pascua Yaqui tribal council chambers, 2 at the senior center, and 1 in the casino's conference room. On April 16, a final session was held at the tribe's housing maintenance conference room for those taxpayers suffering from "tax procrastination" or just "tax forgetfulness."

The laptops purchased for the center allowed volunteers to travel easily around the reservation and the Tucson metropolitan area—approximately 15 miles from the reservation—to prepare taxes. Volunteers also served tribal members in the cities of Marana—38 miles from the reservation—and Coolidge—78 miles from the reservation. "More than half of the returns were prepared at offsite locations, and the Pascua Yaqui Tribe taxpayers in these tribal communities seemed to be grateful that we had gone the extra miles to help them," said Frances Hosten, one of the Site Coordinators for the VITA program.

The tribe's Economic Development Department coordinated all aspects of the VITA center project and its marketing. To ensure that tribal members were aware of the service, the local radio station, KPYT, ran public service announcements to announce times and locations for tax preparation. The announcements also advised listeners about the items they should bring to the center. Promotional fliers were hand delivered to many households on the reservation and mailed to members in other areas.

Word of mouth, however, was the most effective tool for marketing the service. "The word even got out to our neighboring tribe, the Tohono O'Odham, and we had the pleasure of preparing several of their members' tax returns," said Letticia Baltazar, one of the Site Coordinators for the VITA program.

By the end of the tax season, the Pascua Yaqui Tribe's VITA center had helped 210 people prepare their tax returns, with 91 percent filed electronically and approximately $220,000 expected back in refunds. Add to this that VITA centers provide these services free of charge, and an additional $60,000 was saved by tribal members who had always paid to have their taxes prepared in the past. The average income of those assisted at the center was $25,000, and those who qualified were encouraged to claim the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and Child Tax Credit. Thirty-one percent of those assisted were the heads of single-parent families.

The Pascua Yaqui VITA center has changed the way many tribal members think about their taxes. Now they know that they do not have to pay high fees to have their taxes prepared or to take out loans to receive a quick refund. Members who previously paid for tax preparation made it clear that they will return to the tribe's VITA center next year.

"Our success would have not been possible without the help of our dedicated VITA volunteers," said Baltazar. Hosten agreed, adding, "We gained valuable experience and knowledge, and we look forward to next year's tax time to continue helping our tribal communities."

For more information, contact:
Len Goeller
Economic Development Manager
Pascua Yaqui Tribe
leonard.goeller@pascuayaqui-nsn.gov

NCAI Leads Meth Prevention Initiatives
By Kurt Lindblom, CCDO Consultant

The war against meth begins with prevention. The National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) has taken the lead in this area with its National Indian Country Tribal Meth Initiative Task Force. It exists to address all aspects of the meth crisis in Indian Country, but its most immediate results can be seen in the areas of awareness and prevention in the form of an anti-meth toolkit and a national prevention campaign.

Anti-Meth Toolkit

On June 11, NCAI unveiled the Indian Country Meth Toolkit—a self-guided, self-contained collection of resources designed to educate teachers, health officials, police, parents, or other community leaders about the impact of meth abuse in tribal communities. This interactive toolkit also shows them how to plan a response that is customized to meet their local needs. These resources were created specifically to be easy to adapt to the widest possible variety of Indian cultures. Among them are the following:

• Examples of tribal codes related to meth, including the Lummi Exclusion (banishment) Code, Navajo and Crow Meth Codes, and Yavapai-Apache Employee Drug Testing Policy.

• Anti-meth radio public service announcement.

• Small anti-meth print ads for local tribal papers.

• Educational materials.

• Youth items, including "no-meth" stickers, "no-meth" temporary tattoos, "not even once" jelly wrist bracelets, and "meth-free Crow" jelly wrist bracelets.

• Educational presentations, including Bureau of Indian Affairs' train-the-trainer PowerPoint presentation and the Indian Health Service's ( Aberdeen) meth video.

