Success Story | Antoine Johnson

“I wasn’t a bad kid, but I made some bad choices that landed me in some terrible spots,” says Antoine Johnson. Those choices led to substance abuse, criminal activity, and ultimately incarceration.

Separated from his parents, Mr. Johnson began experimenting with alcohol and illicit substances at age 12. At age 16, he was caught in a stolen vehicle. Like many who have been in the juvenile justice system, Mr. Johnson became involved in the adult justice system.

After successfully completing CSOSA supervision, Mr. Johnson joined the agency as a Credible Messenger. The Credible Messenger program grants qualified individuals who go through the job application process and are accepted, the opportunity to work for CSOSA for a six-month term. Credible Messengers positions are open to those who have completed a period of probation, parole, or supervised release.

Credible Messengers use their prior life experiences to provide support to people under supervision—assisting current supervisees in articulating their goals and navigating systems to obtain services in the community. In turn, Credible Messengers receive valuable work experience that increases their employability and marketability for future career opportunities.

Watch the video to learn more about Mr. Johnson’s story and experience.

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CSOSA  by the Numbers

CSOSA’s approach to community supervision emphasizes assessment, intervention, and accountability to protect the public and provide the people we supervise with the services they need to improve their lives.

Click on an image above to learn more about the people we supervise, our impact, or our Hire One initiative.

Our History

About Us

CSOSA is a federal agency with the distinctly local mission of supervising adults on probation, parole, and supervised release in the District of Columbia.

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Our Impact

OUR IMPACT

CSOSA’s impact on public safety is best illustrated by those who successfully complete their term of supervision.

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Public Safety

Public Safety

Public safety is a key tenet of the mission of the Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency (CSOSA).

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Integration

Integration

The Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency’s second strategic goal is to integrate supervisees into the community.

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Accountability

Accountability

CSOSA strives to strengthen and promote accountability by ensuring the compliance of those under our supervision and cultivating a culture of continuous measurement and improvement.

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Fair Administration of Justice

Fair Administration of Justice

CSOSA is committed to supporting the fair administration of justice by providing criminal justice decision-makers with timely, unbiased, and accurate information.

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UPCOMING EVENTS

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RECENT TWEETS

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Young Adult Resources CJAN (via Zoom): April 26

Community Justice Advisory Network (CJAN) Meeting - April 26, 6 p.m., Young Adult Resources
Young Adult Resources CJAN (via ZOOM)
Wednesday, April 26, 2023 @ 6 p.m.
Join ZoomGov Meeting

https://www.zoomgov.com/j/1601905850?pwd=NEE5cGFlR0NLdEx0TGF0RGtDSHdJUT09

Meeting ID: 160 190 5850

Passcode: 912828

Topic: Young Adult Resources That Enhance Community Social Supports

Come learn from UDC, DOES, OSSE, and DYRS about the available resources to support 18- to 24-year-olds in skill development and prosocial activities.

Please join us and spread the word to others who might have interest in attending.

For more information, contact:
Michael Bonds at (202) 841-0732 or Denise Reed at (202) 302-8807.

 

Financial Literacy CJAN (via Zoom): April 20

Community Justice Advisory Network (CJAN) Meeting - April 20, 11 a.m., Financial Literacy
Financial Literacy CJAN (via ZOOM)
Thursday, April 20, 2023 @ 11 a.m.
Join ZoomGov Meeting

https://www.zoomgov.com/j/16164171050?pwd=WWVPQXhrY3RZbXVpV2hsaDVTblQ1UT09

Meeting ID: 161 6417 1050

Passcode: Literacy

Topic: Financial Literacy Forum

Join CSOSA, MORCA, Industrial Bank, Capital Area Asset Builders (CAAB), and the DC Department of Insurance, Securities & Banking (DISB) to learn financial literacy fundamentals.

Please join us and spread the word to others who might have interest in attending.

For more information, contact:
Elba Gonzalez (202) 841-0889 | Walter Chin (202) 821-3471

 

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Mentoring CJAN (via Zoom): April 6

Community Justice Advisory Network (CJAN) Meeting - April 6, 6 p.m., Mentoring
Mentoring CJAN (via ZOOM)
Thursday, April 6, 2023 @ 6 p.m.
Join ZoomGov Meeting

https://www.zoomgov.com/j/1600037338?pwd=b21JcXRJc2toUURCK2JadnRvblhsUT09

Meeting ID: 161 905 5828

Passcode: MENTOR

Topic: Mentoring

Join us on April 6 @ 6PM for a CJAN meeting featuring mentors & mentees from the @DC_CSOSA Faith & Community Based Initiative to discuss the importance of mentorship & its impact on our supervisees & DC residents.

