Filling in the Gaps: Taking Stock of Available Programs

• In Event: Lessons from the Field: Implementing the RNR Simulation Tool from the Community to Prison

Abstract

Hidalgo County Probation Department (HCAP) supervises nearly 10,000 individuals with a staff of 143 supervising probation officers. In the past five years, HCAP has built onto their evidence-based supervision strategies through implementation of the Risk-Need-Responsivity (RNR) Simulation Tool. HCAP offers a variety of programs and services in-house. Using the Program Tool for Adults, HCAP has been able to take stock of the programs they currently offer their probationers and identify recommendations for improvement. They have been able to assess and re-asses the programs, including specialized courts, available to probationers. The ability to assess the quality of current programming and identify treatment needs specific to the Hidalgo County probation population will drive future administrative and fiscal decisions to target treatment needs of their probationers. In this presentation, the changes in programming initial assessments and re-assessments will be discussed. Additionally, the lessons learned relevant to using information from Program Tool to inform administrative and fiscal decisions will be discussed.

Authors

• Arnold Patrick, Hidalgo County CSCD

• Faustino Lopez, Hidalgo County Community Supervision & Corrections Department