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.

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.

On November 15, 2022, CSOSA issued our Agency Financial Report (AFR) for fiscal year 2022. We are pleased to report that the FY 2022 financial audit resulted in a positive, unmodified audit opinion with zero material control issues, significant control deficiencies, or compliance issues identified in the audit report. These findings are consistent with the FY 2021 financial audit and an improvement from the FY 2020 financial audit.

The AFR is CSOSA’s principal report to the President, Congress, and the American people on our management of the funds with which we have been entrusted and we believe it clearly demonstrates our commitment to the effective stewardship of the public’s money.

Each year CSOSA is required to issue an AFR detailing financial and performance data for CSOSA’s two component programs: the Community Supervision Program (CSP) and the Pretrial Services Agency (PSA), an independent entity within CSOSA. CSP supervises adults on probation, parole, and supervised release as well as individuals subject to Civil Protection Orders or Deferred Sentencing Agreements. PSA supervises adults awaiting trial.

In the AFR, we provide general information about our financials, operations, challenges, and plans in a readable, non-technical format. Major contents of the CSOSA AFR are the agency’s audited financial statements with footnotes, auditor reports, select high-level performance information, and numerous management control and system assurances.

The fidelity of the reported data is evidenced by CSOSA having received unmodified opinions from our independent auditors since the agency’s inception. An unmodified audit opinion affirms that CSOSA’s financial statements were presented fairly in all material respects and in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles.

We remain committed to managing CSOSA’s resources in a transparent and accountable fashion as we carry out a mission that improves the lives of everyone who visits, works, and resides in the District of Columbia.

The Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency (CSOSA) joined the nation in recognizing September as National Recovery Month. National Recovery Month is an annual opportunity to promote and support evidence-based treatment and recovery practices as well as raise awareness about addiction recovery.

Substance abuse is one of the six most significant criminogenic needs. A criminogenic need is a factor in an individual’s life that is directly related to criminality. In other words, for many people, their involvement in the criminal justice system is inextricably linked to their challenges with substance use, which is why it is critical to address this criminogenic need.

Of the 6,076 individuals under CSOSA supervision on September 30, 2021, 30% had a substance use issue. Recovery is not one size fits all. In reentry, there is more than one way to achieve success. Likewise, there are multiple pathways to recovery. CSOSA provides programming and makes referrals to services and resources designed specifically to address a supervisee’s criminogenic needs.

CSOSA’s Re-entry and Sanctions Center (RSC) is a residential facility that provides people under supervision with structured, holistic, and multidisciplinary interventions designed to address their criminogenic needs. Supervisees with extensive substance abuse histories and other people under supervision who, by abusing substances, violate the conditions of their release, are referred to the RSC for evidence-based therapeutic engagement. The RSC closed out National Recovery Month with a series of events, including a panel discussion featuring speakers with lived criminal justice and recovery experiences, a walk to honor National Recovery Month, and a virtual art exhibition featuring the works of individuals residing at the RSC.

Although National Recovery Month has come to a close, CSOSA remains concerned about and committed to people under our supervision who are at various stages of the journey to recovery.

Join CSOSA on October 27, 2022 from 10am to 11:30am for a virtual supervision intake simulation as we continue our series of candid conversations about the supervision experiences of people who identify as LGBTQ+. We will follow the experience of a recently-sentenced supervisee who reports to CSOSA’s Reception and Processing Center for supervision intake.

CSOSA is committed to diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA). We believe that fidelity to these tenets is integral to positioning ourselves as a model community supervision agency that is recognized for positively impacting public safety.

Click here to view flyer [PDF].

You can participate in the virtual supervision intake simulation via Zoom:

https://www.zoomgov.com/j/1619929685?pwd=TVFRWllnbkF4Z0dvUDFSSlB5VmFyUT09

( Meeting ID: 161 992 9685 | Passcode: CSOSA ).

If you have any questions, please contact events@csosa.gov or (240) 882-6226.

On June 25, 2021, President Joseph R. Biden issued an Executive Order on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) in the Federal Workforce (E.O. 14035). “As the Nation’s largest employer, the Federal Government must be a model for diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility, where all employees are treated with dignity and respect,” President Biden said.

Pursuant to E.O. 14035, agencies must develop and submit a DEIA Strategic Plan that identifies actions to advance DEIA and remove any potential barriers to DEIA in the workforce. These plans include goals to advance DEIA initiatives in the agency workforce and culture with quarterly measures of progress.

The administration’s government-wide DEIA strategic plan sets out a roadmap for each element of diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility with sample goals and strategies. It also encourages building on work in progress by leveraging existing inputs and data-gathering frameworks to develop top priorities, activities, and outcome measures.

The Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency (CSOSA) for the District of Columbia and the Pretrial Services Agency (PSA) for the District of Columbia are proud to release this joint Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) Strategic Plan.

The third week of July marks Pretrial, Probation, and Parole Supervision (PPPS) Week! This decades-old celebration is a time for the District of Columbia and the nation to honor the community corrections professionals who help keep our community a safe place to live, work, and visit.

