RESOURCES:
Washtenaw County Sheriff's Office
TRANSCRIPTION:
Caroline MacGregor: You're listening to 89.1 WEMU. I'm Caroline MacGregor. And today, we're talking about a program called RAPID. This is a pre-arrest program that aims to prevent young people from entering the criminal legal system. It's a partnership between the Washtenaw County Sheriff's Office and Corner Health Center, and they recently joined forces to form RAPID. And through this collaboration, Corner Health and the Sheriff's Department aim to reduce recidivism, strengthen community relationships, and promote accountability and other options for youth in our community. With me today to talk about the program are Washtenaw County Sheriff Alyshia Dyer and Degaryia Witten. She's the Corner Health Specialized Alternative to Sentencing Support Program Manager and lead for the Center's Justice Division. Welcome to both of you!
Alyshia Dyer: Thank you so much!
Degaryia Witten: Thank you for having us!
Caroline MacGregor: Degaryia, I'll turn to you first, if you don't mind. I'd like to ask what initiated this program in the first place?
Degaryia Witten: That's a great question! My work at Corner Health is already in justice. And, like you said, I am the program manager of our SASS program. And it was just a no-brainer when we were presented with this opportunity to create the RAPID program, which is a three-track program that starts with intervention, which is in the schools, and also receive community referrals. And this is for our youth who may be at risk of entering into the justice system, who may have experienced different barriers that may stop them from going to school or having behavioral issues and things of that sort. And then, we have our pre-arrest deflection program that we're here to talk about with Sheriff Dyer. And regarding this program and this partnership, it felt like a no-brainer to me regarding their mission and regarding Corner Health's mission. Our mission is to provide judgment-free care for all of our young people in the Washtenaw County, who is in the age range of 12 through 25, and just to be able to provide an alternative to arrest for our deputies and for our young people in the county. And then, finally, our third track is re-entry to help individuals and young people re-enter back into society with the proper support.
Caroline MacGregor: So, this program, obviously, for families offers a meaningful alternative to the legal system. And some of these matters concerning youth, the trouble they get into can be complex, and they can be in and out of the system. Sheriff Dyer, tell me a little bit if you would, about how your deputies identify people who can enter this program.
Alyshia Dyer: So, this partnership ,we are really excited about and talking with Degaryia, as well as just the overall partnership with Corner Health Center because, oftentimes in the past, deputies would get called right to 911 calls for service, whether it's a family trouble or a parent that is trying to talk to their child and just really stressed out. And oftentimes, they were responding without tools to really divert or give them resources. And so, what this program is effectively going to do now is it gives them another tool in their tool belt to where when they do get called. And if people meet the criteria, they can then refer the family, it's entirely voluntary, to RAPID through the Corner Health Center. And so, it's also very deeply inligned with our Sheriff's Office mission and values. We are working to build a safer and more just and compassionate Washtenaw County. And that really starts with our youth, and it starts with supporting our youth and making sure that we are doing everything we can when we're out in the community, ensuring public safety, that we are giving youth opportunities that, whenever possible, avoid the legal system.
Caroline MacGregor: Degaryia, tell me a little bit about how the program works, specifics of when these people are identified by the deputies and your Corner Health Center. How do the referrals actually take place, specifics from when the deputies identify these people?
Degaryia Witten: We created cards for our deputies to hand out to our potential clients. And it has all of the information on there. It has a QR code on there as well to make it very simple for our clients, and they can have the option to contact us, like coming to our building, or we contact them within 72 business hours. Once we have contacted them, we do something called an initial contact. In this place, we're just gathering general contact information, general background information, and also setting an appointment time for them to have their intake. Now, the intake is a little more intense. We have a variety of questions. We do an assessment with them as well. And once that intake is complete, we take the information that our clients give us in the intake, and we create something called an "individualized service plan". And what this is is a roadmap for our clients. It's very important to us that we have a collaborative approach when it comes to this individualized service plan because we want our clients to feel as if they are at the center of their growth and at the center of their programming. So, we want to make sure that the goals that we set with our clients are goals that they actually agree with and goals that they say they want to attain. And then, from there, they enter into programming with us. We do case management with them, weekly therapy, we do life skills, we do emotional regulation, conflict resolution, and we also go over their decision-making skills. And regarding what they have on their individualized service plan, we focus on that as well. So, for an example, if we have clients who have food insecurity or housing insecurity, or if they have goals to continue their education, get their GED, or even start college courses, we take that at the forefront. We triage what their goals are, and we make sure that, whatever is most important, we handle that first. The program is about three to six months. Once they're complete and finished, they do not go through a formal processing with our law enforcement.
