Accountability has become associated with punitive measures, yet accountability plays an important role in achieving success and reaching goals for everyone from business executives and professional athletes to students and individuals in substance abuse treatment. Accountability is hand in hand with restorative and rehabilitative justice, and ensures that the participant follows through with each step of the program, and appreciates the seriousness of the consequences of their actions.
Research and studies of programs for justice involved populations have identified a direct correlation between the level of oversight and the likelihood of success. For this reason, CorrectiveSolutions has adopted a case management approach to administering diversion programs and developed a structure that creates accountability. With the goal of increasing the odds of success for diversion program participants, our diversion program management includes:
Person-to-person interaction between offenders and compliance staff to foster trust and participant engagement
A robust communication strategy that provides reminders via written notices, phone calls, and text messages
Immediate follow-up to any missed commitments to reinforce the importance of personal accountability and completing all program requirements
Outside resources to address criminogenic risk factors
To execute this strategy, CorrectiveSolutions utilizes two equally important and interrelated components; trained compliance staff and a case management software system designed specifically for offender populations.
ActionView software; Foundation for consistent case management The most critical factor for successfully managing diversion program caseloads is consistency:
Regular communication and check-ins
Immediate contact following missed obligations
Standardized reporting of case progress
Uniform application of program rules
Cloud-based system accessible by any CorrectiveSolutions case manager to address absences or sudden fluctuations in case volume
Even the most dedicated case managers can easily fall behind in managing their caseload if they must rely solely on manual processes, paperwork or case management systems that are essentially just databases for collecting and storing offender information.
To address the limitations of manual processes, CorrectiveSolutions staff utilize a proprietary case management system that has been designed specifically for managing offender caseloads and the unique requirements of criminal justice stakeholders; (e.g. court dates, case deadlines, statute of limitations, reporting requirements, etc.) The CorrectiveSolutions’ ActionView system has been programmed to automate critical functions and manage workflow with features such as:
Automatically generating work queues for case managers with corresponding tracking and reporting to ensure each required task is completed
Daily producing alerts for missed commitments and assigning follow-up communication to the appropriate CorrectiveSolutions staff
Creating and sending reports to the appropriate stakeholders at the requested frequency (daily, weekly, monthly, etc.)
Sending notices, emails, and text messages with standard program communication (reminders, confirmation notices, completion notices, status updates, etc.)
Tracking and reconciling payments for program fees, restitution, court fees
Offender follow-up, regular communication and required reporting are not left to chance, labor intensive processes, or the discretion of individual staff.
It is important to note, another vital aspect of consistency in a diversion program is the uniform application of program rules and protocols for each case. Every diversion program administered by CorrectiveSolutions has distinct policies set by the referring agency. Diversion Program parameters such as program length, mandatory conditions, what constitutes a program failure, and guidelines for addressing no-compliance are hard coded into CorrectiveSolutions’ ActionView system to ensure equal access and treatment of every offender and remove the chance of discretionary actions that may conflict with the referring agencies objectives.
Case Managers as Success Coaches
Over the last several years there has been an increase in technology solutions to help manage offender caseloads and improve offender compliance such as automated court reminders and biometric check in apps. These technology resources can be effective supplemental tools for managing offender caseloads, but there is a much higher level of accountability that results from person-to-person interaction vs. interfacing with technology. The impact of human connection improves the odds for success for diversion program participants.
The role of the case managers and compliance staff is to not only ensure offenders are keeping commitments and consistently working towards fulfilling program requirements, but to also provide encouragement and support of their efforts to achieve long-term change and adopt positive pro-social behaviors. The words of a diversion program and collaborative court participants make this point,
"Thank you, honestly. I didn't think I would get it done but you pushed me in the right direction and I'm appreciative of that."
In a recent survey of attendees at the National District Attorney Association summer summit, when asked when the most important measure of success of a diversion program the top response was offenders successfully completing the program. Knowing there is a person that is going to call if a group session or class was not attended, if community service hours were not completed or a drug test was missed can provide the motivation to make the effort to complete a requirement. Active case management and engaged compliance staff contribute to improving the chances for offender success.
Experience the Upside of Partnering with CorrectiveSolutions
When you partner with CorrectiveSolutions, you get a single source for case management, reporting, and coordinating every aspect of your Diversion Program. This allows us to free up your office resources while you get 24/7 reporting on every case detail. To start a discussion about how we can meet the needs of your office, contact us today!