Proposal and "Call for Professionals"

Executive Summary

Introduction to the Proposal

We would like to gather other members with a passion to serve in a Faith-Based Pilot Program, that to our knowledge, has never been tried before.

Our Government has proposed to spend $3 billion dollars to build another prison, and spend over $16K per person per year in caretaking. Instead of a prison, we would like to petition the government to use the money to build a secured TOWN instead. In this way, instead of focusing on punishment, our focus could be on education.

Current Problems to be Resolved

The reasons for a TOWN, rather than a prison, include the following:

1. Current prisons are full/overcrowded beyond capacity.
2. Current recidivism rate is over two-thirds.
3. Current prisons are not rehabilitating the inmates.
4. Current prisons don't have addiction recovery clinics/programs that work.
5. Current prisons don't have reasonable Reentry Programs that work.
6. Current reintegration programs put ex-offenders right back into the same peer group, and neighborhoods, who support the resumption of criminal behavior and subsequent recidivism.
7. Current reintegration programs support ex-offenders going back to families, even when the family may be dysfunctional and/or supporting of criminal behaviors.
8. The chances of a higher education are nil.
9. Case Managers, Parole/Probation Officers have no personal interest in the ex-offender's success at becoming a good and productive citizen.
10. There are no, or few, Reentry Courts.

Product Proposal

Architecture

We will need to build a trinity of businesses that will work together:

• A Corporation and Land Trust
• A 501c3 Non-Profit Social Services Organization
• An Intranet Company (Roles and Responsibilities for each business are listed below)

NOTE: Please note the A in Intranet. Inmates will not have access to the Internet.

Configurations

All Corporate Board Members, Social Service Providers, and Intranet Members should be Christians in good standing (Galatians 6:1,2 Brethren, if a man be overcome in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such a one in the spirit of meekness). A sense of uniformity and consistency throughout the town would not only be healthy emotionally, but also spiritually, for our clients, our volunteers and our employees.

Features and Benefits

Resolving the problems listed above:

1. The government funds would be used to purchase a section (640 acres) of land (with 5 more sections held in a land trust), and build a town that can grow and contract along with our residents, solving the prison overcrowding problem.
2. Since our town will have a Trade Tech and University, our clients will be provided with an Higher Education, improving self esteem and the chances of a good career, thus the recidivism rate would drop dramatically.
3. Since the town's main objective would be long-term rehabilitation, our 12-step Christian Rehab Program would resolve many human and spiritual problems.
4. Our town's Addiction Recovery Clinic would be a long-term program coupled with an aftercare program.
5. Our extensive Reentry Aftercare Mentoring Program would include helping to secure identification, housing, continued Higher Education, Discipling, and Career.
6. Inmate's readiness for reintegration will be judged by Christian standards, and Christian Case Managers will more closely oversee linkages to support services, family, friends, work, and further education, keeping the ex-offender from resumption of criminal behavior.
7. Our Case Managers will assess family behavior, and will support a move to a better town or neighborhood, along with group family therapy before the ex-offender is released back into their care. Other arrangements for living quarters can also be made instead of going back to a caustic or dysfunctional family.
8. Grants and/or scholarships, and work will be given to help with higher education and dorm/living expenses.
9. To help resolve the parole violations and revocations problem, our Case Managers, Parole/Probation Officers are hand picked Christians who have a personal interest in the ex-offender's success at becoming a good and productive citizen.
10. The installation of a Reentry Court/s --- See Appendix One

We would not only be resolving current prison problems, but we would be releasing productive citizens who know the Lord. We would be literally LOVING our clients and their families to health and normalcy.


Proposal Startup Program
Deployment of this Mission

Weekly ads in Sunday Church Bulletins and emailed newsletters would be needed for a "Call to Mission," along with weekly ads in the Special Needs sections of Prayer Sheets. These ads would digress to monthly, and then to only "as needed." Monthly advertising in Christian magazines would be placed. A room in a Church Administration Bldg would be needed for our meetings, and our "Prison Town Mission" would need to be included in the "Missions" section of a Church Website.

Integration

This will be accomplished in Phases. The first being: to build a viable Business Plan. Second Phase would be to form Committees for:

• Integration
• Maintenance and Support
• Methodologies
• Risk Mitigation
• Quality Assurance
• Pricing
• Subcontracting
• Milestones/Deliveries
• Prayer
• and more...

The last Phase would be to submit our Business Plan and Contracts to our State government for approval. Then wait and pray. This takes time.

If approved, we follow our own Business Plan, and start building our town as soon as money is received.

If not approved, then we need to find out WHY not. We can submit a revised Business Plan and Contract at a later date. However, certain items should NOT be revised, or the program will not work (ie: this NEEDS to be faith-based!)

