Illinois RSAT Success Story

 

A Case Study of Aftercare Case Management

 
Prior to August 2006, JG, a 30 year old African American male, was in the Air National Guard and worked as an aircraft mechanic. He was a weekend binge drinker. In August 2006, JG was sentenced to the Graham Correctional Center for multiple DUI’s and Aggravated DUI/Death of Another. This was his first incarceration. He was sentenced to 3 years and was ordered to serve 85% of his sentence, 30 ½ months.
 
While at Graham, JG voluntarily entered the Center’s residential substance abuse treatment (RSAT) program. His initial participation and motivation was poor and he was removed from the program. Subsequently, however, he reapplied, entered the program again and successfully completed it.
 
In November 2009, JG was paroled from Graham with 2 years to serve on parole. Prior to leaving the facility he met with a TASC aftercare case manager who facilitated entry into treatment upon release. TASC provides reentry case management services in Illinois that start in the prisons and continue in the community.
 
The TASC aftercare case manager monitored his substance abuse attendance at a community treatment facility, facilitated communication between the treatment facility and parole, ensured his participation in recovery support activities, and maintained contact with the client as he worked to establish his life and recovery in the community.
 
JG returned to college and completed his Bachelor’s Degree at Southern Illinois University. He returned to attending church. It was not easy for him. He struggled at times, had several jobs, had several changes of addresses in the process of finding a decent place to live. Upon completion of college, he moved to the Chicago area and reunited with his family of origin.
 
He obtained a temporary job to make ends meet while he attempted to find a job related to his degree in the computer field. In the interim, JG was tested periodically for both alcohol and drug use; testing consistently negative. He successfully completed all three stages of his aftercare program. As a result, his parole agent voluntarily submitted him for early discharge from parole but that was denied due to the severity of his charges. At the present time, JG continues to be drug and alcohol free, has not re-offended, is engaged in positive activities and has created a life for himself that is back on track thanks to a jail based RSAT program followed by aftercare.