In TASC’s mission to create a morehealthy, safe, and just society, wecollaborate with a wide variety of partnerswho share this purpose and whose dailydecisions and actions help advance socialas well as individual change.

On a direct service level, TASCprovides case management to helppeople overcome drug problems andother debilitating issues. We do this byworking with corrections, criminaljustice, child welfare, and public health

In This IssueTASC, Senator Cronin, and Local CommunitiesCollaborate to Combat Underage Drinking ...... 2

HBO Documentary Portrays Addiction andRecovery ...................................................... 2

Center for Health and Justice at TASC Insert ... i-ivTASC Recovery Coach Program News ............ 3

National Recovery Month Web Series: IllinoisExperts Featured ........................................... 3

Chicago Reporter Magazine Showcases FormerTASC Client ................................................... 3

TASC Leader Receives National Appointment .... 4

Advancing Change on a Broad Scale

News & ViewsTASCSummer 2007

TASC, Inc. (Treatment Alternatives for Safe Communities) is an independent, statewide,nonprofit agency that helps people transition beyond their involvement in criminal justicesystems and government programs, and into health and self-sufficiency in the community.Adults and youth who have drug problems or other difficulties are referred to TASC bycourts, corrections, child welfare, and other Illinois government service systems, and TASCmanages their access to community-based treatment and support. In addition, throughresearch, public policy advocacy, training, and consultation, TASC works to improve thesocial factors that affect our clients and communities. Visit us online at www.tasc.org.

agencies and community-based servicepartners to help individuals andfamilies make positive and lastingchanges in their lives.

On a systems level, TASC uses whatwe learn from our clinical practiceand service delivery to recommendsolutions that can be applied on a muchbroader scale. We work with local, state,and national partners to shape the socialstructures and public policies that affectthe people and communities we serve.This includes playing active roles incommunity outreach, systems planning,resource advocacy for treatment andrecovery, research, training, mediaoutreach, and more.

Because change on a broad scale iscentral to TASC’s purpose, we haverecently launched our Center forHealth and Justice (CHJ), whichprovides research, public policy,training, and consultation services.

Please see the enclosed insert to learnmore about CHJ and its newlyreleased report, No Entry: ImprovingPublic Safety through Cost-EffectiveAlternatives to Incarceration in Illinois.

TASC & CHJ President Melody Heapsspeaks at a press conference in Springfieldlaunching CHJ’s No Entry report.

Sheridan Correctional Center and TASCfeatured on National PBS Program

A recent episode of the national PBS program“NOW with David Brancaccio” features Illinois’Sheridan Correctional Center — a model ofconsiderable interest for California and otherstates facing prison overcrowding and highrecidivism rates.

As Brancaccio explains, the Sheridan program“doesn’t end at the prison gates, but continuesthrough the entire parole process, which is atleast months, but could be years.” TASC and ateam of community-based service providerswork under the leadership of the IllinoisDepartment of Corrections (IDOC) to ensurethat individuals receive the clinical services,job training, and supervision they need, notonly while they are incarcerated, butparticularly after they are released.

NOW follows three participants (each atdifferent points in the Sheridan program)and includes interviews with WardenMichael Rothwell, IDOC Assistant DirectorDeanne Benos, and TASC Recovery SupportServices Coordinator Tommie Johnson.

To view the full program or download apodcast or written transcript, go towww.pbs.org/now/shows/322/index.html

This issue of TASC News & Views is dedicated to the broad-level strategies andactivities that affect the people and communities we serve.

News & ViewsTASC

In partnership with State SenatorDan Cronin (R - 21), Breaking Free,and two DuPage high schools, TASCco-convened community forumsthat gave teens and parents theopportunity to discuss solutions tounderage drinking. The events wereheld at Glenbard South High Schooland York Community High Schoolin May.

“We can learn from one another bysharing information and talkingopenly about the issue,” said SenatorCronin. “Our aim is to give parentsand teens practical strategies forkeeping friends and family memberssafe and healthy.”

TASC, Senator Cronin, and Local Communities Collaborate toCombat Underage Drinking

TASC VicePresident PeterPalanca offeredkeynote remarksand emphasizedthat the currentculture of underagedrinking is not justabout youth.“Parents, faculty,communityleaders, the media,and alcoholvendors themselvesall play critical rolesin creating anenvironment whereyouth can make healthy decisions.”

