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Criminal Justice

Commitment to Change:
A Substance Abuse Education Program

Travis State Jail
8101 FM 969
Austin, Texas 78724

For 10 years, Travis County has been actively involved in planning and preparing state jail confinees for re-entry into our community. The Criminal Justice Planning Department (CJP), in partnership with the Counseling and Education Services Department (CES), has implemented a new Commitment to Change (CTC) program at the Travis County Community Justice Center. The program began operation in August 2005.

  • Dr. Nagy, Adult Probation Department (CSCD) Director, recommended using an evidence-based practice curriculum called Criminal Conduct and Substance Abuse Treatment: Strategies for Self Improvement and Change by Kenneth Wanberg & Harvey Milkman.
  • The new 6-month program has a 400-hour curriculum divided into 3 separate phases, with 90 days of post-release aftercare.
  • In addition to substance abuse counseling and employability techniques, program participants (and family members) will receive family and marriage counseling and parenting skills classes through Family Forward.
  • 24 selected confinees will begin the first phase, with a new class of 24 added every 3 months for a total of 96 confinees participating in the program.
  • The program has been expanded to include the female confinees incarcerated at Woodman State Jail, as well as their family members. Expected start date is in mid-2006.
  • During the 90-day post-release aftercare phase of the CTC program, participants that are homeless will receive a limited amount of housing assistance that will aid them in becoming self-sufficient.
  • Family Forward will facilitate a Family Support Group and Parenting Skills Class at the CJC and will provide support classes for spouses and children in the community.

Commitment to Change Long Term Goals

  • Ideally, the CTC program would begin at the County Jail while inmates are in pre-trial status. Following their jail sentence, the inmate would complete the program in the community while on probation or parole, or while serving their sentence at the State Jail.
  • CJP is working with the triad of CES, CSCD, and TCSO to implement the program system wide so every substance abuse offender may use the same program curriculum.
  • Certain county jail inmates could be released early, with the completion of the CTC program as a condition of their sentence/probation.
  • Some technical parole violators could also be released to complete the CTC program at TDCJ’s Parole Day Resource Center, ultimately reducing the jail's daily population.

CTC program staff:

Tyrone Campbell, Program Coordinator
512-674-3873
tyrone.campbell@co.travis.tx.us

Mark Spacht, Supervisor
512-674-3873
mark.spacht@co.travis.tx.us

Carmen Hall, Licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor
512-674-3879
carmine.hall@co.travis.tx.us

Jackquline Chase, Administrative Assistant
512-674-3879
Jackquline.chase@co.travis.tx.us


Last Modified:
Friday, November 6, 2009 1:39 PM

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