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FRESH START PROGRAM
City of Atlanta Department of Corrections
254 Peachtree Street, SW, Atlanta, GA 30303
(404) 865-8360 FAX (404) 658-6711

Mission Statement:

To provide a safe, secure, humane, effective and efficiently managed institutional setting for staff and the individual being incarcerated.

To develop a meaningful correctional program that attempts to deter criminal behavior and attempts to improve the condition in which an individual can return back into the community.

To deliver a team spirited effort, the highest level of service to the public, with pride and excellence.

To direct our services to men who suffer from chemical dependency/substance abuse, through a holistic approach (i.e., 12 step programs, spirituality support, didactic education, case management and resource support from the community).

Program Description:

The Fresh Start Recovery Program is an innovative comprehensive substance abuse program for incarcerated men in the City of Atlanta Detention Center. The Program provides a comprehensive service of substance abuse treatment and education as well as life skills training and mental health support.

Our program structure is a two-phase 24-week cycle minimum, which focuses on the introduction and enforcement of appropriate social values, behaviors and intensive treatment service. Our holistic approach will empower males who have admitted they are in need of treatment for substance abuse to return to their communities with the potential to live drug and crime free lives.

All of the gentlemen in our program are there on a voluntary basis. Typically these men are appearing in community court, traffic court or municipal court with a drug or alcohol related charge pending against them. They are then given a choice of joining the general population where they can serve the majority of their sentence or participate in the Fresh Start Recovery Program where their sentence can be reduced. An in-depth assessment is conducted for every participant to evaluate his appropriateness for the program and ensuring that his mental and physical health will be conducive to working in a therapeutic community. Once deemed appropriate participants enter the first Phase of the program.

Objective:

Our program objective is to provide primary treatment services to persons incarcerated who have used alcohol and/or other drugs and are considered to be at high risk for recidivism.

Our Program: Phase I: Intense Addiction Therapy-Units of Education

• Fatherhood Nurturing Program: This component of the program was established in collaboration with Georgia State University's Department of Social Work. This unique relationship has provided assistance and expertise with enhancing the Fatherhood initiative and facilitating education that will help improve family functioning with our participants. The objective of this unit is to improve the individual's insight, self-esteem, body image, parenting skills, and education about his addiction and communication skills. The case managers also provide support and advocacy with open child-support cases. We will also be implementing a family component that encourages family members to meet the staff and begin to learn about the disease of addiction.
• Street Life: An alternative lifestyle therapy group. Focuses on male prostitution-the behavior, risks and stigma associated with this lifestyle and addiction.
• Creative Writing/Literacy: Creative writing introduced through techniques that emphasize "writing to learn" enhances learning skills through writing. Poetry, Literature and Drama are used in psycho-educational and experiential groups that provide a conduit for creative emotional expression and understanding.
• GED Education: adult basic education instructors test all clients. Those who do not have a high school diploma or GED are placed in a program for GED preparation.
• Life Skills Program: To assist clients suffering from the disease of addiction while learning new life skills without the use/abuse of alcohol or drugs. Life skills focuses on exposing and teaching our participants the basics of productive survival upon their release from jail. The curriculum covers topics such as money management, anger management, job skills, interviewing, work ethic, conflict resolution, self-esteem and other topics necessary to function as a healthy individual avoiding re-incarceration.
• Relapse Prevention: Explores all aspects of a person's criminal history, and chemical addiction. It attempts to modify the persons behavior, thought patterns and triggers for relapse. This process is introduced after each client has been involved in the program around the 45th-50th day.
• HIV/Aids/Hepatitis/STD Education: Education provided by AID Atlanta provides education about prevention/intervention and resource information for participants.

Our Program: Phase II: Transition to the Community

The function of Phase II is to facilitate a higher level of functioning of the inmates family system, which will allow the growth of each member

Phase II of the program begins after the first 90+ days of the program with the client being placed in a recovery residence for a term of 90 days or longer. These Recovery Residences will continue to provide structure and accountability for each client while a stronger level of independence is being introduced. Clients are required, in most cases, to seek out employment during the day and attend treatment in the evening. At this stage the client has moved from a highly intensive environment to a lower level of treatment based on each client's circumstance and individual needs.

We have implemented a family component whereby family members meet the staff and begin to learn about the disease of addiction.

Aftercare provides continuity and support in the recovery process. Every Tuesday and Thursday from 6:30 - 8:00 p.m. we offer this service to all clients in phase II. The goal behind aftercare is to attempt to close the gap of accountability for each client who has completed the intensive inpatient-program. While the client has moved on to a Recovery Residence, he will be required (in most cases) to attend the aftercare program each week until his legal time has been completed. Failure to complete the program will result in an immediate report being generated and sent directly to his probation officer or to the presiding judge who mandated them to treatment.

Meet the Staff:

(from top left, clockwise) Officer Tommy L. Carter (Treatment Team Member), Officer Todd Swindle (Treatment Team Member), Officer William Daniel (Court Liaison Officer), Frank White (NCACII, CCS, Program Director), Islah S. Ali (Counselor, Educator), Ricardo S. Freeman (Substance Abuse Counselor), and Lindy R. Brewer (Counselor, Educator/Treatment Team Member)

Frank White, NCACII, CCS, Program Director