Virginia Serious and Violent Offender Re-entry Initiative
(VASAVOR Initiative): “Going Home to Stay”
Abstract
National statistics are supported by Virginia data indicating that there are a large
number of serious and violent offenders who are completing their sentences and “Going
Home” to live in our localities. Many of these offenders are poorly prepared to survive in
modern society. Whether due to lack of education, lack of job skills, lack of self-control,
lack of respect for societal norms, or due to a chronic medical/mental health condition that
limits their ability to become productive citizens; these offenders are likely to fail when
they leave prison and move into our communities and neighborhoods. When these
offenders fail, they commit violent offenses; creating more victims. Our federal, state, and
local leadership has the obligation to bring all available resources to bear in protecting our
citizens and helping these serious and violent offenders so that they are “Going Home to
Stay”.
There are many resources available at all levels that can help our communities and
help these offenders by giving them the opportunity to become productive citizens.
Unfortunately, these resources are frequently fragmented due to each agency working to
support its own mission. The purpose of the VASAVOR Initiative is to coordinate these
resources into a planned program to support successful offender re-entry into the
community. While this coordination will reduce redundant services, there will be gaps
found in the services available. The “Going Home” Grant will provide short-term
16February 20, 2003

resources to help fill the gaps while other resources can be accessed to provide permanent
solutions.
The first thoughts on an inmate’s mind when he enters incarceration are “when is he
going home” and “what will he do when he gets there”. The same things must be on the
mind of those agencies that deal with him during his incarceration and re-entry. The
VASAVOR Initiative provides for creation, at intake, of an individual Re-entry Plan for
each offender based on risk and needs assessments. That Re-entry Plan (periodically
reviewed and updated) will guide institutional treatment and provide the plan for services
needed in the community for successful re-entry. Besides this single, consistent plan for
treatment services, a Transition Team formed by the local service providers and the
supervising Probation/Parole Officer will enhance coordination of services. The unique
feature of the VASAVOR Initiative is that offenders will be transferred from state
institutions back to the local jail shortly before release so that they can connect with the
Transition Team and the Probation/Parole Officer, begin to receive some services while
in the jail, learn what is expected on community supervision and “hit the ground running”
on his re-entry when he is released. The VASAVOR Initiative will begin with one locality,
serving about 150 offenders in the first year and expanding to additional communities
during the grant period. This model provides a directed, planned, controlled transition
through incarceration, community supervision, and aftercare to provide every possible
resource to help the offender transform into a productive citizen and to help provide
public safety by ensuring that there are no more victims.
26February 20, 2003

36February 20, 2003

Virginia Serious and Violent Offender Re-entry Initiative
(VASAVOR Initiative): “Going Home to Stay”
PROJECT WORKPLAN
1.

Problems To Be Addressed.
The Virginia Department of Corrections housed 29,446 inmates on December 31,

2000. Over half of those inmates (15,918, 54.1%) were classified as violent offenders. Of
the 9,022 inmates released in 2000, over one fourth (2,360, 26.1%) had committed violent
offenses. Of the violent offenders released, over half (1,349, 57.2%) were under the age of
35, which greatly increases the risk of re-offending. The aforementioned figures are based
on Virginia Department of Corrections Research and Forecast Section data collection.
Criteria for violent offender status includes Capitol Murder, Homicide 1st

degree,

Homicide 2nd degree, Manslaughter, Abduction, Rape, Sexual Assault Robbery, Assault
and Weapons charges.
When offenders enter Probation or Parole supervision under Virginia Department
of Corrections, Community Corrections, their supervision risks and needs are assessed so
that they can be assigned appropriate levels of supervision and a supervision plan can be
developed to address the identified needs and risk factors. Data collected on offenders
who entered Virginia Probation and Parole supervision in 1994 through 1996 indicated that
offenders that scored higher risk were more likely to unsuccessfully complete supervision
in spite of more intensive supervision. Other Virginia data indicates that when a sex
offender or other violent offender re-offends 64% commit the same offense again.
46February 20, 2003

In a recent small study of Virginia 18 to 21 year old parolees, 36% were found to be
at high risk of re-offending; 60% were found to be at moderate risk; 84% exhibit
problematic use of alcohol and/or other drugs. Almost a quarter have a documented
history of being abused and/or neglected; 16% have a parent figure or sibling on probation
or incarcerated in the past three years; 32% have either dropped out or been expelled from
school; 36% have mostly delinquent peers.
Females make up about 6% of the Virginia prison population. Although the female
population is rising, relatively few commit violent offenses. Therefore the population
served by the VASAVOR Initiative should be overwhelmingly male, but this does not
preclude services for female offenders who may be considered serious and violent
offenders. Very few of the available services are gender specific and those that are usually
have parallel programs for male and female offenders. The small numbers involved
probably will not justify development of special programs for female offenders, but they
will be matched and referred to available services as indicated by their Re-entry Plans just
as male offenders.
Therefore, there are a large number of offenders that have already committed
violent offenses that are being returned to our localities with significant risk of committing
more violent offenses and returning to prison. Additionally there are those offenders
under the purview of the juvenile and adult criminal justice systems who are at high risk
to commit the violent offense that will move them into the above group. Each violent
offense creates a victim that has been injured or killed. Each convicted violent offender
56February 20, 2003