Maintenance and Support

Our Maintenance and Support Committee will be in charge of Forming the Corporation. The Corporation will be the "Business" end our our Leadership. It will be contracting the government funds to construct a town (everything from the barber shop and grocery store, to a large clinic, Trade Tech, University, and Courthouse) (approx $3 billion) and will do the billing for the yearly costs of maintaining our clientele (approx $10k per year per client). This Committee will also be the "Fund Raisers." Corporate Investments and the town businesses owned will produce a profit for the Corporation, who in turn will provide scholarships for the town's University, and fund both the Social Services Organization and the Intranet Company.

Methodologies

Our Methodology Committee will provide us with outside professional business and corporate owners with the knowledge of and to speak about: how to go about contacting and capturing government contracts, construction of a town that is eco-friendly, and costs of building: a University, a church with Bible classrooms, a clinic, etc. An extensive Business Plan, Proposal and Contracts will be built from this new knowledge, to be presented to our government.

Risk Mitigation

Our Risk Mitigation Committee will be involved in:

1. Our greatest risk concern is escape: A knowledgeable/professional company in containment and monitoring will be hired to discuss a wall topped with electronic fencing, completely surrounding the section. A variety of personal monitoring devices will also be discussed.

2. Secondary risk: Concern about the formation of gangs and fighting. Hopefully, our extensive long-term rehabilitation programs, therapy, educational courses, discipling, and work programs will fill their time with activities that will not allow for gang formation. Anger Management and Self-Discipline Courses, will be mandatory for each of our clients upon arrival.

Quality Assurance

A Quality Assurance Committee will be formed, and come up with a plan to ensure outcome-based quality, in all our activities, from construction and ecology, to education, discipling, careers, and reintegration programs.


Management Plan

Organization

Individual Committees will meet every week to get things rolling. Committee Heads will meet monthly to be sure no plans conflict. In the town, the Intranet, pagers, CB's and cell phones will support our lines of communication. Town Staffing will include everyone from the barber and cook, to the Pastor and Corporate Board Members.

Roles and Responsibilities

1. The Corporation: Lawyers, Accountants, and Board Members each with business knowledge of funding and investing, will be making the major decisions.
2. The 501c3 Social Services Organization: Will make arrangements for shelter, food, clothing, education, Christian mentoring, recreation, therapy, and work load. [Isaiah 58:7]
3. The Intranet Company: Handles all the databases: time-keeping, invoicing, payment terms, tracking billable hours, preparing and delivering invoices, taxes, what terms will apply to payments, and more. The Intranet Company will work hand-in-hand with our Corporate Accountant.

Subcontracting Plan

Our Subcontracting Committee will be in charge of:

• Architects: To design an eco-friendly and safe town.
• Construction Companies: To build the town.
• Psychotherapists: For rehabilitation and self-esteem building.
• Gen Practitioners: To ensure good health.
• Specialized Doctors and Nurses: For dental, hearing and eye care.
• Cooks: To guarantee nutritious quality food.
• Security: Control.
• Professors: Education.
• Water and Power Company: Utilities.
• AT&T: a Central Office supporting an Intranet and a variety of communication systems (ie: desk and cell phones, CB's, pagers, radio station, TV station, intercoms, computers, more).
• Others that have not been thought of at this time.

Milestones and Deliveries

Our Milestones/Deliveries Committee will be in charge of making sure that our Recidivism numbers stay as low as possible, with a yearly goal of 5%.


Relevant Corporate Experience

Summaries

Since this is a Pilot Program, never tried before, we will gain this experience in the Members who have a passion to join this Mission.

References/testimonials

Our Corporate and Committee Heads would be turning these in.


Staffing
Methodologies

Our Methodology Committee will decide on:

• Salaries, Benefits and Vacation time of town employees.
• Public and Church Announcements in newspapers, church bulletins, magazines and on the Internet.
• Resumes will be read.
• Interviews will be given.
• Investigations will be made.
• Employees will be chosen with the approval of the Board.

Other Factors for Consideration

Assumptions
Our Pricing Committee will decide on what to charge for the cost of building a town, it's maintenance, and caring/education of each inmate both on site and after-release mentoring. This should be lower than what the state has proposed, saving taxpayer's money.
Additional Options
An attachment will be made by the Committees at a later date.
Future Considerations
Future considerations would be our country's citizen safety. Our main Mission is to release physically, emotionally, and spiritually healthy, wholesome, productive and happy citizens that know the Lord.
Additional Capabilities
Our town would be designed in such a manner as to allow for both expansion and contraction. As our Nation's population grows, so will our town. Also, there will be times when crime goes down, and so will our town's population. If the Lord calls us, and we need to build a second town on the West Coast, we may do so.
Name Suggestions:
The Town - Grace Towne
Corporation - Gracetowne Corporation & Land Trust [pronounced "grace'-ton"]
Social Services - Grace Towne Social Services Non-Profit Organization
Intranet - Grace Towne Intranet Company


Other
Pricing Methodology
An appendix by our Pricing Committee will become available.
PricingSee just above
Timekeeping, Invoicing, and Payment TermsAll of this will be handled by our Intranet Company, who will be keeping our databases. See above.

