NMI braces for new way of running a correction facility

In what could be the beginning of an overhaul of the CNMI’s criminal justice system, a five-day Therapeutic Community Multi-Disciplinary Training was held and attended by representatives from different government agencies which introduced them to an innovative way of operating a correction facility.

The seminar was conducted to prepare the people who will run the 12-bed space RSAT facility which will be opened in the middle part of this year. It will become part of the Therapeutic Community Program for the inmates who will be locked in the facility for 12 months to undergo rehabilitation and training.

Funded by the Corrections Program Office of U.S. Department of Justice, some 36 participants patiently sat in the training handled by Marty Labarbera, criminal justice consultant with the Correction Research Institute, Kansas City, Texas, and Lorraine Robinson, director at TJ Mahony & Associates in Hawaii.

In the past few years, many areas in the United States and its territories have deviated from the traditional way of running prisons after officials were faced with the high rate of recidivism.

About 70 percent of those people who goes to prison in the mainland comes back within the three-year period. This resulted in the construction of more prison facilities as Texas alone at one point has 30,000 people incarcerated in country or city jails plus a great number of backlogs.

Likewise, Hawaii has experienced an increasing number of women prisoners with only one inmate in 1972 to a high of 500 now.

But why spend so much time adopting a new model of running a corrections facility? Why can’t the CNMI government just adopt the traditional system?

“I firmly believe that society must still be responsible for those who have been incarcerated. If we don’t share the responsibility, then the cost of the consequences of such action will be far more costly and burdensome to the people, ” said Rep. Heinz Hofschneider.

Mr. Hofschneider, chair of the Prison Task Force, has expressed concern that the 344-bed prison facility soon to be constructed may be easily filled up if the community will not make any collective effort to change the criminal justice system.

With only 85 inmates now held by the Division of Corrections, the number of people going to prison could still be reduced if the CNMI government would operate an effective alcohol and drug free treatment.

But there is a big possibility that the CNMI could fall into the same trap as the other areas in the United States and its territories which have continuously constructed corrections facility to cope with the growing number of people going to jail.

Texas, which has the largest facility with 5,600 beds in 15 different prisons, combined its own state funds with the federal funds to operate a therapeutic community treatment, a far cry from the traditional treatment models, according to Mr. Labarbera.

“We focus on teaching substance abuse and offenders the values and principles of healthy and mature living. We teach them how to be responsible citizens,” said Mr. Labarbera.
Virginia has the largest single institution with 1,000 beds that operates a treatment prison using the therapeutic community model.

In Hawaii, the women participants in the program are made to take responsibility for their behavior and attitude in a way that allows them to make changes that are meaningful for them, said Ms. Robinson.

Various researches have shown that creating a strong after care system in the community for people who leave prison creates a very strong positive effect.

Despite reluctance among members of the community, the program for inmates in Hawaii was brought in the residential area. After some time, Ms. Robinson said the program has been very successful in showing to the people that the inmates are very responsible members of the neighborhood as they carry out various responsibilities every week such as cleaning the park or patrolling the community. identifying abandoned cars or properties.