faces a long, expensive period of incarceration. We must strive to have no more victims,
no more recidivism. The wisest use of criminal justice resources is to turn these offenders
into productive citizens.
Virginia has an array of resources to address violent and serious offenders.
Institutions and Probation/Parole supervision operate under the Department of
Corrections (DOC). Both in the institutions and in the community, DOC provides, directly
and through contracts, treatment services aimed at virtually any need. In each community
there are various local service providers that can meet many offender needs. The problem
is that each part of the process works independently to accomplish its own goals. The
institutions provide primarily security and control, and then provide whatever treatment
programs may be available wherever the inmate is assigned. Community Corrections
tends to focus on providing supervision, ensuring that the offender follows his
Probation/Parole conditions and invoking sanctions when he fails. There is no formal
mechanism for coordination of local service providers and services may only be available
if the offender knows how to find them himself. This disjointed system leaves the
opportunity for gaps in services. The primary gaps have been identified as:
Lack of best technology to aid supervision and promote public safety
Lack of transitional housing, in particular, for serious and violent offenders
Lack of adequate medical and/or mental health treatment and medication
management
Fairfax City/County will be the initial site for implementation of the VASAVOR Initiative.
Fairfax City/County is a populous urban area that is essentially a suburb to Washington,
D.C. Its population of 991,247 (2000 U.S. Census) is nearly one-seventh of the entire state
66February 20, 2003

population. Fairfax median household income is 177% of the state average, which
indicates the lack of unskilled jobs and the very high cost of housing that present barriers
to the successful re-entry of offenders. The population is young, more Hispanic and Asian,
less African American than the state average. The Virginia DOC Probation and Parole
District 29, which supervises felons in Fairfax, has 2522 offenders under supervision. In
2000, 428 adult offenders were released from state prisons to Fairfax; 116 had been
incarcerated for violent offenses; 69 of the violent were age 35 or under. Fairfax County
was willing to address the gaps in supervision identified for this population by the
Department. There is strong support for the initiative from the Community Corrections
Justice Board. Fairfax initially applied for the grant when it was originally advertised and
has an infrastructure in place which would support Department goals.

1.

PROJECT WORKPLAN/Goals and Objectives.
The VASAVOR Initiative will support the Goals and Objectives as expressed in

Appendix I to the Going Home: Serious and Violent Offender Reentry Initiative
Solicitation.
Goal 1: Prevent reoffending through assessment and planning during the Institutional Phase.
.Objective 1: Begin the reentry planning process within the correctional setting and initiate contacts with
key service providers, law enforcement, and community corrections agencies prior to discharge of the
offender.
Proposed Action: The Department of Corrections will identify serious and violent
offenders as early as possible, ultimately at institutional intake; develop Re-entry Plans
to guide institutional and community treatment; return to local jail 45 days before
release to connect with local service providers and update Re-entry Plan. Local service
providers to offer in-jail programs to prevent further victimization such as Restorative
76February 20, 2003

Justice Programs offered by OAR of Fairfax and the Victim/Witness Unit of the local
police department.
.Objective 2: Ensure the offender is fully engaged in the planning process and clearly understands
expectations and consequences.
Proposed Action: The Re-entry Plan will be developed with offender input and
reviewed with him at least annually as the measure of his treatment progress and guide
to future treatment. While back in the local jail, the offender will meet his Case
Manager and Probation/Parole Officer and have explained to him the expectations
while on supervision and the consequences of failing to meet those expectations. The
offender’s Plan of Supervision which includes the critical components of the Reentry
Plan, will be reviewed with the offender.
.Objective 3: Identify needs and provide local, state and federal support and services designed to promote
successful reentry.
Proposed Action: The Re-entry Plan for each offender will be based on a battery of
assessments and will ensure connection with the proper providers for the services
needed.
.Objective 4: Exercise active supervision of the offender, ensuring accountability and/or appropriate
graduated sanctions for non-compliance or criminal behavior.
Proposed Action: Before release, each offender will be assigned the appropriate level
of supervision including residential program, day reporting center, sex offender
program, intensive supervision, and/or electronic monitoring. Probation/Parole
Officers have the authority to ensure offender accountability and to impose a wide
range of graduated sanctions as needed.
Goal 2: Enhance public safety prior to and during the Transition Phase.
Objective 1: Work with local law enforcement to ensure joint supervision and accountability.
Proposed Action: Each Probation and Parole District Office will have a method of
communicating and coordinating with local law enforcement concerning VASOVAR
offenders that are under supervision.
Objective 2: Provide active ongoing management and supervision designed to hold the offender
accountable and protect the public interest.
Proposed Action: While he is under the formal supervision of the Probation/Parole
Officer, the offender treatment is managed by the Reentry Panel and Transition Team
who will collaborate on appropriate referrals/resources and coordinate treatment
services.
Objective 3: Utilize technology (electronic monitoring, etc.) to ensure that the offender's location is
appropriate and does not pose an undue threat to the community or the victim.
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Proposed Action: One of the identified gaps is the lack of GPS monitoring resources
to help manage and provide surveillance of offenders.
Objective 4: Exercise zero tolerance for new criminal activity.
Proposed Action: The Virginia DOC procedure and practice is to apply appropriate
and documented sanctions for all supervision failures whether it is a technical violation
or a new law violation.
Objective 5: Develop and implement individual reintegration plans with appropriate levels of supervision.
Proposed Action: Each offender will have an individual Re-entry Plan developed and
implemented as early in his incarceration as possible. While in the local jail awaiting
release to the community, the Probation and Parole District Office will conduct a risk
assessment to determine the appropriate level of supervision and develop a
Supervision Plan. Periodic reassessments and adjustments in level of supervision will
occur based on the offender’s progress.
Goal 3: Re-deploy and leverage existing community resources by fostering linkages and accessing currently
provided services (e.g., community-based corrections agencies, social services providers, local police
departments, faith-based organizations, educational services providers, businesses, civic organizations,
family/parent organizations; domestic violence, sexual assault, and other victim advocates).
Objective 1: Use federal funds only to design, build, test, and improve a system that utilizes ongoing
resources so reentry programs do not depend on temporary federal funding.
Proposed Action: Meet with state and local service providers in each participating
locality to assess and coordinate existing services and resources and develop
cooperative agreements where none exist to work with VASAVOR offenders.
Objective 2: Use federal funds only to enhance existing state or local resources and provide options not
otherwise available or sufficient.
Proposed Action: The Department of Corrections acting as Grantee, will reinforce
through face to face meetings and correspondence, the need for each partner to attempt
to ensure services begun with grant funds will be sustained when the grant has ended.
Objective 3: Increase communities' leveraging and allocation of resources to provide for the sustainability
of the reentry initiative.
Proposed Action: The Department of Corrections will meet with partners and local
decision makers to reinforce the fact that all collaborative efforts are aimed at reducing
recidivism of, and victimization by, offenders from their localities. When Federal
funds are no longer available, the offenders will still be returning to their area and
what is implemented now, will hopefully prove to be beneficial to the offender and
community, thus making worthwhile continued state and local participation in
96February 20, 2003

