John R. Hay House, Inc.



BOARD OF DIRECTORS/ADVISORY BOARD


Ø Mrs. Ladell McWhirter - President


Ø Rev. Jack McWhirter - Vice President


Ø Mr. Calvin Wright


Ø Dr. Charles L. "Chuck" Walsh, Ph.D., M.A., NCAC


Ø Ms. Tammy Rush


Ø Ms. Rhonda Johnson, CPA - FISCAL OFFICER/TREASURER


Ø Mrs. Elaine Miller


Ø Rev. Anthony Daniels


Ø Ms. Sue Phillips


Ø Ms. Linde Hanes, CPA


Ø Stephen M. Wallace - Public Defender


Ø H. Greeley Wells - District Attorney General


OUTSIDE AUDITOR:

Ø Kirk, Fortner, Smalley, Livesay & Assoc., PLLC


ACCOUNTANT:

Ø Marci G. Russum, CPA

Community Corrections’ Purpose in the System

Community Corrections Program


Community Corrections’ Purpose in the System

The Goals of Criminal Sanctions

Criminal sanctions are designed to fulfill one or more of the following philosophical goals: (1) deterrence, (2) rehabilitation, (3) incapacitation, (4) retribution, and (5) restitution. The purpose of deterrence is to make a punishment or the prospect of punishment unpleasant enough to prevent someone from committing a crime in the future. There are two types of deterrence: specific and general. Specific deterrence is designed to prevent the offender from committing future crimes. In order for specific deterrence to occur, no one need witness or be aware of the punishment except the offender. General deterrence rests on the belief that others who are aware of the punishment meted out to another offender will learn a lesson from that punishment and not commit similar acts. In order for general deterrence to be effective, people other than the offender must be aware of the punishment that comes with an offense. Well-publicized “get tough” measures and public shaming (such as being ordered to post a drunk-driving bumper sticker on a car) are attempts at general deterrence.


Rehabilitation aims at changing the offender’s behavior through intervention, assistance or treatment. Because all offenders are, or eventually will be, members of the community, correctional officials should do everything reasonably possible to prepare the offender for life in the community in order to reduce the likelihood of future criminal behavior. Rehabilitation is the historical trademark of community corrections. Group and individual counseling, medical and psychological assistance, substance-abuse treatment, educational programs, and vocational assistance are a few examples of rehabilitation methods.

In contrast, incapacitation does not aim to change the offender’s behavior. The rationale underlying incapacitation is “out of sight, out of mind.” Imprisonment is the purest form of incapacitation (aside from the death penalty) because offenders are locked away from society where they can pose little or no threat to public safety. Although by its very nature, community corrections does not act as a pure form of incapacitation, it does practice the aim of incapacitation to a certain degree. Some community-based sanctions, such as work release or residential centers, partially incapacitate an offender. One purpose of community corrections is to control the offender’s actions so that opportunities to commit crime will be reduced. Reporting requirements, curfews, electronic monitoring, and restriction of movement are ways that incapacitation is put into practice in community corrections.

Like incapacitation, retribution does not aim at changing the thinking of the offender. Sometimes referred to as just desserts, retribution is a form of vengeance or punishment. Retribution is imposed more for the satisfaction of the public than for the well-being of the offender. Many argue in favor of the death penalty based on retributive grounds. Imprisonment with no attempt to offer programs of assistance is also retributive. The fine, which is the most common criminal sanction and a common probation condition, is an example of a retributive sanction, as are stringent reporting requirements.

Restitution aims at restoring, to the greatest extent possible, the situation that existed before the crime was committed. This often is done by literally repaying the victim for his or her loss. Restitution is most commonly employed with property offenses, but it can be employed in certain types of violent offenses. In cases of rape or assault, restitution can be ordered for medical bills. In cases involving vandalism, the offender may be ordered to repair the damage inflicted. Community service work, which is free labor performed for a nonprofit or government agency, is sometimes referred to as “symbolic restitution.” A well-known drug offender may repay his or her “debt to society” by conducting anti-drug lectures at elementary schools. Convicted drunk drivers may repay their “debt” by collecting trash on the highway.


When examining these terms, it is common to mistakenly assume they are mutually exclusive or that there is no overlap. This is not always the case. Criminal sanctions can be both rehabilitative and retributive, serving both as a deterrent and as a form of incapacitation. Being forced to pay restitution, for example, can be retributive and rehabilitative and can serve as a deterrent. Which goal(s) a sanction fulfills depends on the offender. What may seem like harsh punishment to one person may not have the same effect on someone else. To someone who has never been arrested, one night in jail can be a nightmare. To a person who has spent a large portion of their juvenile and adult like in penal institutions, however, the threat of incarceration (while less than desirable) is not very frightening.

