Learning Resource Program

Brief Description

The Learning Resource Program (LRP) was established with a goal to reduce recidivism through the delivery of various programs. The programs were designed to provide support, education and new coping strategies to participants referred within the criminal justice program. There are eight programs under the umbrella of the LRP that address various learning needs including, intimate partner violence, addictions and trauma, positive parenting, emotional regulation, positive non-criminogenic behavior, impaired driving awareness and sexual offending.

The programs offered by the LRP are designed and delivered to support participants in lowering the recidivism rates by helping participants feel safe, build trust, and assist them to make healthy choices in their relationships with others. Further, the programs support participants in empowering them to align themselves with their values. Facilitators are able to work within the four R’s of trauma-informed practice, realizing that trauma can have vast affects on people and communities, resisting re-traumatization, recognizing trauma symptoms, and responding appropriately to individuals experiencing trauma symptoms. Safety and Repair (intimate partner violence program) has been recognized nationally for its best practice in intimate partner violence.

Goals

The main goals of the LRP program are to:

• Work with individuals involved in the criminal justice system or at risk of being involved in the criminal justice system and provide them with trauma-informed invention and treatment to reduce the risk of recidivism for those participants;
• Provide participants with personal understanding and new coping skills so that they can live more pro-social lives in the community; and 
• Build safer communities.

Clientele

The LRP is available to individuals 18 years of age and over.The specific clientele criteria depends on the programming being accessed. Generally a person must have involvement with the criminal justice system or be at risk of involvement. The criteria for each program (e.g., Safety and Repair, Seeking Safety, Anger Solutions) varies between each program.

Core Components

LRP has nine programs to meet client needs:

1. Seeking Safety – Addictions and trauma
2. Safety and Repair – Intimate partner violence
3. Anger Solutions – Problem solving during intense emotions
4. Dad’s – Parenting group for fathers
5. Pathway to Acceptance and Recovery (PAR) – Program for persons convicted of a sexual offence
6. Criminal Behavioral Awareness – Understanding risk factors for criminal involvement)
7. Impaired Driving Awareness
8. Maintenance – Additional six sessions to any program)
9. Mental Health and Addictions Counsellor – available in-house only to support individuals in the other eight programs

Implementation Information

Some of the critical elements for the implementation of this program or initiative include the following:

• Organizational requirements: The LRP has 11 dedicated staff and one manager. There is one administrative staff, two program coordinators, seven program facilitators and one mental health and addictions counsellor. At any time, the LRP are running two virtual groups, two continuous intake groups, one closed group in institution and one or two community closed groups. For best practice, each group has two consistent facilitators.
• Partnerships: The LRP is partnered with the Dept of Justice and Public Safety (Probation, Her Majesty Penitentiary – Classification), Howard House for referrals and program delivery, and Children, Seniors and Social Development (CSSD) and Women and Gender Equality (WAGE) to offer Anger Solutions and Safety and Repair to CSSD clients referred to the program. The LRP also has unofficial partnerships with community organizations for participants supports and referrals.
• Training and technical assistance: The LRP staff are offered Professional Development yearly based on needs of the team. In addition, staff undergo an orientation training with seasoned staff member to each program within the LRP. Staff are required to hold at minimum a bachelors level in social work/psychology, or other social sciences as applicable. As staff usually provide technical support to participants using a tablet for virtual delivery, some computer literacy skills are also required.
• Risk assessment tools: Some formalized assessments include Stable and Acute 2007, ODARA, SARA, Severity of Posttraumatic Symptoms, DASD, ADS, and Brief Trauma Questionnaire.
• Materials & resources: The LRP has material and resources for each intervention program. Each program has its own manual that facilitators use for delivery of the program, which increases the continuity of care between facilitators and program locations.

International Endorsements

The most recognized classification systems of evidence-based crime prevention programs have classified this program or initiative as follows:

• Blueprints for Healthy Youth Development: Not applicable.
• Crime Solutions/OJJDP Model Program Guide: Not applicable.
• SAMHSA's National Registry of Evidence-based Programs and Practices: Not applicable.
• Coalition for Evidence-Based Policy: Not applicable.

Gathering Canadian Knowledge

Canadian Implementation Sites

The Learning Resources Program (LRP) was initially operationalized in 1994 as a strategy to provide community-based multi-faceted group psychotherapy to individuals subject to a conditional sentence (house arrest) as well as those who were released from custody under the conditions of a Rehabilitative Temporary Absence.

The LRP operates out of the John Howard Society head office in St. John’s. However, the program offers monthly travel to Grand Fall-Windsor for participants of the Intimate Partner Violence Intervention Court. The programming will be expanding to offer virtual programming provincially for Safety and Repair as well as Anger Solutions. JHS’s Stephenville office, Community Based Intervention Program offers program to Stephenville and Corner Brook area.

Main Findings from Canadian Outcome Evaluation Studies

No information available.

Cost Information

No information available.

References

There is no Canadian reference available at this time.

For more information on this program, contact:

John Howard Society

342 Penneywell Rd

St. John’s, NL

A1E 1V0

Telephone: 709-726-5500

Fax: 709-726-5509

Email:  info@jhsnl.ca