State Board of Pardons and Paroles Fiscal Year 2015 Annual Report
Reentry Offender Housing
Many offenders approved for parole have limited or no housing options. Two housing programs associated with the Parole Board may meet the needs of those released on parole depending on the parolee’s needs and eligibility.
Transitional Housing for Offender Reentry - THOR
The THOR Directory is a searchable database of community-based transitional housing programs which is accessible to everyone via http://pap.georgia.gov/transitional-housing-offender-reentry.
Employees of the Parole Board and the Department of Corrections use the THOR Directory to locate facilities that are approved for people on parole or on state probation and those reentering the community from prison. Search categories allow staff to match a facility's programs with the specific needs of offenders.
FY15 THOR Statistics
At the end of FY15, 21 structured housing facilities, 73 recovery residences, and 33 intensive recovery residences were in operation around the state. These approved facilities have met specific THOR standards that include sustaining communications with supervising officers and providing safe and healthy living environments. Biannual re-approval visits are supplemented by feedback about facility operations from community supervision officers who frequently make unannounced visits.
Reentry Partnership Housing - RPH
The Reentry Partnership Housing Program (RPH) provides housing through vendor partners to convicted felons who remain in prison after the
Parole Board has authorized their release solely because they have no residential options. RPH provides the short term financial assistance necessary to help stabilize the offender's reentry process and enhances his or her ability to remain crime-free. The Department of Community Affairs (DCA) is the administrative agent that processes all RPH funding. Participating housing providers are compensated $600 per month for up to three months, a total not to exceed $1,800 per parolee. In return, parolees are provided room and board without charge for this period. During FY15, 30 RPH providers received 415 parolees into the program. FY15 expenditures for the program were $587,590. Total estimated FY15 cost savings as a result of the fiscal year placements was $2,711,976. Eighty-
six percent of RPH placements since FY11 are on active parole or were successfully discharged.
Drug Testing/Drug Treatment in FY15
During FY15, 7,024 parolees were referred to drug treatment programs, either as a special condition of release or as an intermediate sanction for drug use. 4,164 parolees completed substance abuse treatment programs. A total of 43,123 drug tests were administered by parole officers in FY15. Drug tests identify parolees who need counseling and verify compliance with parole conditions. Testing is also used to determine the level of drug usage among those on parole.
FY15 No Turning Back Recovery Program
The No Turning Back Recovery Program located at the Washington Parole Detention Center is an intensive addiction treatment program for parolees who are both higher risk and higher need offenders who were not successful in community-based treatment and supervision. In FY15, there were 230
admissions to the program, 142 parolees graduated (including those admitted the previous year) and were returned to parole supervision, and there were 57 discharges from the program. Those offenders were returned to the general prison population.
FY15 Parolee Outpatient Substance Abuse Recovery Services
During the fiscal year there were 45 part-time, contracted substance abuse counselors delivering services to offenders under parole
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