Over 500 people gathered at thePalmer House Hilton in Chicago thisspring to view the premiere of HBO’sdocumentary, Addiction. The film –which recently won a media awardfrom the National Institute on DrugAbuse (NIDA) and the College OnProblems of Drug Dependence –portrays individuals, family members,

HBO Documentary Portrays Addiction and Recoveryemployees, and others who strugglewith the consequences of addictionand the challenges of recovery.

The event, which included a paneldiscussion following the filmpresentation, was presented by A SafeHaven along with local and nationalpartners. Similar events wereorganized across the country.

Members of TASC’s Winners’ Circle, apeer-led support group designed toaddress the special needs of formerlyincarcerated individuals in recovery, alsoorganized a special showing of the film.

“It’s a reality,” said Pastor Larry Robertsof Trinity All Nations Church, whichhosted the event for the Winners’Circle. “It’s a wake up call andsomething can be done about it.”

“It shows what you go through,” saida Winners’ Circle member. “Now Iknow I can get some help.”

The Addiction Project is a partnershipbetween HBO, the Robert WoodJohnson Foundation, NIDA, and theNational Institute on Alcohol Abuseand Alcoholism (NIAAA).

To view the complete HBO Addictiondocumentary series online for free orto purchase the DVD, visit:www.hbo.com/addiction/.

More than 300 students and parents gathered at York HighSchool to discuss solutions to underage drinking.

Panelists discuss the HBO film, Addiction. (L - R) Dona Howell, coordinator of substanceabuse services for the Illinois Department of Corrections; Neli Vazquez-Rowland, co-founder of A Safe Haven; Theodora Binion-Taylor, director of the Illinois Division ofAlcoholism and Substance Abuse; and Peter Palanca, vice president of TASC.

Visit us online at www.tasc.org

Leaders from the newly establishedCenter for Health and Justice (CHJ)at TASC joined Illinois Houseand Senate lawmakers, numeroustreatment providers, and othersupporters at a press conferencein Springfield, Illinois in May tolaunch CHJ’s newest report,No Entry: Improving Public Safetythrough Cost-Effective Alternatives toIncarceration in Illinois.

Springfield Press Conference LaunchesCenter for Health and Justice and No Entry Report

State Senator Mattie Hunter(D-Chicago), State RepresentativeWilliam Delgado (D-Chicago),and State Senator Donne Trotter(D-Chicago) spoke in support ofthe report’s proposed policy changesand encouraged other lawmakersto approve an initial down paymentof $10 million to provide treatmentfor 2,200 non-violent, drug-involved offenders.

The Center for Health and Justice(CHJ) at TASC seeks to connectresearch and practice in ways thatcreate healthy and safe communities.

To do this, CHJ works in cooperationwith health and justice experts andcommunity leaders to identify potentialimprovements in programs, practices,and systems. We conduct research,convene decision makers, and offertraining and consultation services.Currently, CHJ’s focus is on issues

related to the preventionand treatment ofsubstance use disorders,primarily as they affectindividuals in or atrisk of involvementin the criminaljustice system.

For moreinformation on CHJand its reports andupcoming initiatives, visitwww.centerforhealthandjustice.org.

“New and harsher prison penaltieshave successfully emptiedcommunities of sons and daughters,filled prisons with non-violent, drug-involved offenders, and returnedthem untreated to their communities,only to repeat their experience,” saidMelody Heaps, president of TASCand CHJ. “Our plan breaks thecycle,” she said. (See report excerpt,next page).

Abbie Alford of WCFN-Springfield interviews Director ofthe Sangamon County Adult Probation DepartmentMichael Torchia (left) and TASC Administrator Kent Holsopple.

(L - R) State Senator Mattie Hunter, TASC & CHJ President MelodyHeaps, State Senator Donne Trotter, and State RepresentativeWilliam Delgado at the press conference in Springfield.

i

What Is the Center for Health and Justice at TASC?

ii

The United States has a rateof criminal justiceinvolvement far higher thanany in the world, withmore than seven millionindividuals under someform of justice supervisionat any given time. Illicitdrug use has played aprimary role in thepopulation explosionwithin the Americanjustice system.

The fundamental problemis that we send non-violent, drug-involvedoffenders to prison whenthere are more effectiveand cost-efficientalternatives available.