The theme for PPPS Week is Restoring Trust, Creating Hope. CSOSA Director Richard S. Tischner said, “the work our supervision staff does is transformative—helping people under supervision make positive choices and change the trajectory of their lives. We must often rise to meet the challenges of dealing with difficult situations and circumstances to strive for change that is not guaranteed, may only come bit by bit, and might come without accolades. Still, we press on—holding ourselves and others accountable and working together to advance our critical public safety mission.”

In speaking on this year’s PPPS Week theme, American Probation and Parole Association Executive Director Veronica Cunningham said, “Because of the challenges caused by the novel coronavirus, COVID-19, now more than ever, trust and hope must be top of mind.” Cunningham added, “During the pandemic … you shifted your work models in the right ways to support, assist, and guide individuals under supervision. Your talent, compassion, and determination have been nothing less than praiseworthy.”

In the July 12 Congressional Record, the Honorable Eleanor Holmes Norton, the District of Columbia’s Delegate to the House of Representatives, lauded community supervision professionals who, throughout the coronavirus pandemic, “have found innovative ways to remain connected with the people they supervise and to continue guiding them in the interest of public safety.”

This week especially, we extend our immense gratitude to the hardworking community supervision professionals in CSOSA’s Office of Community Supervision & Intervention Services and CSOSA’s Office of Behavioral Interventions for the vital role they play in changing the lives of people under supervision and advancing public safety in the District. We also celebrate the noble work of the pretrial supervision officers of our sister agency, the Pretrial Services Agency for the District of Columbia. Our gratitude also extends to all staff at supervision agencies, especially the dedicated public servants at CSOSA and PSA, for making it possible for our community supervision professionals to provide effective and efficient service to the people under our jurisdiction and the community as a whole.

The Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency is proud to release its first Equity Action Plan, supporting the Biden-Harris Administration’s whole-of-government equity agenda as set forth in Executive Order 13985 “On Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government.”

CSOSA provides community supervision to adults on probation, parole, and supervised release in the District of Columbia. Supervisees are part of the underserved justice-involved community and most are members of more than one underserved community. CSOSA’s mission requires it to continuously focus on advancing equity and eliminating administrative barriers to increase each supervisee’s opportunities to successfully complete supervision.

Since the issuance of Executive Order 13985, CSOSA has been hard at work examining its supervision policies and protocols in order to advance equity and identify and eliminate administrative barriers, particularly for the most vulnerable segments of its supervised population, including transgender women and other members of the lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, transgender, queer, gender non-conforming, and non-binary (LGBTQ+) community.

To learn more about these efforts, you can read CSOSA Director Richard S. Tischner’s Equity Statement, visit https://www.whitehouse.gov/equity to learn more about the Administration’s Equity Agenda, and visit https://www.performance.gov/equity to learn more about government-wide equity efforts.

Have you completed probation, parole, or supervised release? Please share your experience with us. / ¿Ha completado su libertad condicional, libertad bajo palabra o libertad supervisada? Por favor háblenos de sus experiencias.

CSOSA is committed to providing everyone we supervise with access to programs, resources, and services to ensure a successful supervision experience. To determine if we are meeting this goal, we are evaluating our supervision process by asking former supervisees, particularly LGBTQ+ supervisees, to give us feedback about their supervision experiences.

Please share your experiences with us by calling (202) 585-7333*, emailing equity@csosa.gov, or visiting our short online form.

CSOSA tiene el compromiso de proporcionarle a todas las personas que supervisamos, acceso a programas, recursos, y servicios para asegurar una experiencia exitosa de supervisión. Para determinar si estamos cumpliendo con esta meta, estamosevaluando nuestro proceso de supervisión y le pedimos a los pasados supervisados, en especial a los supervisados LGBTQ+, que noscomenten sobre sus experiencias durante su supervisión.

 Por favor háblenos de sus experiencias. Llame al (202) 585-7333*, envíe un correo electrónico a equity@csosa.gov, o acceda a este sitio web.

* If no one answers the phone, please leave a voicemail and your call will be returned the next business day. / Si nadie contesta el teléfono, por favor deje un mensaje de voz y le devolveremos la llamada el próximo día laborable.

Join CSOSA on April 20 at 2pm for a candid conversation about the supervision experiences of people who identify as LGBTQ+.

As we strive to implement a comprehensive approach to advancing equity for all, we want to hear from people in the LGBTQ+ community who have been under CSOSA supervision and the organizations that serve them. In addition to hearing directly from this community, we are excited to share some of the work we have been doing behind the scenes.

You can participate in the virtual town hall via Zoom: https://www.zoomgov.com/j/1603292629?pwd=WTFYUUFXc3EwYmFJeWh3VkFkTFRMQT09

( Meeting ID: 160 329 2629 | Passcode: DIVERSITY ).

If you have any questions, please contact events@csosa.gov or (240) 882-6226.