continuing the initiative.
Objective 4: Enhance partnerships among government agencies and community organizations.
Proposed Action: Meet with local decision makers and service providers to identify
who can provide services to fill gaps in transitional services. At the offender level, the
Transition Teams will be formed as multidisciplinary partnerships to coordinate service
delivery.
Objective 5: Enhance the availability and quality of reentry services.
Proposed Action: Through coordination and communication between the Reentry
Panel and Transition Team, overlapping, redundant and needed services will be easily
identified and addressed.
Goal 4: Assist the offender to avoid crime, engage in prosocial community activities and meet family
responsibilities prior to and during the Stabilization Phase.
.Objective 1: Promote productive engagement between the offender and community organizations (e.g.,
law enforcement, community groups, schools, substance abuse and mental health treatment providers,
training centers, employers, victim advocates, civic and faith-based organizations).
Proposed Action: The Transition Team will serve as the conduit to connect the
offender to all appropriate local resources/services and broaden the base of alternatives
through proactive community involvement.
.Objective 2: Provide for and expect the offender to be a contributing productive citizen.
Proposed Action: Through evaluation, assessment and surveillance determine if the
offender is complying with goals and objectives of his/her Supervision Plan and
remaining free from new law violations.
.Objective 3: Increase involvement between members of offenders support networks and returning
offenders.
Proposed Action: Programs will be offered by the local service providers to help each
offender develop his support network which will include faith based agencies and peer
support groups.
Goal 5: Ensure program sustainability.
Objective 1: Ensure current community and government resources are utilized and will remain accessible
once federal funds are unavailable.
Proposed Action: All partnerships will be developed with knowledge that any and
all cooperative agreements must be sustained when Federal funds are no longer
available. This will be communicated in meetings between state and local decision
makers and service providers.
Objective 2: Ensure that broad government and community support exists and that these relationships are
106February 20, 2003

enhanced and built.
Proposed Action: Fairfax has already built a strong coalition among government and
community bodies including endorsement of the VASAVOR Initiative by the Fairfax
Community Corrections Board which includes agency heads from all criminal justice
system agencies, mental health/substance abuse agency, schools, local government,
and other agencies. Similar coalitions will be developed in other localities as they
implement the VASAVOR Initiative.
Objective 3: Ensure that this initiative is viewed as integral to community and public safety.
Proposed Action: Efforts will be made to ensure that the system of early
identification, assessment and services needs is built into Virginia Department of
Corrections protocol for all offenders. Partnerships developed at the local level will be
duplicated in each locality and enhanced by formal agreements to coordinate and
leverage available services for offenders who are “Going Home”.

1.

Identifying the Target Population.
Although the sort of planned, organized re-entry effort proposed for the VASAVOR

Initiative should work equally well for any offender returning from incarceration, the
primary target population to be served are those offenders who have current or prior
convictions of violent offenses, and have been adjudicated as adult in the Circuit Court,
particularly those that are under age 35 at release. The Department defines violent
offenders to be those convicted of Capitol Murder, Homicide 1st and 2nd degree,
Manslaughter, Abduction, Rape/Sexual Assault, Robbery, Assault and Weapons charges.
Participation in the VASAVOR Initiative for those offenders from the identified
participating localities will be mandatory. Those inmates who refuse to participate in this
program can be removed and administratively placed in Class IV, according to the Code
of Virginia 53.1-32.1 for refusal to participate in a treatment program. Interviewing to
assess, treat and surveil these offenders will provide no additional risks to the
116February 20, 2003