In a review of community corrections research in the United States, M. Kay Harris looked beyond the traditional, or dominant, rationales for sentencing and concluded that there are four broader orientations toward community-based sanctions:(1) structured sanctioning policy development, (2) effective correctional intervention, (3) restorative or community justice, and (4) risk control/limited risk management. These orientations simultaneously incorporate a number of dominant sentencing rationales into their framework.


Structured Sanctioning

The primary aim of structured sanctioning policy development is to promote equity and predictability in sentencing. This philosophy is embodied by the concept of structured sentencing, which incorporates deterrence and retribution into its framework. The primary outcome measure of structured sanctioning is the extent to which sentencing decisions conform to the sentencing guidelines set by commissions or boards. Those who work in such structures, including community corrections staff, must be well acquainted with how the guidelines are to be applied.

Correctional Intervention

The primary aim of the effective correctional intervention rationale is to reduce the occurrence of reoffending through risk management and effective treatment. The dominant penological philosophies incorporated are rehabilitation and specific deterrence. Effective correctional intervention embodies the traditional approach to community corrections supervision, which dates to the early history of American probation. Deciding the appropriate method of intervention for a specific offender is key in the correctional intervention framework. A “one size fits all” mentality is not appropriate. For example, the key to one offender’s not committing future crimes might be successful substance abuse intervention, while another’s might be vocational training or formal education.

Services

Moral Reconation Therapy GED Day Reporting Center

Moral Reconation Therapy
What it is and why use it.

Moral Reconation Therapy was one of the first comprehensive, systematic attempts to treat substance abusing offenders from a purely cognitive behavioral perspective. In 1985 formal MRT was developed by Dr. Greg Little and Dr. Ken Robinson by combining Smothermon's concepts with theories of moral development (Kohlbert), ego and identity development (Erikson), behavioral conditioning, Maslow's needs hierarchy, and Carl Jungs concepts.MRT is an objective, systematic treatment system designed to enhance ego, social, moral, and positive behavioral growth in a progressive, step-by-step fashion. MRT has 12 to 16 steps, depending on the treatment population. MRT attempts to change how drug abusers and alcoholics make decisions and judgments by raising moral reasoning from Kohlberg's perspective.Briefly, MRT seeks to move clients from hedonistic (pleasure vs. pain) reasoning levels to levels where concern for social rules and others become important. Research on MRT has shown that as clients pass steps, moral reasoning increases in adult drug and alcohol offenders (Little and Robinson 1989) and juvenile offenders (Perry, Boman, Douzenis, Kenney and Bolding 1992).MRT focuses systematically on basic treatment issues: 1) confrontation of beliefs, 2) attitudes and behaviors. 3) assessment of current relationships, 4) reinforcement of positive behavior and habits, 5) enhancement of self-concept, 6) decrease in hedonism, 7) development of frustration tolerance and development of higher stages of moral reasoning.All offenders who are placed in Hay House Program must attend MRT. Moral Reconation Therapy has a proven success rate.

GED

In a workplace rampant with technological advances, we find increasing demand for a skilled labor force in which a high school diploma/GED represents the minimal entry requirement. More and more employers require a high school diploma/GED as a fundamental criteria to qualify for work. Many adults who take the GED test are preparing to enter a community college or four-year university. In fact, each year approximately one out of 20 first-year college students has earned a GED diploma.The Day Reporting Center a John R. Hay House offers a number of programs to help individuals that have been placed on probation and community correction services. One of the programs we offer is the GED/Literacy classes. When a client is referred to the Day Reporting Center by their probation or case officer, they must complete an initial intake. After assessing the individual's high school records and reading level, the client is placed in GED/Literacy if he is without a high school diploma//GED and has a reading level below fourth grade.The GED/Literacy program has seen substantial success through GED completion's and the Steck-Vaughn sequential program for adults. This is a program that places the client in his/her reading level and helps the person progress through different levels of workbooks and exercises. The Hooked on Phonics Game is also used as a learning tool for beginning readers. The GED program has seen wonderful success with the use of the Official GED Practice Test and a six-month curriculum. The curriculum consists of rules in grammar and writing skills, social studies, the sciences, literature and arts, and mathematics skills.The GED program has approximately 40 clients enrolled. The turnover rate of completion's and new enrollment maintains this number between 40 and 50 clients. The fiscal year of 1999-2000 saw 64 successful GED completions. This is an average of about five clients per month. We have currently implemented a graduation ceremony in which we present the clients with their certificates of completion. This has been a success, with new ideas being presented each month.Nation-wide, nearly 860,000 adults participated in the GED testing program in 1999. This was almost 37,000 more than in 1998, a 4.5% increase. Of those adults taking the test, 750,714 completed the GED test battery, also a 4.5% increase. The number exceeds all previous counts in the program's 57-year history, except 1996, when 758,570 adults completed the test prior to the introduction of the 1997 higher passing standard.Compared with the rest of the nation, Tennessee ranks 12th with the GED test battery completions and credentials issued in 1999. Tennessee saw 20,255 individuals complete the test battery, 13,391 met the score requirements and 13,510 were issued credentials. This was a 2.6% increase compared to 1998 credentials issued. Texas has the most with 48,410 credentials issued and rose 2.8% compared to 1998.In conclusion, the past decade has witnessed unprecedented changes in welfare-to-work laws. Since President Clinton and Congress replaced the New Deal era welfare system with state-run programs featuring work rules and time limits, welfare rolls have dropped 45%. Today fewer than 6.6 million people remain on welfare. However, those that remain are often without high school credentials. Ohio Representative, Tom Sawyer, stated, " If America is to remain competitive, every American must be employable".