No Entry: Improving Public Safety through Cost-EffectiveAlternatives to Incarceration in IllinoisExcerpt from new report by the Center for Health and Justice at TASC

Principles of No Entry

Principle I: Public policies mustrecognize addiction as a braindisease. They must ref lect a scientificunderstanding of the physiologicaland psychological nature ofaddiction as well as an understandingof the value of treatment andrecovery support mechanisms.

Principle II: Public policies mustacknowledge the link between drug useand criminal behavior. To stop the cycleof drug use and crime, the underlyingdrug use must be addressed.

Principle III: Public policies mustreverse the devastating impact ofcurrent laws, strategies, and practices

that disproportionately harmminority communities. They mustconsider the implications of policiesthat perpetuate disparities, and workto reverse the undue impact to certaincommunities and groups of people.

Principle IV: Public policies mustbring sentencing statutes in line withan equitable dispensation of justice.They must promote rather thandiscourage involvement in treatmentalternatives, and they must abandonarbitrary penalty classifications thatresult in unnecessarily harsh sentenceswhich debilitate families andcommunities throughout Illinois.

Principle V: Public policies mustprovide taxpayers with a return ontheir investment in public safety andpublic health. They must result notonly in greater levels of public safety,but must also represent the wise useof taxpayer dollars.

Principle VI: Public policies mustrecognize voter support for treatmentalternatives to incarceration. Theymust acknowledge that “smart oncrime” indeed is also “tough oncrime” and that the public sees thesocial and f iscal value of treatment asan alternative to incarceration.

The Center for Health and Justice atTASC proposes a public policystrategy of No Entry, which isdesigned to reverse the f low of drug-involved individuals going into andthrough the criminal justice system.No Entry involves structured, clinicalinterventions at every phase of justiceinvolvement to address offender druguse and related criminal behavior,promoting public safety and ensuringfiscal responsibility.

Six core principles guide a No Entryparadigm and are critical in thedevelopment of public policy to stopthe recurring cycle of drug use andcrime (see inset below).

For a complete copy of the report andrecommendations, visitwww.centerforhealthandjustice.org.

iii

In a recent interview with TASC,Presiding Judge of the Cook CountyCriminal Division Paul P. Biebel, Jr.shared his perspectives on the CookCounty courts and strategies used to helpinterrupt cycles of drug use and crime.

TASC: What are some of the trendsyou’ve seen, particularly with regard todrug-involved offenders?

Judge Biebel: There are a large number ofpeople that are coming through our criminaljustice system as a result of drug use ormental health issues. Statistics show that amuch larger percentage of people in thecriminal justice system have problems withdrug use, mental illness, or co-occurringissues of mental illness and drug use than youwould find in the general population.

What we often see are individuals usingdrugs because they are seeking to escapefrom the conditions they are in or the issuesthat they possess. And we tend to see theseindividuals again and again if their issues ofmental illness or drug abuse are notadequately addressed.

These realities place a significant burden oncourts and other criminal justice resources inboth the number of cases that come throughthe system and the time and personneldedicated to these cases.

TASC: What are some of thestrategies and programs that the CookCounty court system has put in placeto deal with drug-using offenders?

Judge Biebel: Cook County has beenextremely innovative in creating partnershipsamong agencies within the court system(such as the judiciary, the sheriff, state’sattorney, public defender, and probation)and organizations outside the traditionalcriminal justice system (such as drug andmental health treatment providers, TASC,and various community groups).

Stopping Cycles of Drugs and CrimeA Judge’s Perspective

Programs such as the Cook County State’sAttorney’s Drug Abuse Program, commonlyknown as Drug School; the Cook CountySheriff’s Boot Camp and Women’s JusticeServices; specialized drug and mental healthcourts; intensive probation; and TASC-monitored probation help offenders deal withtheir substance abuse issues and reduce therisk of re-offense. These programs are availableat different points in the criminal justiceprocess and help interrupt drug use and crimebefore they turn into bigger problems.

For example, Drug School deals with over4,000 cases each year. The state’s attorneyswill tell you that even if someone doesn’tfinish the program, the fact that they are in itwill help reduce recidivism. The longer theystay in the program the greater the chancethat they won’t recidivate.

Diversion programs such as Drug School areimportant because if people can be divertedfrom the criminal justice system, particularlytheir first time in, they won’t be saddled with arecord that could make it difficult to get jobsor go to college. Instead, an opportunity isprovided to better understand issues relatedto drug use and an incentive is offered to helppeople deal with these problems andultimately move on with their lives.

TASC: What’s working? What wouldyou like to see more of?

