Re-Entry Task Force
The Schenectady County Reentry Task Force (SCRTF) for short has been active since 2009 serving approximately 150 individuals per year ~1800 people with reentry services which include case planning, case management, cognitive behavioral interventions, and offender workforce development programs. The Schenectady County Reentry Task Force. The overarching and important goals are community safety and restorative justice.
SCRTF has forged partnerships with employers such as Home Depot and Price Chopper and agencies such as SCAP and Schenectady Probation to provide job help to individuals particularly by using the Ready Set Work! curriculum certified by the NYS Division of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS) and the National Institute of Corrections (NIC). Numerous individuals have begun and succeeded at employment partly through the efforts of this program.
The SCRTF helps individuals get the help they need in almost every area of life but particularly mental health, substance abuse services, legal issues, and housing. A new emphasis has begun with the SCRTF reengaging as part of the Coordinated Entry system which monitors and assists the placement of homeless individuals. Many parolees are homeless at times in the reentry process, so this is a vital and healthy part of the task force function.
The task force exists partly to address criminogenic needs. A term that means we try to help people overcome obstacles that were part of the reasons the crimes had occurred. We address this through providing means for individuals to address their thinking. Moral Reconation Therapy and Interactive Journaling are two evidence-based approaches to promote changes in thinking and behavior that the task force offers.
