RNR in the Community: Hidalgo County, Texas Community Supervision and Corrections Department

• In Event: A Tool for All Settings? Applying RNR in Prison, Jail/Reentry, and Community Supervision

Abstract

The sixth largest probation agency in Texas, the Hidalgo County Community Supervision and Corrections Department (CSCD) provides supervision to over 14,000 probationers in Hidalgo County. CSCD began implementation of the RNR Simulation Tool in 2014. CSCD officers use the Assess an Individual (AAI) tool in conjunction with their risk-needs assessment tool to determine the most effective type of programming and controls for individual probationers. The AAI tool provides officers with individualized output for each probationer to guide the case planning process, including recommendations for programming to target each probationer’s specific criminogenic needs with programming available in Hidalgo County. CSCD also used the RNR Program Tool, an online assessment of program content and quality, to survey ten programs, including four specialized courts, available for probationers.CSCD is assessing how to modify the current programming it offers to provide better treatment for justice-involved individuals, while also assessing how to supplement it with additional programming identified through the RNR Program Tool as needed. The capability to assess the effectiveness of current programming and identify treatment needs specific to the Hidalgo County offender population will drive future administrative and fiscal decisions to target treatment needs of probationers under supervision in Hidalgo County.

Author

• Faustino Lopez, Hidalgo County Community Supervision and Corrections Department