This toolkit was adapted from the Meth Prevention Education Planning Toolkit, which was developed for non-Indian communities by Dr. Mike Vogel of the Montana State University Extension, Meth Education, Training, and Help Center. According to Vogel, the original toolkit was designed around three principles that have carried through to the Indian Country-specific model: develop a consistent message that speaks to a wide variety of communities, format resources for a persistent message, and build partnerships. "We found that the toolkit's characteristics of education, outreach, and training were extremely successful," said Vogel.

The meth toolkit first proved its effectiveness in Indian Country when the Meth-Free Crow Nation Task Force learned of it during a summer conference in 2006 and adapted it for their presentations on community-based meth awareness. Members of the Crow Nation soon asked Vogel how the kit could be adapted to the unique problems of Indian Country.

According to Ada L. Bends, Cultural Substance Abuse Counselor, Apsaalooke Nation Housing Authority Crow Tribal Youth Program and Meth-Free Crow Nation Task Force–Montana, "This concept jump-started the whole movement for a more generic Native design to be presented to Indian Country."

Both Bends and Vogel credit NCAI's involvement for making this nationwide project possible. "NCAI is the real engine beneath this effort," said Vogel.

To develop the toolkit for a general American Indian audience, Vogel worked with NCAI and tribal leaders using an approach similar to that used to produce the original toolkit. The developers first sent out a national call for every resource and piece of information available, and then they conducted focus groups to determine which materials were really needed and how they would be used. "Instead of throwing things into a box," said Vogel, "we needed to concentrate on adaptability and customization."

Future plans include working with individual tribes to develop culture-specific material.

National Indian Country Anti-Meth Media Campaign

In November 2006, NCAI announced another anti-meth initiative: the National Indian Country Anti-Meth Media Campaign. This initiative is a partnership between NCAI and the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI), the Partnership for a Drug-Free America (PDFA), the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) to develop and launch a new public awareness campaign targeting methamphetamine abuse among Americans Indians. The coalition pledged a combined $300,000 in support of this effort. The initiative will mark the first national anti-meth media campaign tailored specifically to Indian Country.

The National Indian Country Tribal Meth Initiative Task Force is working with PDFA to finalize ongoing research to explore the most effective way to convey their message to tribal communities throughout the country. They will then craft anti-meth messages and educational materials specific to Indian Country and roll out the campaign using various media, as determined through market research. Initially, the campaign is expected to include Indian Country-specific radio and print advertisements. PDFA has created a number of anti-meth campaigns in the past and, working with ONDCP, has developed several anti-drug campaigns specifically targeting American Indians.

Of the $300,000 pledged by the coalition, DOI has pledged $100,000—$50,000 from the Office of Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs and $50,000 from the Bureau of Indian Affairs—ONDCP has pledged $150,000, and HHS has pledged $50,000 as a part of a larger HHS million-dollar Indian Country Methamphetamine Initiative.

For more information, contact:
Heather Dawn Thompson
Director, Governmental Affairs
National Congress of Indian Affairs
heatherdawn_thompson@ncai.org

Resources

Assessing the National Meth Threat
The National Methamphetamine Threat Assessment 2007 is a comprehensive assessment of the threat posed to the United States by the trafficking and abuse of methamphetamine. It presents strategic analysis of key national and regional trends and developments for producing and distributing methamphetamine.
View it on the Web: http://www.usdoj.gov/ndic/pubs21/21821/index.htm

Court-Related Support for Tribal Justice Systems
The Tribal Courts Assistance Program is one of the U.S. Department of Justice's primary initiatives for providing court-related support to tribal justice systems. The Tribal Courts Assistance Program Fact Sheet gives a history of the program, outlines its accomplishments, provides application information for future participants, and highlights past participants and award winners.
View it on the Web: http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/BJA/grant/TCAP_Fact_Sheet.pdf

Bulletin Summarizes Statistics About Jails in Indian Country
Jails in Indian Country, 2004, a bulletin from the Bureau of Justice Statistics, presents findings from the 2004 Survey of Jails in Indian Country, an enumeration of all 68 confinement facilities, detention centers, jails, and other facilities operated by tribal authorities or the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
View it on the Web: http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/abstract/jic04.htm

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