Day Reporting Center

Our aim is to meet the goals of the Tennessee Community Corrections Act of 1985. As you know, the Act was designed to retain prison space for dangerous offenders and to provide rehabilitation for felony offenders who have committed less serious crimes. The treatment of these offenders is to be Community based services mandated by the Act and include: 1. Diagnostic Evaluation. 2. Behavior Contract, 3. Visctim Restitution, 4. Community Service, 5. Close Supervision, 6. Educational Assessment, 7. Vocational Assessment and, 8. Alcohol and Drug Assessment.It should be noted that the following battery of tests may be used for the diagnostic evaluation: 1. Clinical Interview, 2. Personality Inventory Assessment (PIA), 3. Substance Abuse Subtle Screening Inventory (SASSI), and 4. Other tests as needed.The Behavior Contract states the set of rules each Offender must live by should he choose our program. Our rules are required as we are a punitive program. Victim restitution, community service, close supervision and treatment are all integral parts of the Hay House programs.The addition of the Day Reporting Center allows us to provide treatment and security alternatives to the Sullivan County Court and Probation Department of Sullivan County The Day Reporting Center is open Monday - Thursday, 1pm to 10pm and Friday 8am to 4pm.The DRC provides the following services to its Offenders: 1. Diagnostic Evaluation, 2. Behavior Contract, 3. Close Supervision, 4. Educational Assessment and Services, 6. Mental Health Assessment and Services, 7. Substance Adbuse Assessment and Services.We at Hay House had known for some time that while our programs are successful, Offenders' needs had to be met on a larger scale. By utilizing the Day Reporting Center concept, we are able to provide much more needed assestance to our Offenders..

Our Mission and Motivation

Our Mission
The John R. Hay House, Inc. is a non-profit corporation, founded on Christian principles, whose mission is to assist qualified convicted offenders in developing the skills and sense of responsibility needed to be productive members of society, while providing for a safe and secure community.It is the philosophy of Hay House Inc. that criminal behavior is a learned trait and therefore those individuals who want to change their lives can be helped to do so.It is our intent to provide cost efficient and effective treatment to our clients and to provide for a safe and secure community.