communities they are going to, as they either were sentenced from the same communities
or have a valid home plan there.
With the support of the “Going Home” grant, the Virginia DOC is planning to
implement the VASAVOR Initiative in one locality to begin with and then spread to
additional localities during the grant period. The initial locality was chosen for the unique
challenges for re-entering offenders and the strong support of local service providers.
Additional localities will be chosen with the same criteria leading to the ultimate goal of
implementing the VASAVOR Initiative statewide for all re-entering offenders. Discussions
concerning participation in the Initiative have been held with at least four additional
localities, but the decision has been made to begin with Fairfax City/County and include
additional localities as we gain experience with the model.
Fairfax City/County is a populous urban area that is essentially a suburb to
Washington, D.C. Its population of 991,247 (2000 U.S. Census) is nearly one-seventh of the
entire state population. Fairfax median household income is 177% of the state average,
which indicates the lack of unskilled jobs and the very high cost of housing that present
barriers to the successful re-entry of offenders. The population is young, more Hispanic
and Asian, less African American than the state average. The Virginia DOC Probation and
Parole District 29, which supervises felons in Fairfax, has 2522 offenders under
supervision. In 2000, 428 adult offenders were released from state prisons to Fairfax; 116
had been incarcerated for violent offenses; 69 of the violent were age 35 or under. Fairfax
County was willing to address the gaps in supervision identified by the Department for
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this population. There is strong support for the initiative from the Community Corrections
Justice Board. Fairfax initially applied for the grant when it was originally advertised and
has an infrastructure in place which would support the Department’s goals.
Services available to non-participating offenders includes substance abuse
treatment, both outpatient and residential, sex offender services to include assessment,
treatment and polygraph, electronic monitoring, limited community residential program
services, dual diagnosis treatment and drug testing.
The population to be served in Fairfax could be approximately 116 offenders
annually. When the initiative is developed in Richmond the overall population could
increase by 200 annually. The third potential site Charlottesville and Albemarle County
could add an additional 40 offenders annually for a potential total of 356 offenders.
Depending upon an offender’s sentence of incarceration, his initial identification for
the VASAVOR Initiative could be between 24 and 12 months.
Once transferred to a local jail or detention center, his stay there will be
approximately 45 days. An offender’s length of stay on supervision once released from
confinement varies based on the direction of the Courts or Virginia Parole Board.

4.

Organizational Capacity.
The Virginia DOC will be designated as the lead agency in the VASAVOR Initiative

as it controls correctional institutions and Probation/Parole services. DOC has always
worked closely with the Virginia Parole Board, which although it is an independent
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agency shares the headquarters building with DOC. Although Virginia abolished parole
in 1995, the Parole Board has jurisdiction over offenders who committed their offense
before that date and the Parole Board sets supervision conditions and has revocation
authority for those non-parole eligible offenders that have post release supervision
obligations. The Circuit Courts have revocation authority over those offenders that are
serving probation obligations (pre or post incarceration).
The DOC has the following treatment services available through contracts with
private vendors: residential substance abuse treatment, outpatient substance abuse
treatment, community residential services, sex offender assessment, sex offender
treatment, sex offender polygraph, electronic monitoring, and drug/alcohol testing. The
Fairfax area is one of nine pilot sites for the Virginia Sex Offender Containment Model.
Pilot sites receive extra state funds to manage sex offenders; grant funding may be needed
to help implement this model in additional areas as the VASAVOR Initiative expands.
Virginia provides Probation, Parole and Post Release services to approximately
45,000 offenders.

Approximately 25% of these offenders are classified as violent.

Currently, approximately 53% of inmates confined in Virginia’s prison system are violent
offenders.

These offenders are provided various levels of secure confinement and

community supervision based on their risk and needs.
The Virginia Department of Mental Health, Mental Retardation, and Substance
Abuse Services (DMHMRSAS) is the state agency providing mental health and substance
abuse treatment services.

The DOC has had a long-standing relationship with
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DMHMRSAS through their local Community Service Boards to provide mental health and
substance abuse treatment services to offenders through the state Probation and Parole
District Offices. This situation is typical of the relationship between Virginia state agencies
providing services to offenders in that each of the Probation and Parole District Offices
works with the local representatives of the appropriate agencies rather than there being
a formal statewide agreement to provide services. While this model has been adequate in
the past, the VASAVOR Initiative could provide the impetus for more formal central
agreements to ensure consistent access to uniform services.
The Department is currently involved as a lead agency working with the Division
of Motor Vehicles and private non-profit offender support groups to develop and obtain
identification documents for offenders prior to and upon release from incarceration which
will enable them to obtain DMV identification. This has been a significant issue for
offenders since September 11, 2001.
The Department also plays a lead role in Drug Screening Assessment and Treatment
(DSAT) a legislatively mandated program which involves coordination of state and local
agencies to provide a seamless continuum of substance abuse treatment services
recognized by state and local agencies for those offenders under supervision of
Department personnel.
Fairfax was selected as the initial site for the VASAVOR Initiative, in part, due to
the impressive array of local service providers that are available. The lead coordinating
local agency will be the Opportunities, Alternatives & Resources of Fairfax County (OAR),
156February 20, 2003