Judge Biebel: All these programs areworking, and the reason why they are workingis because all the partners work together.

There are no turf wars going on between andamong the various agencies. And TASC iskind of a partner with everybody, beinginvolved with evaluations, and ultimatelyhelping with placement and housing andthings like that. These are complicated issuesthat affect some communities verysignificantly and what we’re trying to do isgive people who want it the chance tochange for the better.

As time goes on, we continue to look atadding to or improving these programs bykeeping them current with what research andpractice have proven works. For example,we’re working with systems in New York tolearn more about addressing issues ofhomelessness and how you deal with housing.Housing is a big issue. Making sure thatindividuals with drug or mental healthdisorders are in safe housing will only helptoward building the success of our programs.Also, focusing on job training and educationis important. Improving chances of returningto school, getting a GED, or a job helpseveryone — the individuals in the program,their families, and their communities, too.

TASC: What can we do as citizens,family members, community leaders,judges, service providers, educators,policymakers, etc.?

Judge Biebel: There has to be a realization ofthe pervasiveness of this problem and theimportance of intervening as early and aseffectively as possible. Continuing to educatearound this issue is key, so that when money isshort the policymakers who are providing thebudgets for these agencies will understandthat these are worthwhile and beneficialprograms, from a human standpoint and froman economic standpoint as well.

We all need to look into what we can do interms of understanding these issues morethoroughly and passing that understandingalong to others.

Presiding Judge of the Cook CountyCriminal Division Paul P. Biebel, Jr.

News & ViewsTASC

The Cook County State’s Attorney’sDrug Abuse Program (SADAP),commonly known as Drug School, isan example of the practical applicationof a No Entry approach. The programidentifies and intervenes with drug-involved offenders before theybecome a burden on the criminaljustice system and taxpayers.

SADAP places f irst-time, low-leveldrug offenders in drug educationsessions as an alternative to a felonyconviction or jail time. Participantslearn how drug abuse harms theirhealth, and how a felony convictionhurts their family, their community,and their future. After successfulcompletion of the program,participants may quickly expungecriminal charges related to theircase. Those not completing SADAPare rerouted to traditional court,which is far more time-consumingand expensive for the criminaljustice system.

Cook County diverts over 4,000cases each year to SADAP. Accordingto the State’s Attorney’s Office, ofthe individuals who register for theprogram, 80 to 90 percent completeDrug School, and 83 percent ofthese had no further arrests for drugcrimes in the three years followingprogram completion.

The average individual cost forSADAP, from beginning to end, is$1531. By comparison, the estimatedcost of prosecution per individual is$652, not including costs associatedwith trial, police testimony, orsentences of probation or supervision.Very conservatively, Drug Schoolsaves Cook County $499 per client.2

Across the state, TASC and itspartners continue to educate others onthe benefits of diversionary programssuch as SADAP. If you are interestedin starting a drug school in your area,contact your local TASC

administrator. A list of TASCadministrators can be found atwww.tasc-il.org/preview/Contact.html#regionaloffices.

1 Averages based on 2001-2005 enrollments.2 1-year drug re-arrest rates of unsuccessful

participants are approximately 51%, comparedto just 10% for successful participants.

iv

A No Entry Program Example: State’s Attorney’s Drug Abuse Program

Below are excerpts from a letter TASC received from a client who completed the

SADAP program.

Visit us online at www.tasc.org

Chicago Reporter Magazine Showcases Former TASC Client

(L - R) Andrew Atchison and Brian Drummond at celebration for Sheridan Program graduates

“Man of Focus,” an online article in the Chicago Reporter’s recent Children of theIncarcerated series, covers Andrew Atchison’s journey toward positive change after hisrelease from the Sheridan Correctional Center. Today, he owns and operates a barbershopand remodeling service and runs a gym for youth in Chicago’s Englewood community. Inthe words of Andrew’s former TASC clinical reentry case manager, Brian Drummond, “Hehad a spark, he just needed a focus. He is that focused man today.”To read the article, visit www.chicagoreporter.com/2007/3-2007/profiles/focus.htm

TASC President Melody M. Heaps andCongressman Danny K. Davis (IL-7) are amongthe panelists featured in this year’s NationalAlcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Monthweb series, The Road to Recovery. The Roadto Recovery is a web and cable televisionprogram sponsored by the Center forSubstance Abuse Treatment (CSAT).

