The Key Village program combines therapeutic community and cognitive/behavioral therapy strategies with culturally sensitive and gender-responsive approaches designed to meet the needs of women.
A “women oriented" focus is used to deal with issues of self-esteem, sexuality/intimacy, interpersonal skills, relationships with family and significant others, cultural/ethnic identity, parenting, health issues, empowerment, job skills, leisure time, and drug/alcohol use.
Village staff is primarily female. Among the many techniques used are grief/loss groups, trauma groups dealing with domestic violence and abuse issues, HIV education, health & wellness and focused groups on re-entry and education (40% of the women at BWCI Village are involved in educational and vocational programs in the institution).
Village participants may request an overnight visit with her child(ren) or grandchildren through the Mother's Time program (Project Reconnect). Children must be between the ages of 1 and 7; two children per overnight visit. Residents become eligible for Mother’s Time after completing an eight- week parenting class. The mother and child(ren) stay in an efficacy apartment monitored by the DOC.
The program functions as a modified therapeutic community. The primary goal is for program participants to learn real-life ways to help them remain out of prison and to live a life free of crime and drugs. The program provides a complete spectrum of assessment and treatment services and is linked to CREST for women, a fully operational work-release therapeutic community that provides transitional and aftercare services to our graduates.
Evidence-Based Practices: therapeutic community model, Stephanie Covington's trauma curricula, Change Company curricula
Started in
1994
Who is helped?
Women who have been court ordered or voluntarily committed to the program as part of their incarceration.
Capacity:
58 beds.
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Last modified: 11/17/2011 8:45:57 AM