Legal and Contractual Requirements/Terms
Our Corporate Lawyers will be in charge of all Legal and Contractual Requirements and Terms.
Contact Information
Miriam Anne Gaddis
gracetowne@prodigy.net

Appendix One
The core elements of our Reentry Court will be the following:
Assessment and Planning:It is envisioned that our correctional administrators, ideally with our reentry judge, will meet with inmates prior to release to explain the reentry process. Our corrections agency and/or our parole agency, working in consultation with our reentry court, would identify those inmates to be released under the auspices of the reentry court to assess the inmates’ needs upon release and begin building linkages to a constellation of social services, family counseling, health and mental health services, housing, job training, and work opportunities that would support successful reintegration.
Active Oversight:The reentry court would see prisoners released into the ommunity with a degree of frequency (once a month) beginning right after release and continuing until the end of parole (or other form of supervision). It is critical that the judge see offenders who are making progress as well as those who have failed to perform. The judge would also actively engage the parole officer or other supervising authority and the community policing officer responsible for the parolee’s neighborhood in assessing progress. In the drug court experience, acknowledgment of the successful achievement of milestones by participants provides encouragement to others who observe them.
Management of Supportive Services:
Our reentry court will have at its disposal a broad array of supportive resources, including substance abuse treatment services, job training programs, private employers, faith institutions, family members, housing services, and community organizations. These support systems would be marshaled by the court, drawing upon existing community resources where possible. At the core, the court would again actively engage the parole officer or other supervising authority, as well as the community policing officer responsible for the parolee’s neighborhood. In the drug court experience, judges and others have become very effective service brokers and advocates on behalf of participants. An important lesson from the drug court experience is that this brokerage function requires the development of a case management function accountable to the court. To be successful, a reentry court would have to develop a similar case management capacity.
Accountability to Community:
A jurisdiction might consider creating a citizen advisory board to work with the reentry court to develop both community service and support opportunities, as well as accountability mechanisms for successful reentry of released inmates. Accountability mechanisms might include ongoing restitution orders and participation in victim impact panels. It may also be appropriate to involve the crime victims and victims’ organizations as part of the reentry process. The advisory board should broadly represent the community. Other mechanisms for drawing upon diverse community perspectives should also be considered.
Graduated and Parsimonious Sanctions:
The reentry court would establish and articulate a predetermined range of sanctions for violations of the conditions of release. These would not automatically require return to prison; in fact, this would be reserved for new crimes or egregious violations. As with drug courts, it would be important for the reentry court to arrange for an array of relatively low-level sanctions that could be swiftly, predictably, and universally applied. Jurisdictions interested in piloting a reentry court must clearly outline how graduated sanctions would be imposed, and the array of sanctions that would be used.
Rewards for Success:The reentry court also would need to incorporate positive judicial reinforcement--rewarding success, perhaps by negotiating early release from parole after established goals are achieved, or by conducting graduation ceremonies akin to those seen in drug courts. The successful completion of parole should be seen as an important life event for an offender, and the court can help acknowledge that accomplishment. Courts provide powerful public forums for encouraging positive behavior and for acknowledging the individual effort in achieving reentry goals. Jurisdictions are required to outline milestones in the reentry process that would trigger recognition and an appropriate reward. With these building blocks in mind, a reentry court can take many forms. In one possible formulation, a reentry court could be case-defined: A sentencing judge could retain jurisdiction over that portion of the sentence served while on parole, handling in essence a reentry docket on his or her calendar. If a jurisdiction allows for split sentences (the first portion served in jail or prison, the remainder on probation or parole), this approach is quite natural--the same judge would see the offender again at the back end of the sentence (some drug courts currently utilize split sentences with jail terms followed by probation terms). Alternatively, a reentry court could be established as a stand-alone court. The court would maintain an exclusive docket of reentry cases and develop a specialty in the dynamics of successful reentry. Under this formulation, the reentry “judge” might be a retired judge, a magistrate, an administrative judge, or another judicial officer. In either model, it is expected that the judge would actively engage correctional administrators overseeing the period of imprisonment preceding release. The formulations that are possible will depend on the statutory framework in each jurisdiction; caseload considerations; administrative flexibility; levels of collaboration among the judiciary, corrections departments, parole and community policing agencies, and the business community; as well as other factors.

--- This appendix was authored by the National Institute of Justice