The document summarizes academic and workforce education programs at the Montana Women's Prison and Passages Pre-Release Center that aim to provide skills training and education to incarcerated women. It details required and elective courses offered at each facility covering topics like writing, math, vocational skills, and credit-bearing college courses. Statistics on program participation and outcomes like graduation, job placement, and low recidivism rates are provided. It also describes the Billings Area Reentry Task Force, a collaborative effort between community organizations to support women transitioning back into the community.

1. Academic and Workforce Education at the Montana Women’s Prison and Passages Pre-Release Center Pathways to Self Sufficiency

2. Who we are: Kim Gillan, Director Cindy Bell, Coordinator Shaun Hoover, Project Associate Core instructors: Mary Baker, Karen Henderson, Janice Munsell, Melanie Schwarz, Tami Haaland, Darryl Grove, Dennis Kern How we are funded: Four grants from the U.S. Department of Justice.

3. Montana Women’s Prison Required Coursework Achieve Global Work Skills Family Economics and Financial Education Introduction to Math OR Intermediate Math Introduction to Writing Skills for Success Career Pathways 124 hours total

4. Writing instructor Karen Henderson and Shannon Peltier FEFE Instructor Janice Munsell and Tara Syverson Math Instructor Mary Baker and class

5. Montana Women’s Prison Elective Coursework—Vocational Skills Flagger Certification Introduction to Carpentry HAZMAT Certification First Aid/CPR Certification OSHA 10 Introduction to Blueprints Concrete Laying

6. Warren Smeltzer and Jobyna Stump learning to shoot grade Nicole Moore, Instructor Darryl Grove, and Jim Corson (Max Baucus’ office) Nicole’s model house Warren Smeltzer, MT Laborer’s Training Program, and Jackie Hager, nervous bobcat operator

7. Montana Women’s Prison Elective Coursework—Academic Skills Non-credit courses Literature Introduction to Philosophy Creative Writing Graphic Design Small Business Planning Ethics (upcoming) Credit–bearing courses COMT 109 (Human Relations) PSY 101 (Introduction to Psychology) BU 101 (Introduction to Business) upcoming fall 2010

8. Psychology instructor Kameron Nelson and Terri Warren Corby Skinner and Sue Hart attend graduation of Tami Haaland’s Creative Writing course Tami Haaland, Nicole Moore, and Jane Lind

9. Montana Women’s Prison Statistics Sixty students have participated Twenty two have graduated (completed 8-month program) Average 142 hours of training 18 conditionally enrolled at MSUB and completed credit-bearing courses (mostly with A’s and B’s). Twenty four have been released. Of these, only one has returned to prison. One successfully completed AY 09-10 at UM COT. Two have pending applications at MSUB, one at MSU GF

10. Other MWP Accomplishments “ Brick by Brick” published “ Whispering Concrete” published Basketball court constructed at MWP by concrete students Projects in development: Integrating academic coursework into existing MWP therapies; “Education Every Day”; Twila Johnke, May 2010 graduation, class speaker Darlene Damm, November 2009 graduation, class speaker

11. Passages Pre-Release Coursework Family Economics and Financial Education Construction Customer Service Math for the Workplace GED Instruction Fresh Start Book Club Makin’ it work Job Coaching Culinary Arts Program coaching Passages students learn sheetrock techniques at the COT demonstration house

12. Passages Pre-Release Statistics 194 students have completed at least one course 33 have completed two courses Students average over 19 hours of training Projects in Development Culinary Arts Program Pre-Apprenticeship Joint class between Passages Book Club and MSUB ASC 294 fall freshman seminar Jobyna Stump really enjoying her cake

13. Billings Area Reentry Task Force (BARTF) Goal: to work collaboratively with community organizations to help incarcerated women successfully reenter the community Focus on housing, employment, and relationships/family 25-30 active members: DOC, Billings Police, Center for Children & Families, Salvation Army, Housing Authority, Family Services, YWCARiverstone, Second Chance Homes, Community Crisis Center

14. And in conclusion… “ Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out.” -Robert Collier