Caroline MacGregor: If you're just joining us, we're talking about RAPID, a pre-arrest deflection program in Washtenaw County. Okay. So, this partnership, this is really the start of this particular aspect of RAPID. Correct?
Degaryia Witten: Yes. The pre-arrest deflection piece, absolutely. So, it allows our deputies and our young people a second opportunity or a different approach. So, that arrest is not just the only option. But then, we do have the intervention piece, which happens at the school before they even have law enforcement contact.
Caroline MacGregor: So, it seems to be an evolving program, but it sounds like the benefits will be huge. Sheriff Dyer, what are your hopes for this program for the future, given that so many young people who enter the legal system find it so hard to get out and it's just this revolving door?
Alyshia Dyer: My hopes are we help to give youth the tools they need to be successful and to thrive. I think that this is going to offer much needed resources and areas that have been underinvested in in our county for decades. You know, something that really hits home when I think about this program is when I was working as a police officer still, before I was Sheriff, moms would come to me all the time and they say, "Why does my kid have to get in trouble before they get any help?" And this is something that is that, right? It is an option for them to get services and to get person-centered, compassionate treatment and help for their unique needs in a way that is inclusive and supportive of their success. And so, my hope is that this will have long-term positive effects for our entire county, especially our young people who are the future of leadership in Washtenaw County and beyond.
Caroline MacGregor: You know, in the past, families have really been at a loss for resources or support to turn to, and this sounds like a real answer to that, which could be hugely impactful in our society.
Alyshia Dyer: I agree 100%. And the Sheriff's Office is proud to partner with the Corner Health Center to start this piece of RAPID with the youth deflection because, also, we are accountable to the community we serve. And our community has made it very clear that they want more opportunities for our youth. And whenever possible, we should be trying to give youth support because we know the data is very clear. The more that youth are involved in our legal system, the less likely they are able to get out. And so, the hope is that this can really prevent that incarceration later down the years. It can really give people that pathway to be successful.
Caroline MacGregor: Degaryia, what age groups are targeted in this program, as far as their ability to participate?
Degaryia Witten: That is a great question! Corner Health's age range is 12 through 25, and that does mimic this program as well.
Caroline MacGregor: Okay. And, Sheriff Dyer, the launch of this program comes at a point of conflict between the Sheriff's Department and the county with recent budget concerns raised by the county, for example. Will this have any impact on the program?
Alyshia Dyer: So, that is what I'm really excited about. We have worked all year to make sure that we can implement the values of our community at a cost that is as fiscally responsible as possible. And we are not actually having to provide financial support for this program. So, we are not asking the county for any additional financial support. This is a partnership that we came together and Corner Health Center is supporting, and we have made it work. And so, it would not be impacted by the budget concerns. And I'll say it's my intention as Sheriff to work collaboratively with the county, as well as all of our nonprofits and community organizations. Because regardless of any disputes around budget or finances, at the end of the day, what's important is this work--the work that we all do every day to make sure our young people can be successful. And oftentimes, the positives and the successes, they're not often highlighted. And so, I am really glad today that we could talk about this work, as well as the overall rapid program at the Corner Health Center.
Caroline MacGregor: Okay. Degaryia, would you mind telling me a little bit more about the budget for the program from your side of things?
Degaryia Witten: Absolutely! I do want to clarify that the partnership with the Washtenaw County Sheriff's Office is with the pre-arrest deflection component of this program. However, the partnership regarding this entire program RAPID, we are so grateful to be funded by the Herrick Foundation, and we also partner with Eastern Michigan University's School of Social Work as well for our re-entry components. But our funding comes from our lovely friends at the Herrick Foundation. And I'm just very excited for this partnership for all of the lives that will be impacted positively and just honored to be able to provide an alternative.
Caroline MacGregor: Okay. I've been joined today by Washtenaw County Sheriff Alyshia Dyer and Degaryia Witten, Program Manager of the Corner Health Justice Division. Thank you so much to both of you for joining me today!
Degaryia Witten: Thank you for having me!
Alyshia Dyer: Thank you!
Caroline MacGregor: This is 89.1 WEMU-FM Ypsilanti.
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