20210127-40736-17

Priority Area 1: Establish a Quality Improvement Unit within the Wyoming Department of Corrections
Background: Wyoming’s Justice Reinvestment legislation, HEA 0062, requires that within the Department of Corrections a QI Unit is created to monitor the administration and use of substance use disorder assessments. This legislation supports hiring and training staff for the QI Unit, the development of policies and procedures specifically related to the assessment process, and training for personnel in both the WDOC and WDH who will be working within the newly developed QI policies.

Update: In September, WDOC and CSG Justice Center staff continued discussing the metrics that should be collected as part of the duties of the QI Unit. These discussions have expanded to include conversations with the creator of the substance use disorder assessment being used to ascertain how the QI Unit may utilize the data analytics from the creator’s data management system. Additionally, CSG Justice Center staff participated in conversations with the WDOC and WDH to establish how the QI Unit and the WDH would work together to ensure that the WDOC contracted providers and WDH contracted community providers have the same understanding of the purpose of the QI Unit and scope of the QI Unit’s work to assess fidelity to the substance use disorder assessment.

Priority Area 2: Develop standardized, evidence-based treatment guidelines and practices for substance abuse treatment and programming for people in the criminal justice system.
Background: During the earlier part of Phase II, CSG Justice Center staff completed an assessment of community provider treatment practices throughout the state. The assessment found that there were inconsistent practices statewide, which could contribute to varying outcomes and costs for clients. To improve consistency, HEA 0062 requires that a set of standards be developed for programs delivering substance use disorder and behavioral health services.

Update: The biweekly meetings with the WDOC, WDH, Wyoming Association of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Centers (WAMHSAC), and CSG Justice Center staff continue. Throughout September, CSG Justice Center staff continued to receive updates on the progress the working groups were making on issues impacting the referral process for people who need additional substance use disorder or mental health treatment from community providers upon their release from a correctional facility. Additionally, CSG Justice Center staff have been working with WAMHSAC to establish a list of participants from institutional and community providers who would attend an American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) criteria training to assist with standardizing practices across the state, which will be funded by Wyoming’s category 2 subaward once it is approved.

Priority Area 3: Expand the sharing and acceptance of substance use disorder, mental health, and co-occurring assessment results between providers and WDOC.
Background: The assessment process completed by CSG Justice Center staff in the initial part of Phase II found that there was a hesitancy, or outright refusal, among some community providers to accept substance use assessments completed by other entities. The new behavioral health legislation, HEA 0062, addresses this with the requirement to improve the portability and acceptance of assessments across the state.

Update: The working group of WDOC, WDH, and providers who have been focusing on information release have made progress toward establishing a global information release, or MOU, process, that will allow for information sharing between providers within the corrections facilities, community providers, and WDOC. CSG Justice Center staff participated in a call with WDOC, WDH, WAMHSAC, a small number of providers, and Hazelden, the publisher of the Addiction Severity Index (ASI), so that all parties involved could discuss expanding information sharing between entities in the state.
Priority Area 4: Create a separate contract or separate provisions in the existing contract between WDH and the regional behavioral health providers to assure consistency and improve outcomes for people involved in the criminal justice system.
Background: Current contract standards with community providers are compliance based. With the requirements of HEA 0062 there will need to be adjustments to the contracting procedure to allow for greater monitoring and oversight by the QI Unit and to ensure consistency among practices within the community providers.

Update: Wyoming’s constitution requires the governor to submit a balanced budget to the legislature. Due to a number of factors, the state is facing a major deficit. The state is still considering additional cuts to its budget that have paused contract discussions.

Priority Area 5: Develop data tracking measures.
Background: As part of Justice Reinvestment implementation, states are required to identify and submit regular data tracking metrics to the CSG Justice Center to capture the progress of both the original 4 pieces of legislation, HEA 53, SEA 19, SEA 20, and HB 45, as well as the newest piece of legislation, HEA 0062.

Update: CSG Justice Center staff continue to receive monthly data submissions from WDOC.
Priority Area 6: Continue to assist the state with monitoring progress, collecting data, tracking outcomes, and addressing challenges with implementation of the priorities associated with HEA 53, SEA 19, SEA 20, and HEA 45.
Background: From March 2019 to March 2020, CSG Justice Center staff completed several implementation projects associated with Wyoming’s first four Justice Reinvestment bills (enacted in February 2019). These included the implementation of the PRISM incentives and sanction system, the use of 90-day sanctions, the use of substance abuse treatment and cognitive-behavioral programming in jails and prisons, the use of early discharge from supervision and capping the length of supervision, and the impact of the expansion on victim compensation periods. Active technical assistance on these projects has wound down, but CSG Justice Center staff continue to monitor their progress and outcomes.

Update: CSG Justice Center staff continue to monitor monthly data submissions to track the progress being made under the initial JR Phase II legislation. The September 2020 prison population (including contracted jail beds and Adult Community Corrections Centers) was 2,252, decreasing from a peak of 2,349 in FY2019. Other key metrics are reported to the CSG Justice Center with a significant lag time (approximately five months), so CSG Justice Center staff are awaiting more submissions to understand more recent trends in the state.

Priority Area 7: Engage and educate Wyoming stakeholders on Justice Reinvestment legislation to promote oversight and sustainability.
Background: The Joint Judiciary Committee approved legislation to monitor the implementation of Justice Reinvestment legislation for the first part of Phase II (HEA 53, SEA 19, SEA 20, and HB 45). Additionally, the Joint Labor, Health, and Social Services Committee will receive annual updates on the newly passed behavioral health legislation through 2023.

Update: In September, much of the state continued to be in a holding pattern as people awaited a determination from the governor’s office on the third round of state budget cuts. There has been some concern regarding the impact the budget cuts will have on the WDOC and providers throughout the state. Additionally, CSG Justice Center staff responded to an information request from the Chairmen of the Joint Subcommittee on Mental Health and Substance Use on examples of how other states are addressing continuity of care for people who are receiving behavioral health services in the criminal justice system.