Scroll Top

University of Georgia Cooperative Extension Case Study

Portfolio Item University of Georgia Cooperative Extension Case Study
Corrections Extensions Georgia Mind Matters State Grants 0

Mind Matters in Re-Entry Program

DOWNLOAD CASE STUDY

Organization: University of Georgia Cooperative Extension – Family and Consumer Sciences

Program: Residential Substance Abuse Treatment (RSAT) Program, an intensive program for incarcerated men six months before their release dates to prepare them for re-entry into society.

Program URL: https://discover.caes.uga.edu/reshaping-futures/index.html

Funding: The Extension budget and county mental health grant plus community donations of adult coloring books.

What problem is being solved? To help inmates become less emotionally reactive and to decrease anxiety.

Curricula Used: Mind Matters: Overcoming Adversity and Building Resilience

Curricula Benefits:

  • Self-soothing skills
  • Goal setting
  • Understanding who will best support them outside of jail
  • Inmates learn skills to help them succeed out of jail

Target Audience: Inmates who are within 90 days of release

Audience Demographics: Male adult inmates; 18-75; African American and Caucasian

Class Size: 7 to 15

Program Setting: Washington County, GA  – County jail

Location of Instruction:

  • Participants are in Classroom
  • Teaching is either in person or virtually
  • Moderator is in the room

Length of Instruction (# of Sessions and hours per session): They go through all lessons – at the beginning of their RAST participation. Lessons are either taught daily or weekly

Instructors: County Family and Consumer Sciences Extension Agent

Instructor Training: Dibble’s online Mind Matters training

Participant Workbooks: All participants receive a Mind Matters workbooks

Participant Engagement: Beyond Mind Matters, inmates have the opportunity to garden, learn sewing skills, earn a ServeSafe certificate, get their GED, and participate in a community service project.

Observable Outcomes: 

  1. Inmates say they do the body scan so they can go to sleep.
  2. After 5 minutes of focused breathing, inmate said he had reduces anxiety
  3. Some now recognize when their brain gets hijacked and they can’t think or have emotional control so they need to self-soothe.
  4. Participants say that the new things they learn in Mind Matters really work.

Challenges:

  • Had to put the section on brain biology into terms the inmates can understand.
  • ACE section was hard to teach until she watched the video several times.
  • Teaching online in jail meant just one camera in the room.

Tips:

  1. Teaching Mind Matters online has been challenging and less personal.
  2. When the students want to share, have them walk up to the camera because they don’t have individual laptops.
  3. Tell participants upfront that you will ask them to do odd and weird things.
  4. Watch the Mind Matters Now videos to familiarize yourself with how to teach the program.
Prev