a community-based organization with extensive support from an array of faith-based
service partners and established volunteer programs in the local jail and community.
Opportunities, Alternatives and Resources (OAR) Inc. of Fairfax County, is a local
non-profit restorative justice organization providing human resources to offenders in
Fairfax since 1971. They develop, promote and operate community based programs that
provide opportunities, alternatives and resources to restore criminal offenders to
productive roles in the community, offer options to prosecution, and support families. The
Department has worked closely with OAR for years. This organization is a critical partner
in the criminal justice infrastructure in Fairfax. The Director of OAR and case manager
designated to support the initiative will coordinate treatment service delivery between all
partners. The Chief Probation and Parole Officer in District #29 will coordinate offender
supervision with OAR and other partners.
In Fairfax, the following individuals have expressed support for the VASAVOR
Initiative and are expected to sign an Memorandum of Agreement lending the support and
defining the roles of their respective organizations: Katherine K. Hanley, Chairman,
Fairfax County Board of Supervisors; The Honorable Michael P. McWeeney, Chief Judge,
Fairfax County Circuit Court; The Honorable Stan G. Barry, Sheriff, Chairman of
Community Criminal Justice Board of the Fairfax Area; Lesley A. Bubenhofer, Chief
Probation & Parole Officer, District #29; Colonel J. Thomas Manger, Chief of Police, Fairfax
County; Colonel Richard J. Rappoport, Chief of Police, City of Fairfax; David Hunn,
Director, Workforce Investment Board; James A. Thur, Executive Director, Fairfax-Falls
166February 20, 2003

Church Community Services Board; Daniel A. Domenech, Ph.D., Superintendent of
Schools, Fairfax County; George Stepp, Superintendent of Schools, City of Fairfax;
Catherine A. Belter, Local Education Representative; Sandy Chisolm, Faith Communities
in Action; and Carla Taylor, Executive Director, OAR of Fairfax.
Additional Fairfax area service providers available through referrals although not
expected to be part of the formal Memorandum of Agreement include: Fairfax County
Department of Family Services, Job Corps, Northern Virginia Community College,
Virginia Department for the Visually Handicapped, Virginia Department of Rehabilitative
Services, Construction Training and Opportunities Program, United Community
Ministries, Service Source, Northern Virginia Family Service’s Training Futures Program,
New Hope Housing, Brain Injury Services, Inc., Fairfax County Department of Housing
and Community Development, Fairfax County Health Department, Northern Virginia
AIDS Ministry, Affordable HealthCare Network Clinics, Medicaid, Medical Care for
Children’s Partnership, and FAMIS.
All partners in this initiative have been and are currently being advised of the need
for Virginia to sustain any service or supervision that is developed with grant funds at the
conclusion of the three year grant period.
The Department of Corrections’ will plan to sustain residential services for this
target population by leveraging direct appropriation funds and development of new
Memorandum of Agreement and contracts with public and private service providers.
Technology for surveillance (GPS) will be used to enhance existing Department
176February 20, 2003

funding used to cope with the increasing number of serious and violent offenders being
released into communities throughout Virginia.
In light of current fiscal constraints for Virginia state and local governments, plans
to sustain mental health services as set forth in the grant application will require ongoing
study.

Project Design and Management.
Making a Plan: Phase One–Protect and Prepare: Institutionally Based Programs.
5.

Through the VASAVOR Initiative, inmates will be identified progressively earlier
as participants. As these inmates are identified, Re-entry Plans will be developed to guide
the institutional Treatment Plans for the inmate to access all possible needed services while
incarcerated. These services include but are not limited to medical and mental health
needs, educational and vocational services, sex offender treatment, substance abuse
treatment, basic living skills etc. The ultimate goal is for all inmates to be fully assessed
at intake for development of individual Re-entry Plans that will guide institutional service
delivery. The institutional Re-entry Plan will serve as the document to convey all available
assessment and treatment information to allow the Transition Team to update and
continue the Re-entry Plan through the remaining phases.
The Transition Team will be a local partnership led jointly by the offender’s
Probation/Parole Officer and the caseworker from the lead service providing agency (OAR
in Fairfax) and including representatives from the other principal local government,
186February 20, 2003

non-profit, private, and faith-based service providers. While the Probation/Parole Officer
will have exclusive authority for offender supervision, the Transition Team will determine,
coordinate, and access the services appropriate to guide and facilitate his re-entry into the
community based on his Re-entry Plan and previous treatment history.

Preparing to Come Home: Phase One and a half–Make the Connection: Local Jail Based
Programs.
About 45 days before his expected release date, the institutional inmate will be
moved to the local jail. This will allow him to connect with his Probation/Parole Officer
and the rest of the local Transition Team for revision of his Re-entry Plan and scheduling
of transition programs and resources.

The inmate should participate full-time in

prerelease and transitional programming offered in the jail. In Fairfax, this programming
includes life skills training, employability training, vocational training, education,
mentoring, support classes for offender families, faith based programs, restorative justice
(stop victimization) program, and a plethora of other classes and services provided by over
125 volunteers in addition to the community service providers.
This additional Phase eliminates the lost time and allows better planning for risk
assessment and access to community-based services rather than the traditional method of
releasing the offender to the community and then figuring out what to do with him.
This step also ties in with the Virginia DOC Reentry Transition Program which
began, on a pilot basis, in April 2002 to return inmates to their local jail before release to

196February 20, 2003

participate in 45 days of prerelease programming and, if eligible, to participate in 45 days
of work release. It is not expected that serious and violent offenders would be eligible for
the work release phase of the Reentry Transition Program.

