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Empowerment Program
The Empowerment Program provides re-entry services for women leaving prisons and jails. Employment, drug and mental health assessment and treatment, education and some housing resources are available. Services are trauma informed and woman-centered. Empowerment is a licensed drug and specialty mental health agency in Colorado. No fees are charged.
Quick Facts:
- Focus of initiative/program:
- Employment/Job Training
- Mental Health
- Substance Abuse
- women, trauma
- Inititative/program name:
- Re-Entry Services
- Year Established:
- 1986
- Lead agency/organization name:
- Empowerment Pogram
- Population served by initiative/program:
- Returning from local detention facilities
- Returning from local jails
- Returning from prison
- Under community corrections supervision (parole or probation)
- Adults
- Women
- People convicted of a violent offense
- People convicted of a non-violent offense
- Victims
- Sex offenders
- Women involved in prostitution
Empowerment Program
Contact:
Carol LeaseExecutive Director
Empowerment Program
Phone: 303-320-1989 x 211
1600 York Street
Denver, Colorado 80206
carol-lease@empowermentprogram.org
Empowerment Program
Initiatives and Programs
- Focus of initiative/program:
- Employment/Job Training
- Mental Health
- Substance Abuse
- women, trauma
- Inititative/program name:
- Re-Entry Services
- Lead agency/organization name:
- Empowerment Pogram
- Funding sources for initiative/program:
- Federal, local, private
- X
- X
- X
- X
- X
- X
- X
- X
- X
- X
- X
Funding
Partners in the reentry initiative/program
| Informal Agreement | Formal Agreement (e.g., a written contract or an MOU) with this partner. |
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| Community- and faith-based services providers: |
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| Education and training providers (e.g., local public school officials, vocational instructors): |
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| Health, mental health, and substance abuse treatment providers: |
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| Housing officials: |
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| Institutional corrections (e.g., DOC, jail, prison): |
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| Law enforcement agencies (e.g., police, sheriff's office): |
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| Members of the community (e.g., people who have been incarcerated, their families or neighbors): |
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| Other criminal justice agencies (e.g., prosecutors, judges): |
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| Transportation providers: |
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| Victim advocates: |
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| Work force development and employment agencies (e.g. business associations, unions): |
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Participants
- Population served by initiative/program:
- Returning from local detention facilities
- Returning from local jails
- Returning from prison
- Under community corrections supervision (parole or probation)
- Adults
- Women
- People convicted of a violent offense
- People convicted of a non-violent offense
- Victims
- Sex offenders
- Women involved in prostitution
- Total number of people who have participated in initiative/program to date:
- Estimated: 50,000
- Total number of people currently participating in initiative/program:
- 2,200
- Total number of people who can be served at one time:
- 2,200
- If your initiative/program serves people under community corrections supervision, how does your organization work in partnership or work in collaboration with participants’ probation or parole officers?
- Empowerment requests a written referral for services; provides written progress reports; serves on the Denver Re-Entry Committee of the Crime Control and Prevention Commission and the Prisoner Re-entry Initiative with the Colorado Department of Corrections; attends training and provides information at meetings of parole, probation and aother corrections conferences.
Data Collection
- Does your organization collect demographic data on participants?
- Yes
- If "yes", what kind of data? And what results has this data yielded?
- Demographic, assessment information, referral, enrollment into treatment services, treatment plans, participation in treatment services; LSI, ASUS-R and/or SOA-RS assessments, information on health, housing, family, referral source, emergency contacts, criminal history, parole/probation contact information, releases of information, confidentiality policy, HIPPA protecction information, treatment disclosure forms, case notes. The Data is reviewed monthly and helps inform any treatment or services changes that may be needed to provide effective services.
- Does your organization collect data about the process of your initiative/program?
- Yes
- If "yes", what kind of data? And what results has this data yielded?
- Yes, the data provides information that helps identify gaps in services, effectiveness of treatment and changes that need to be made. Outside evaluators conduct focus groups of participants that provide information on participant experiences and effectiveness of services.
- Does your organization measure and/or track the outcome of participation?
- Yes
- If "yes", what kind of data? And what results has this data yielded?
- Outcome data is specific to each service: Employment - completion of job readiness training core groups, job search activities, job placement and retention, wage and recidivism data; Substance Abuse and Mental Health - completion of assessments, development of treatment plans and enrollment into services, length of retention in treatment services, adherence to medication, decrease in arrests and convictions; Housing - placement and retention in permanent housing; Education - completion of GED certification.
Activities
- What, if any, activities does your initiative/program include for people while they are incarcerated and how do these activities differ from those offered to the general population?
- Workshops on post-release services are provided as allowed in women's prison facilities, inmates who request pre-parole hearing assistance are provided with information about services that can be included in their parole plan and letters stating that they are leigible for services after release. In Denver County Jail, four classes are provided weekly in parenting, relapse prevention and life skills. Empowement serves onthe Denver County Jail Re-Entry Committee.
- What activities does your organization engage in post-release and how do these activities differ from those offered to the general population?
- Post release activities usually have a reporting mechanism to parole/probation/community corrections that general population service do not. If needed, Empowerment will act as an advocate for former prisoners with the criminal justice system. Employment, health, housing and education services are all available for participants leaving prison or jail.
- How are people placed into your program?
- Referral Written referral.