Please join us and spread the word to others who might have interest in attending.

 

BUDGET AND FINANCIAL

Budget

CSOSA Congressional Budget Justification

FY 2024 CSOSA Congressional Budget Justification

CSOSA’s Performance Budget is submitted to Congress with the President’s Budget each year. These documents describe the Agency’s programs in the performance plan, the budget estimates for these program activities, and the distribution of the budget by major program.

Success Story | Tarisha Settles

Tarisha Settles found herself moving in and out of the criminal justice system, a cycle fueled by her substance abuse. Like many justice-involved women throughout the nation, Ms. Settles is a mother. Although the vast majority of people involved in the criminal justice system are men, Ms. Settles was among the rising tide of women who have been incarcerated or subject to community supervision since the 1980s. Despite the 14-fold increase in the number of justice-involved women over the past four decades, much of the programming and interventions in the field remain focus towards men. Women are often left to navigate a system that was not built with them in mind and unprepared to address all their needs.

In September 2010, CSOSA launched our women’s teams to provide gender-responsive supervision services and address the challenges facing women under supervision. In furtherance of our mission, CSOSA’s approach to community supervision requires us to consider the whole person when creating and implementing an individualized supervision plan. Our community supervision officers consider a person’s criminogenic and stabilization needs. Our programming is designed to address a person’s criminogenic needs, which are directly related to criminality, such as substance use, anti-social associations and attitudes, and lack of achievement. We build strong relationships with other agencies and community partners to address the stabilization needs of the people we supervise. Stabilization needs are the non-criminogenic factors that may hinder the effectiveness of supervision programming if left unaddressed, such as unstable housing, untreated mental health issues, unemployment, and lack of education. Although some of these needs are common among many justice-involved individuals, some are more specific to women involved in the criminal justice system or present differently than in their male counterparts.

According to the Council of State Governments Justice Center, “[g]ender-responsive and trauma-informed policies, practices, and programs recognize that women have distinct histories, pathways to offending, and experiences in the criminal justice system. These approaches address issues that may contribute to women’s involvement in the justice system, such as domestic violence, abuse, and victimization; family and relationships; trauma; and poverty, mental illnesses, and substance use disorders.”

Ms. Settles experienced supervision before and after our gender-responsive approach was implemented. Watch the video to learn more about her story and experience.

Community Resource Days and Resource Fairs: Connecting Supervisees to Critical Services

CSOSA believes strategic partnerships with public and private entities—including local organizations, city government, criminal justice agencies, the faith community, and individual citizens—are critical to facilitating successful reintegration. The agency is committed to ensuring individuals under its supervision have meaningful access to the services that will help them reach their full potential.

This access begins before release from incarceration. In conjunction with the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP), CSOSA’s Office of Intergovernmental and Public Affairs (OLIPA) holds quarterly Community Resource Day Videoconferences to help DC inmates prepare for release.

The videoconferences are broadcast to BOP facilities across the country. Participants, who are 60 to 90 days from release, hear presentations from DC organizations, law enforcement, and government agencies on the services available to them as returning citizens. They are provided the opportunity to ask questions and learn more from CSOSA and its community partners. Most importantly, participants receive a booklet containing local contacts and up-to-date program information to assist them in transitioning from incarceration to their return home in the District.

Once an individual begins CSOSA supervision, one meaningful way they are connected to the community is through resource fairs. Community Supervision Officers (CSOs) use resource fairs to educate supervisees on the services available to them through community partners. The fairs also help supervisees connect with potential mentors and employers, build relationships, and establish a support system.

At these in-person events, supervisees have the opportunity to engage directly with CSOSA community partners. Those partners in attendance typically provide services related to housing, education, employment, life skills, and mental health. However, like the supervision program itself, CSOSA resource fairs are tailored to address the current needs of the supervised population. CSOs, with assistance from OLIPA, may organize a resource fair that’s broad in scope or one focused on a specific topic.

CSOSA strives to be a model community supervision agency that is recognized for positively impacting individuals under its supervision and for improving public safety. In fiscal year 2021, 75% of CSOSA supervisees successfully completed their supervision. A key contributor to this success is the work of CSOSA community partners, who help supervisees create stability and connections to their community in conjunction with the dedication, guidance, coaching, and perseverance of CSOSA staff who work daily with supervisees.