Module 5: Targeted Intervention Strategies

The visual below indicates how Targeted Intervention Strategies are included in the Transition from Jail to Community model. They comprise one of five key system elements that must be in place for the TJC model to work.

Targeted Intervention Strategies

Welcome to Targeted Intervention Strategies. This module provides an overview of targeted intervention strategies that are designed to improve the outcomes of people transitioning from jail to the community. This module also will explain how to use the Triage Matrix Implementation Tool to match offenders to the appropriate intervention and how to use the risk-need-responsivity model to increase the likelihood of success for those transitioning from jail to the community.

"Reentry of citizens to our communities is an issue that can and should be addressed beginning within our facilities, from admission all the way through release and assimilation back into our communities. What better time could there be to begin to identify and address inmates' risks and needs than while they are within our care and custody? It is imperative that all of our treatment strategies, both in custody and post release, target and address individual needs consistently to utilize our resources wisely and insure the best possible long-term public safety outcomes."

Katherine Tilley Burns, Re-entry Coordinator,
Jacksonville Sheriff's Office, Jacksonville, Florida

This module has three sections and should take 10 to 15 minutes to complete.

The recommended audience for this module includes:

  • Sheriffs
  • Jail administrators
  • Correction officers
  • Jail treatment staff
  • Community corrections staff
  • Reentry coordinators
  • Judges and Officers of the Court
  • Pretrial Services Staff
  • Community providers
  • Probation officers
  • Pretrial services
  • County commissioners
  • County board members
  • Criminal justice council members

This module also includes resource lists for additional reading.

Module Objectives

This module provides information that will help you to understand why and how targeted intervention strategies form the core of the Transition from Jail to Community (TJC) model at the individual level and comprise the basic building blocks for effective jail-to-community transition.

Improving transition at the individual level involves the introduction of specific interventions targeted by need at critical points along the jail-to-community continuum. The underlying premise, based on research, is that interventions addressing high-risk needs at these key points can facilitate reintegration and reduce reoffending, thereby increasing long-term public safety.

Critical to this approach are the principles that:

  • Interventions should begin in jail with the booking process and continue, as needed, throughout incarceration and upon release into the community.
  • Targeted and more intensive interventions should be used for medium- to high-risk offenders identified through the assessment process, as they are most likely to recidivate.
  • Interventions should be tailored to the specific needs, risks, and strengths of each individual.
  • In-jail intervention should be applied to both sentenced and pre-trial inmates.

This module discusses the:

  • Primary elements of targeted intervention strategies.
  • Benefits of using targeted intervention strategies to help people transitioning from jail to the community.
  • Research that supports the principles underlying targeted intervention strategies.

This module contains the following three sections:

  1. A Triage Approach to Targeted Interventions
  2. The Risk-Need-Responsivity Model for Assessment and Rehabilitation
  3. Terms Used in the Field

By the end of this module, you should be able to:

  • Explain why targeted intervention strategies are needed.
  • Complete the Triage Matrix Implementation Tool.
  • Identify the key transition intervention strategies of the TJC's Implementation Roadmap.
  • Discuss the research that supports targeted intervention strategies.
  • Understand the risk-need-responsivity model for assessment and rehabilitation.

Download Module 5 in PDF format.