The Public Safety Stakeholder

Thank you for signing up for the DPSCS e-newsletter. Each month we will feature stories that fall under our public safety initiatives - Keeping Communities Safe, Believing in Human Capital and Public Safey Works. You will also find recent news articles highlighting DPSCS, as well as special recognitions and announcements. Please forward this on to your collegues and others who may not have signed up for this informative publication! Thank you again for your interest in Maryland's Public Safety.

DPSCS Work Crews Planting 140,000 Trees on Wye Island NRMA

This Month's Featured Stories:

DPSCS Creates Domestic Violence Tracking Marker for Criminal Records

Correctional Industries Reentry Program to Graduate 100th Student

DPSCS Halfway to One Million Tree Goal

keeping communities safe

Creative IT Solution For Tracking Domestic Violence

The Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services (DPSCS), and specifically CIO Ron Brothers, has been praised for outstanding efforts to improve the collection of data related to domestic violence cases in Maryland. For years, advocates have struggled with the ability to collect domestic violence statistics. It has been impossible to track the number of criminal cases involving domestic violence because there is no specific crime, in Maryland, of domestic assault. Domestic violence can take the form of almost any criminal act. Continued here

believing in human capital

Maryland Correctional Enterprises CARES Program Gives Offenders Vital Reentry Skills

On a daily basis Maryland Correctional Enterprises (MCE), the industry arm of the state Division of Correction, supplies a monthly average of more than 2,000 offenders with employment opportunities and basic, as well as technical, job skills to improve their chances of finding meaningful employment upon release. Workers learn trades that range from graphics to furniture construction in more than 30 different business units whose operations mirror those of the private sector.

Until the implementation of MCE's Continuing Allocation of Reentry Services (CARES) program however, there was a gap in efforts to connect those moved to pre-release facilities with the workforce. Now in operation for nearly two years, CARES is nearing a landmark 100th graduate. Continued here

public safety works

Spring Blitz Brings DPSCS Total To Over 620,000 Trees Planted By Inmate Public Works Crews

This spring, in conjunction with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources and the State Highway Administration, the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services' (DPSCS) inmate public works crews are in the process of planting more than 400,000 seedlings in all corners of the state. As part of Governor O'Malley's Smart, Green and Growing initiative, DPSCS is aiming to put One Million trees in the ground to not only improve Maryland's sustainability, but to give offenders job skills that can be used for future employment. Continued here

Return to Top

Creative IT Solution For Tracking Domestic Violence continuted

Mr. Brothers represents the Department on the Family Violence Council's Data Collection sub committee where he used his technology expertise to develop an effective means of identifying crimes as domestic violence using Network Livescan, the software program that is used for booking criminal offenders. ITCD created a prompt, consisting of a domestic related event code, that the booking officer can select if a charge is domestic violence related. The code will not show up on the defendant's record, or go into the FBI database, but it will provide real-time data on domestic related on-view arrests. It is a simple way for Maryland to track the scope of domestic related arrests.

Having the ability to categorize crimes as domestic violence related will allow Maryland to quantify the number of domestic violence crimes committed, will assist the Family Violence Council in identifying trends associated with domestic violence and will finally give the State the ability to assess the extent of domestic violence in the State.

Advocates have expressed appreciation for the Department's efforts, and for Mr. Brothers work. Jeanne Yeager, Executive Director of the Mid-Shore Council on Family Violence, said "In these difficult budgetary times, it is too often the case that problems are met with the notion that 'we can't afford the solution. Mr. Brothers refuses to think that way. He has a 'CAN DO' approach that, in this case, resulted in a low cost, creative, solution that will solve a chronic systemic problem."

The Department continues to work closely with the Family Violence Council and the Governor's Office of Crime Control and Prevention on issues relating to implementation and training, as well as data analysis. The flag is being piloted this month, in anticipation of broadening its use statewide. Return to story intro

Return to Top

Maryland Correctional Enterprises CARES Program Gives Offenders Vital Reentry Skills continuted

Studies have shown that offenders with at least one year of MCE employment are over 50% less likely to recidivate than general population inmates. CARES extends the employability of these offenders through their final years in the correctional system, resulting in a smooth transition into the workforce upon release to hopefully even further reduce the recidivism rate. When bringing CARES onboard, MCE also took the opportunity to create a reentry liaison position that reaches out to these and other inmate employees to help them make connections to employers, One Stop Career Centers and other community resources such as housing in the counties where they will live upon release.

To date, 89 graduates have completed the comprehensive reentry program, with another 18 in the current class. Participants work in the Central Laundry Plant at the Central Maryland Correctional Facility in Sykesville, while taking cognitive decision making and employment readiness classes.

With the 100th graduate, MCE will also begin a systematic follow-up on participants as they return to society, to evaluate their effectiveness in gaining and maintaining employment. Return to story intro

Return to Top

Spring Blitz Brings DPSCS Total To Over 620,000 Trees Planted By Inmate Public Works Crews continuted

Community-based projectshelp rehabilitate offenders nearing their release by providing the opportunity to learn new employment skills, and creating connections back to the community. DPSCS has on average over 400 pre-release offenders on any given day involved in public works projects across Maryland.

The impressive spring blitz will bring to more than 622,000 the total number of trees planted since the initiative kicked off on Arbor Day in 2008. Trees have been planted in 20 Maryland counties and Baltimore City, beautifying parks and roadways. The multi-agency partnership utilizes available resources more effectively, while also accomplishing a greater outcome than each could alone.

The effort is part of a larger Marylanders Plant Trees initiative which aims to involve every citizen in the important task of enhancing the sustainability of Maryland by planting a tree. In cooperation with participating nurseries, the program continues to offer $25 coupons toward the purchase of native trees costing $50 or more, redeemable at nearly 70 nurseries across the State. Governor O'Malley and DNR encourage Marylanders to register every tree they plant. Return to story intro