Otsego County is hoping to create a clearer pathway for those being released from jail with a new program aimed at smooth reentry and preventing reoffending.
Spearheaded by the Otsego County Sheriff’s Office Corrections Division and Friends of Recovery – Dedicated to Others, the Successful Transitions through Engagement and Partnerships program targets local reentry for the formerly incarcerated.
STEP is additionally a joint effort between organizations such as the county Department of Social Services, the county Probation Department, state Office of Addiction Services and Supports, the state Department of Labor, Opportunities for Otsego and other community service providers.
“The goal is to ensure individuals leaving custody have access to housing support, treatment services, employment resources, and other stabilization services,” said Sheriff Richard Devlin and Lt. Thomas Fellrath in a joint statement Tuesday, March 10.
Joe Poette, the Alternatives to Violence coordinator at Friends of Recovery in Oneonta and a certified peer recovery advocate, said Friday, March 13 he started visiting the county correctional facility about two years ago. He said he built a strong relationship with Fellrath, administrator at the jail.
Poette said he described some of the barriers people face after being released from corrections, including gaining identification and transportation access. Those conversations led to the formulation of a plan to better streamline the process.
“It can be overwhelming for someone being released,” Poette said.
The STEP program will rely largely on existing county resources and partnerships, such as OASAS treatment programs, Medicaid-funded services, county DSS assistance programs and workforce development programs through the Department of Labor.
It will focus mainly on pre-release discharge planning, where incarcerated individuals will be connected with partners ahead of their release, Devlin and Fellrath stated. DSS, for instance, would help to identify people eligible for public assistance or housing support, coordinate benefits reactivation or assist with Medicaid enrollment or reenrollment.
Poette added that it is important to be aware of the many “hurdles” individuals have to face after being released from incarceration. The collaboration of the organizations would hopefully provide a system that removes those hurdles, he said.
Certain things like getting a job may not happen right away, Poette said. It might take a few months for people in recovery to be ready to work. When he works with those in recovery, Poette added, the focus is not solely on their addiction. It also relates to their education, spirituality and relationships, among other critical elements of life. He said however, the program is for everybody in the county jail, not only for those battling addiction.
Everybody who was formerly incarcerated can face difficulties related to housing, jobs, food and mental health, Poette said.
“I think having everybody, all of the organizations, working on it together and being mindful of this and just taking away the barriers when they are released is going to cut down the recidivism greatly,” Poette said.
Some people are clean and sober after being released but relapse after becoming overwhelmed with figuring out where to find shelter or food, Poette said. That can sometimes cause people to reoffend and end up back in jail.
Poette said he and Fellrath were planning to visit Broome County Corrections to get a better idea of how its reentry program works. He said the goal is to get the Otsego County STEP program up and running by April 6.
This program would help “that entire community,” Poette said.
“There’s no better happiness for me than when I see somebody I’m working with a year down the line, six months down the line, I go to a restaurant, and they are there working in the restaurant,” Poette said. “They are there working in the store or the auto shop, seeing them successful with their family again and playing with their kids.”
He added that he is always “happy to see the progress” and the community groups coming together for the joint effort.
“Long-term, the program seeks to build a stronger network of county agencies and community partners working together to support individuals during one of the most critical points of the reentry process,” Devlin and Fellrath said.