Ms. Heaps is part of the July webcast, Treatmentand Recovery: Reducing the Burden on theJustice System and Society, with panelistsdiscussing the practical and economic benefitsof providing treatment to offenders who havedrug problems. Congressman Davis will befeatured in Investing in Treatment: Policymakers’Positive Impact on Their Community, which isscheduled to air in September.

The 2007 season focuses on the NationalRecovery Month theme: Join the Voices forRecovery: Saving Lives, Saving Dollars! Allwebcasts can be viewed online atwww.recoverymonth.gov/2007/multimedia/webcastmenu.aspx or orderedby calling 1-800-729-6686.....

National Recovery MonthWeb Series: IllinoisExperts Featured

The Alton Telegraph (Metro East)recently featured TASC’s RecoveryCoach program, which assists parentswhose alcohol/drug problems havecaused them to lose custody of theirchildren. Working under theleadership of the Illinois Department ofChildren and Family Services (DCFS),TASC recovery coaches provideintensive outreach and support toparents as they access treatment andother services, stabilize their lives, andlearn to become healthy parents.

The Telegraph fittingly describesTASC’s role as similar to a life coach orpersonal trainer where “the one-to-onerelationship allows the coach or trainerto guide the client every step of the waytoward getting where they want to be.”

The program was initiated in CookCounty in 2000, and a five-yearoutcome study conducted by theUniversity of Illinois at Urbana-

Champaign demonstrated its successand cost-effectiveness. TASC’srecovery coach services resulted ingreater access to substance abusetreatment services, greaterparticipation in treatment, increasedrates of family reunification, and asavings to DCFS of approximately$5.6 million over five years.

June marked the beginning of servicesin Madison and St. Clair counties. Inthese locations and in Cook County,the program includes placement in drugtreatment and intensive casemanagement involving enhancedlinkages to mental health, housing, anddomestic violence intervention services.

For more information on theRecovery Coach Program in theMetro East area, contact John Pruettat (618) 656-7672 or jpruett@tasc-il.org. In Cook County, please callMarc Smith at (312) 738-8933 ormsmith@tasc-il.org.

TASC Recovery Coach Program News

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TASC Board of DirectorsLouis B. Garippo, ChairmanBarbara J. Hillman, SecretaryNoel Dennis, TreasurerClarissa CerdaJim DurkanRev. Calvin Morris, Ph.D.Randolph N. Stone

Executive StaffMelody M. Heaps, PresidentPamela F. Rodriguez, Executive Vice PresidentPeter Palanca, Vice PresidentRoy Fesmire, Vice President & Chief Financial Officer

Administrative Office1500 N. Halsted • Chicago, IL 60622Phone: (312) 787-0208 • Fax: (312) 787-9663Comments may be sent to above address

c/o: Sharon SheridanDeputy Director of CommunicationsOr via email: ssheridan@tasc-il.org

To find a regional office in Illinois near youplease visit: www.tasc-il.org/preview/Contact.html#regionaloffices

Administrative Offices1500 N. Halsted St.Chicago, IL 60622

Address Service Requested

TASC Non-Profit Org.U.S. Postage

PaidChicago, IllinoisPermit No. 9519

Pamela Rodriguez, executive vicepresident of TASC, was named one ofnine juvenile justice experts across thenation to serve on the federalCoordinating Council on JuvenileJustice and Delinquency Prevention.

The council is an independentorganization in the U.S. executivebranch that coordinates all federaljuvenile delinquency prevention anddetention programs. Ms. Rodriguezwas appointed to the council becauseof her longtime advocacy on behalf ofyouth who are involved in juvenilejustice and child welfare systems.

TASC Leader Receives NationalAppointment

TASC receives significant funding from the Illinois Department of Human Services, Division ofAlcoholism and Substance Abuse (DASA).

TASC is licensed by DASA and the Illinois Department of Human Services, Department of Children andFamily Services (DCFS), and is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities.

If you would like to donate to TASC’sLeadership Award Luncheon,please send contributions to:

TASC, Inc., ATTN: Communications Dept.1500 N. Halsted • Chicago, IL 60622

(312) 573-8223 • ssheridan@tasc-il.org

Thank you for your support!

TASC is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization. Funding forTASC’s services comes from a variety of federal, state

and local entities, as well as private donors.

Save the Date

TASC’s 2007Leadership Award Luncheon

Celebrating 30 Years

Wednesday, September 19, 200711:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Hotel InterContinental505 N. Michigan Ave. • Grand Ballroom