While all people who are incarcerated for any significant period should have some version of a programming plan in place, not all programming plans should look alike. As noted above, the programming plan should be based on information obtained during intake and should consider each individual's different service needs and strengths, ranging from health to education to family relationships. An assessment instrument that measures a person's dynamic risk factors should allow the program planners to determine his or her areas of primary need, where services or treatment can reduce his or her likelihood of recidivism. Other assessment instruments should be used to hone the team's understanding of the type of assistance that the individual needs (such as the form of medical treatment or level of education) as well as to identify strengths (such as training in a particular trade or a strong social network) that can be used to inform or support particular programming choices.

Example: Reentry Management Team, Community-Oriented Reentry, Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction

Using a dynamic needs assessment from their intake procedures, officials at the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction give each inmate a score from one to four in seven different programming domains. Subsequent programming is designed to increase the individual's score in as many of the domains as possible before he or she re-enters the community.

The programming plan should not be only individualized, but also, where appropriate, specialized. As the sidebar demonstrates, a number of factors, both static and dynamic, may further refine not only the type of services needed (e.g., mental health), but also the particular nature of the intervention (e.g., medication, therapy, substance abuse treatment). The level of specificity required makes clear why a team leader who does not have specialized training must at least draw input from different experts in a host of program areas.

For individuals with a strength or service need which predominates, the programming plan should have a corresponding focus. When the plan itself has such a focus, the team leader who directs the administration of the plan should ideally also have a specialized background or receive specialized training to solve issues related to that primary service need. Thus, a person who has HIV/AIDS may have a programming plan centered on health treatment, and his or her team leader might be an HIV/AIDS nurse or a counselor whose entire caseload consists of individuals living with HIV/AIDS or other infectious diseases.

Example: Individualized Program Plan, Rhode Island Department of Corrections

In Rhode Island, all prisoners are assigned to a case manager, who is the head of the team administering a holistic programming plan called an "Individualized Program Plan." Many of the case managers have specialized caseloads, including those who focus on only one of the following special areas: individuals with serious mental illnesses; individuals who have been living in a therapeutic drug community; individuals who have HIV or other infectious diseases; individuals who are high-risk offenders; and individuals from a particular neighborhood. Further, many of the treatment providers who work with people in prison are community-based, so people who need further services in the community can continue to work with the same providers after their release.

Among other advantages, focusing program planning in this way can enhance corrections/community partnerships: the specialized team leader (who may himself or herself be from the community) will be able to develop relationships with specialized treatment providers in the community who, in turn, could be tapped to provide treatment within the corrections setting.

Example: Transition Services Unit, Multnomah County Department of Community Justice (OR)

The Multnomah County Department of Community Justice Transition Services Unit (TSU) develops a plan for each offender prior to his or her release which refers the offender to a range of community services. Although the TSU works with all people in prison, it prioritizes offenders who it identifies as having "special needs," including inmates who are mentally ill, developmentally or physically disabled, elderly, and high-risk predatory sex offenders. While the TSU does not initiate the prerelease planning until approximately six months before a person's release, a similar approach could be used for early program planning.