Coming Home: Phase Two–Control and Restore: Community-Based Transition Programs.
Virginia has the advantage of having both the incarceration authority and
community supervision authority residing within the Department of Corrections so that
there is the ability and goal of smoothly transitioning the offender to re-enter the
community. The Probation and Parole Officers under guidance of the Parole Board and
Circuit Courts have the authority to set and enforce Conditions of Supervision including
the authority to instruct the offender to participate in appropriate treatment. In response
to any failure by the offender to comply with his conditions or instructions, the
Probation/Parole Officer has access to a range of progressive sanctions including arrest
authority to jail the offender pending final resolution of the case by the Parole Board or
Circuit Court.
The Transition Team will coordinate access to community-based services to meet
the needs identified in the Re-entry Plan. The Probation/Parole Officer and the rest of the
Transition Team monitor the offender’s progress and move him through programs and
supervision levels as appropriate. The Transition Team will guide the offender toward
self-reliance and building of his own support system to prepare him for Phase 3 of
re-entry.

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Phase 2 of the VASAVOR Initiative is where the major service gaps have been
identified that require temporary use of federal funds. The electronic monitoring system
currently available to Probation/Parole Officers provides only curfew monitoring.
Upgrading to GPS monitoring will provide offender location information at all times to
enhance control of offender movement, activity, and location in the community. This
information can be tied into local law enforcement crime maps to eliminate suspects or
identify suspects or witnesses. The GPS system also provides warnings and alerts if the
offender approaches an “off limits” area such as prior or potential victims or a known drug
dealing area. Once this technology is in place and proven in Virginia, current electronic
monitoring funds can be applied to this technology and additional funds can be sought
through the state budget.
Transitional housing for serious and violent offenders is very limited or totally
lacking in almost all areas of Virginia. In Fairfax, there is a system of shelters available for
short-term temporary housing, but transitional housing is needed while the offender saves
money and achieves an independence level that will allow him to enter conventional
housing. Grant funding will be needed to support transitional housing. One of the local
non-profit shelter providers has expressed interest and intent to obtain federal Housing
and Urban Development Continuum of Care Process and/or Community Development
Block Grant funding to provide transition housing that would be available to serious and
violent offenders.
Access to medical and mental health care and medication management is a major
216February 20, 2003

problem for many offenders returning to the community. While in prison, many have
been diagnosed and treated for chronic conditions for which they were not receiving
treatment before incarceration. The offender needs assistance to access these services until
he is working to have funds or insurance, or if not employable, to access SSI, Medicare or
other benefits. There are some free clinics for medical care and the state mental health
agency will work with the seriously mentally ill, but most offenders fall into a gap that
needs to be filled. For purposes of this initiative a memorandum of agreement will be
developed with the Community Service Board to provide mental health assessments and
services to include monitoring and distribution of medications. Reentry Plan Data will
provide mental health professionals a history of the offenders mental health screening,
assessments and needs. The Probation and Parole District Offices have limited funds for
offender emergencies, but community and other resources must be accessed for a
long-term solution.
The other gaps that would require temporary funding are as diverse as the
communities themselves. Additional needs expected in Fairfax are for casework staff for
OAR to facilitate services and to help the Workforce Investment Board provide job
training. OAR plans to redistribute existing staff and obtain additional funding from
existing sources to replace the federal funds. The Workforce Investment Board is currently
experiencing severe budget cuts. Either increased services provided will justify future
budget increases or local resources will need to be found to support job training.

Staying Home: Phase Three–Responsibility and Productivity: Community-Based Long-Term Support.
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The offender is expected to have achieved self-sufficiency, responsibility, and
productivity with his own support system, including family, mentors, and peer support
groups. Although there is no continued authority over the offender, the Transition Team
remains available on an as needed basis to provide guidance toward available community
resources. Peer support groups will be encouraged and supported by providing time and
space for meetings and staff to facilitate such meetings. By Phase III offenders will have
been made aware of available community support services including those provided by
faith based organizations.

Months 1-9, Initiate Phases 1, 1.5, and 2.
Once preliminary notice is received that the VASAVOR Initiative will be awarded
grant funding, a Memorandum of Agreement will be executed between the Virginia DOC
and the local partners in Fairfax.
The inmate database will be used identify inmates according to the following
criteria:
Within 8 months of expected release date
Convicted in the courts of the VASAVOR locality
Current or prior conviction of a violent offense or identified high risk due to high
security level
Has a proposed release plan or permanent address in the VASAVOR locality
Institutional counselors will develop a Re-entry Plan for each identified inmate.
This Re-entry Plan will include any available assessment information, medical and mental
health information, and information on any programs completed by the inmate. Also
included should be subjective information such as overall institutional adjustment and
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perception of the inmate’s commitment to succeed at re-entry. These inmates will then be
given priority to enter available prerelease programs such as Productive Citizenship.
On the local level, work would begin on setting up the Transition Team. As the
Re-entry Plans become available from the institutions, the Transition Team would review
the plans and prepare to begin the jail programs.
As inmates identified above come within 45 days of their release date, they are
transferred to the local jail and the jail programs begin. During the stay in the local jail,
the Transition Team will update the Re-entry Plan and schedule the inmate to begin
community-based programming immediately on release from jail. The local partners
would then be mobilized to begin service delivery. As their release dates arrive, the first
offenders will begin to move into Phase 2 in the community.