Our Motivation
In the late 1970's, two lawsuits were filed by Tennessee inmates challenging the constitutionality of the prison system. These lawsuits were finally resolved in 1982 with a Federal Court Order requiring Tennessee to reduce the population of the prisons. A further order in 1983 put a halt to intakes and admissions until the inmate population was reduced to 7,044 or fewer prisoners. As a result, local jails began to get backed up with state prisoners and they became overcrowded as well. In 1989 the county jails became involved in similar lawsuits and were ordered by the Eastern District Federal Court to remedy the situation.The governor of Tennessee initiated two specific actions to alleviate the problem of overcrowding. One was to allocate five million dollars to fund a number of demonstration projects in community alternative to incarceration and the other was to form the Corrections Overcrowding Commission to develop legislation on community alternatives to prisons.In December of 1985 the Tennessee Community Corrections Act was passed and a portion of the demonstration project money was designated for Sullivan County. The Hay House Program was designed to be a community-managed correction program and not just another community-based program, such as probation and parole. The main difference between the two programs is that community-managed programs are for offenders who would otherwise be in prison due to the fact that the nature of their offense or their numerous past convictions prohibited them from placement on probation. also Lauren (1998) relates that community-managed corrections includes human services to be offered in non-institutional settings.Even though the establishment of community corrections programs aided in relieving overcrowding conditions, the problem is far from being solved due to the escalating rise in crime. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics National Update (1993) the number of state prisoners across America was 778,569, a 3.4% increase from January 1992. The John R. Hay House, Inc. has endeavored to supervise offenders according to state and local policies as well as to provide treatment for whatever problems or difficulties they may be experiencing.Since the John R. Hay House acquired its first offender in January of 1981, there have been numerous changes, both in the referral population and the specialized treatment needs of the offenders.Due to the vast number of cuts in mental health funding, many more people with significant psychological problems are ending p in the correctional system and, ultimately, being referred to Hay House, in order to obtain mental health treatment. While Hay House staff had received adequate training regarding treatment issues, much of their time was spent supervising offenders and keeping up with the required paperwork. Case managers made appropriate referrals whenever necessary to local agencies such as mental health centers, substance abuse centers, and GED classes. Unfortunately, many times offenders were placed on long waiting lists at local mental health centers. In addition, offenders were reluctant to deal with yet another social service agency and often would get "lost" between the Hay House program and wherever they had been referred. It was obvious that adjustments in the program would be necessary if Hay House continued to divert people from prison on a long term basis. The intensive, in-house treatment offered by Hay House, and the four components of the Day Reporting Center continue to meet the needs of each individual offender and therefore reduce the probability of recidivism as well as help them lead healthier, happier lives.It is realistic to assume that many client needs out-weigh the ability of our staff to aid them, chronically disabled and chronically mentally ill clients are not appropriate candidates for this program due to the gravity of their special needs.

History of John R. Hay House
Hay House, Inc. was founded in 1981 and was named after Mr. John R. Hay, a Presbyterian layman active in jail ministries. Hay house was founded because there was a need for a halfway house in Upper East Tennessee that was not being met. Today, Hay House is the only Residential Facility in East Tennessee for Community Corrections Offenders, Probationers and Parolees. Hay house has grown into a successful Residential Treatment program and is well respected by the area Criminal Courts and the Tennessee Department of Probation and Parole. since 1981 Hay House has served numerous convicted felons, not only in the Second Judicial District of Sullivan County, but all over Upper East Tennessee. Over the years, Hay House has had an approximate 70 percent success rate. Funding for this program comes from area United Ways and local churches, civic clubs and the Tennessee Department of Probation and Parole.On October 1, 1989, Hay House was awarded a grant by the Tennessee Department of Correction under the Tennessee Community Correction Act. This grant funds a residential Treatment Program and a Day Reporting Center that is completely separate and different from the housing facility for Probationers and Parolees. The Tennessee Department of Corrections referred to Hay House as a "model" residential program for the State of Tennessee.Community Correction Offenders are housed in a separate building from that of the Probationers and Parolees, and are under intensive supervision and rigid treatment programs. The Community Correction Offenders may not leave the premises without permission, and then only for work, community service, evaluation/treatment and /or destinations required by staff or court order. Community Correction money cannot be used in any way to fund the probation/parole program. Detailed accounting records are maintained to insure proper accountability to the State of Tennessee and United Way Agencies.Hay House serves the Second Judicial District (Sullivan County) in providing Residential Treatment and intensive supervision to those Offenders who receive Alternative Sentencing in lieu of prison.Admission to the Hay House Community Corrections Programs may be granted provided that the Offender meets the criteria of the Tennessee Community Corrections Act of 1985.The Hay House Program is very strict and demanding. It is not a welfare program. It is a Residential Treatment Program. At intake each Offender is evaluated in regard to his capacity and special needs. A treatment plan is prepared by the Offenders' Case Officer who supervises the Offender in his/her treatment. All Offenders are required to work the minimum of eight hours per week community services. If the Offender is not gainfully employed, he/she is required to work community service daily with time off for job search. Hay House Offenders pay fines, court costs, and victim restitution as well as providing financial support for their families. Since our Offenders work, they pay taxes. In contrast, an individual sent to prison cannot work (pay taxes), provide family support, pay court costs, fines or victim restitution.The Hay House is geared to meet the special needs of the Offender. As stated earlier, a treatment plan is developed for each Offender. This plan may include, but is not limited to: 1. Job Placement, 2. Educational Assistance (GED, other), 3. Outpatient Mental Health counseling., 4.Substance Abuse Treatment (Alcohol and Drug)., 5. Family reconciliation., 6. Basic living skills., 7. Other as needed or required by court order.