Months 9-12; Expand Phase 1, Identify additional localities
Efforts will be made to evaluate and adapt existing assessment instruments and/or
implement new assessment instruments. Using these assessment instruments combined
with the offense history, inmate participants should be identified 12 months before
expected release date.
Developing the Re-entry Plan will serve as the final annual institutional review for
inmates selected to participate in the VASAVOR Initiative.
The Virginia DOC will work with additional localities to develop Memoranda of
Agreement and prepare to incorporate them into the VASAVOR initiative and begin to

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identify inmate participants from the additional localities.

Months 13-24; Expand Phase 1, Initiate Phase 3, Begin operations in additional localities
Institutions will attempt to identify inmates that will participate in the VASAVOR
Initiative 24 months before their projected release date. The assessment information will
be used to construct Re-entry Plans to replace Institutional Treatment Plans to guide
inmate programming during the remainder of his incarceration.
Offenders will begin to move into Phase 3 having established their individual
support systems through mentors, family reintegration, and peer support groups.
All VASAVOR Initiative participants (including offenders) should participate in a
review of Phase 1, Phase 1.5, Phase 2, and Phase 3 systems looking for areas of potential
improvement. These improvements should be implemented as rapidly as possible.
The Virginia DOC and local partners will use the lessons learned in Fairfax to begin
Phase 1.5 and then Phase 2 in the additional localities.
Charlottesville and Albemarle County represents a more rural setting where the
first expansion of the VASOVAR Initiative is expected to occur. There are residential,
mental health and substance abuse treatment and employment services available there.
The next locality to be included in the initiative would be Richmond. Richmond is an
urban area with a large minority population and is the seat of state government. Project
Exile, a Federally supported program was piloted in Richmond to reduce the use of violent
crimes involving firearms by providing mandatory sentences of confinement for those

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convicted of illegally possessing a firearm. In calendar year 2000, Richmond had the
largest percentage of serious and violent offenders released in the state.

Months 25-36; Expand Phase 1, Make self-sustaining
Continue to review all phases for potential improvements and find ways to make
the re-entry process work smoothly as a seamless system. This review should include
some cross-pollination between participating localities to facilitate idea sharing.
At the beginning of this period, do assessment on all inmates from project areas and
incorporate the assessment and findings into a Re-entry Plan to replace the Institutional
Treatment Plan. By the end of this period, have a plan to assess all inmates and
incorporate assessment into intake process. These assessments would be used to develop
Re-entry Plans for each inmate as early as possible and ultimately at intake. These
Re-entry Plans would replace the current Institutional Treatment Plan as the document
guiding inmate program participation.
Leverage federal, state, or local funds to support the functions that have been
supported by grant funds.
Begin Phase 3 in the additional localities.
Using the lessons learned, develop a plan to spread the VASAVOR Initiative to
additional areas and ultimately statewide.
The Virginia DOC must maintain authority and responsibility for the custody and
supervision of each offender as long as they are under legal obligation even though the

266February 20, 2003

offenders will reside for a time in the local jail. Virginia DOC institutional and community
program staff will coordinate Phase 1 and the transfer to Phase 1.5 in the local jail. Once
the offender reaches the local jail, the District Probation and Parole Office and the local
partners will convene a Transition Team to guide the treatment aspects of offender
re-entry. Although the service providers and the local police will help monitor offender
activities, supervision and imposition of sanctions for violation of Conditions of
Supervision must remain the sole responsibility of the District Probation and Parole Office.
The hope is that each offender will successfully re-enter society, but the sad truth is that
many will fail and they must be detected, apprehended, and returned to incarceration as
rapidly as possible to minimize victims and protect public safety.
A primary purpose of the VASAVOR Initiative is to integrate and coordinate
existing DOC and community resources to focus on management of offenders based on an
assessment driven Re-entry Plan that is developed as early as possible in the incarceration
period and is updated throughout the institutional incarceration period, the community
supervision period and into aftercare when the offender has completed his legal
obligations. The purpose of this integration and coordination is to move the offender
smoothly, seamlessly, and purposefully through incarceration and supervision with the
goal of successful re-entry. Through an extensive locally developed employment network,
each offender should become a tax-paying contributor to society instead of a consumer of
expensive incarceration and treatment services.
Although the offender involvement in the VASAVOR Initiative begins with the
276February 20, 2003

institutional counselor that conducts the assessments and develops the original Re-entry
Plan Data Form, each Transition Team must be led by local representatives of service
providing and public service agencies including the Probation and Parole District Office.
This local leadership must design the model for the re-entry program in each locality, as
they best know the services that are available locally and how to access these services.
As re-entry begins at institutional intake, the Transition Team will include virtually
everyone who has contact with the offender in conducting an assessment,
preparing/revising his re-entry plan, or providing any type of treatment services. For
purposes of this grant proposal, the Transition Team will refer primarily to the community
based decision makers that interact with the offender in Phase 1.5 and Phase 2. The
Probation and Parole District Office as the supervision agent and the primary local service
provider (in Fairfax, this will be OAR) shall lead this local Transition Team. As many
localities in the state do not have local OAR chapters, the primary local service provider
must be individually determined as the VASAVOR Initiative moves to additional
localities.
The success of the VASAVOR Initiative is dependent on a valid diagnostic and risk
assessment process. This process will determine the supervision level and the treatment
services to be provided to each offender. In this time of limited resources, each offender
must be matched only with the services that will do the greatest good, but due to the risk
associated with this offender population, each offender must be matched with all services
that have the greatest chance of preventing new offenses and new victims.
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Inmates currently undergo an extensive diagnostic and risk assessment process. By
the time an inmate completes institutional intake he has received the following diagnostic
and assessment tests:
.Addiction Severity Index
.Custody level scoring
.Test of Adult Basic Education
.Vocational Assessment
.Medical examination
.Mental Health Evaluation

When he is released from institutions to Probation and Parole supervision, he is given a
Risk/Needs Assessment that is based on the Wisconsin Model and validated to the
Virginia offender population by a recent university study. This Risk/Needs Assessment
includes periodic reassessments.
The first step of the VASAVOR Initiative will be to ensure that information
determined in the diagnostic and risk assessment process moves with or even ahead of the
offender as he progresses through and beyond his legal obligations. The principle method
of information sharing will be through the Re-entry Plan which will ideally be developed
in cooperation with the offender at institutional intake and repeatedly reviewed with him
and revised as he progresses through incarceration, re-entry, and community supervision.
This Re-entry Plan will be the guide to manage all treatment and programmatic services
to be provided to the offender at all levels and involve all applicable service providers.
The development of the Re-entry Plan as early as possible and then having that
plan, as updated, guide the management of the offender’s treatment ensures continuity of
services in that the same assessment tools and the same re-entry goals are followed
296February 20, 2003

consistently.
Coordinating the services and resources that are already available to meet the
offender’s needs ensures another sort of continuity of services. Beyond coordinating,
enlightened and creative leadership can find ways to connect offenders with services that
may not routinely be available to them. Utilizing community-based, faith-based, and
family-based resources to mentor and provide services to offenders instead of using grant
funds to establish new programs ensures that the VASAVOR Initiative can continue after
grant funds are no longer available and make it easier to expand the Initiative to additional
localities. As the VASAVOR Initiative becomes integrated into the existing systems, it will
become the normal way of doing business, which is proactive planning and coordination
of the offender’s “Going Home”. This initiative provides a mechanism to enhance
coordination with community partners, to reduce redundant efforts, to maximize efficient
use of available resources, and to temporarily fill gaps in services and resources while
exploring permanent solutions.
The Virginia DOC has authority and responsibility for control and supervision of
the felony offender from court sentencing through incarceration and/or any period of
community supervision under probation, parole or post-release supervision. While in the
community, the offender will be supervised according to the risk level he presents.
Options include:
Restrictive, structured environment housing
Day Reporting Centers
Intensive team supervision with or without electronic monitoring
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Sex Offender Containment Model
Regular supervision
Relaxed supervision
While the offender is under community supervision, each Probation and Parole District
works closely with local law enforcement and treatment providers to monitor and track
the offender’s behaviors. If needed, the Probation and Parole District Office has the
authority to impose graduated sanctions ranging from verbal reprimand through increased
supervision, mandatory drug testing, mandatory program participation, and electronic
monitoring up to having the offender arrested pending revocation of his supervision
privilege by the court and/or the Parole Board.
While the courts and/or the Parole Board set maximum terms of supervision,
Probation and Parole Districts have the ability to request that an offender be released from
supervision if he has complied with supervision requirements. There is also the authority
to place the offender in a reduced level of supervision if the request is denied.
Each offender is subject to standard conditions of supervision based on his status
of probation, parole, and/or post-release. In addition to these standard conditions, the
court or Parole Board may impose special conditions. One of the standard conditions is
that the offender must follow instructions given by his Probation/Parole Officer. Thus the
Probation/Parole Officer has authority to impose special conditions and requirements to
fit the individual offender and his current circumstances.
The Virginia DOC has existing staff resources in institutions and community to
carry out the VASAVOR Initiative. This Initiative does not require additional DOC staff.

316February 20, 2003

It only requires the coordination of existing efforts to take a broader “whole system” view
of offender management.
In the short term, it is expected that the OAR of Fairfax County as the lead in
coordinating local service providers may need additional case management staff to connect
offenders with the local services and find additional, non traditional services that can be
made available to meet offender needs. This need will decrease as the local service
network develops and precedents are established to provide offender services. It is hoped
that in Phase III ex-offenders who serve as mentors and peer support guides to offenders
re-entering the community can eventually augment part of the case management and
referral need. Other service providers would be expected to meet the needs with existing
resources or resources that can be obtained from their usual support system.
There is currently data collected within Virginia DOC Community Corrections to
track offender success under supervision. This capability will improve within the next
year as the DOC implements a new Offender Management System database to merge and
streamline the current institutional and community information systems. OAR also
maintains a database of the offenders that it serves. DOC is currently working with
Virginia Commonwealth University to develop a model evaluation system and data
collection model that may be applied to any Community Corrections Program to measure
outcome success.
The results of these and any Federal evaluations would be used to measure the
success of the VASAVOR Initiative and provide directions for fine-tuning components to
326February 20, 2003

increase the success. It is expected that if the Initiative is demonstrated to be successful,
this model will be spread to other localities and become the statewide model of offender
treatment management and the model of cooperation among state and local agencies.

336February 20, 2003