IDOC: Programs

Upon arrival at one of Indiana's correctional facilities, an Incarcerated Individuals meets with Case Management staff to begin building their Case Plan. The Case Plan is developed from the results of the Indiana Risk Assessment System (IRAS), which is based on the following criminogenic risk domains:

Criminal History
School and Employment
Family and Social Support
Substance Abuse and Mental Health
Criminal Lifestyle

By focusing on these risk domains, Case Management staff can identify solution-based programming that helps break down barriers to successful Re-Entry.

The Indiana Department of Correction has categorized all offered programming into one of the following categories.

Activity: Facility specific activities that are approved by the facility head, which do not meet the criteria of a Program or Course.
Course: Group or self-study approved by the Commissioner or their designee with standardized curriculum that does not qualify for a time cut/earned credit time.
Program: An earned credit time/time cut program of study, approved by the Commissioner or their designee, which includes any of the following criteria; Standardized Curriculum, Validated Evidence-Based Practices (EBP), Established Performance Measures.

Programming Opportunities

Education

Literacy Education – Program
Thirty-four percent of the Department’s adult population is functionally illiterate. On-going research has found that ex-Incarcerated Individuals who are employed post-release are less likely to recidivate. Increasing educational attainment while incarcerated holds the promise of increasing employment opportunities at sustainable wages and ending a repetitive cycle of involvement in the State’s criminal justice system. Indiana’s Correctional Education programs begin with a strong commitment of resources to basic reading, mathematics, and language arts.
TASC (Test Assessing Secondary Completion) – Program
Employment/Vocational
Vocational Education – Program
The Department with the guidance of the Indiana Department of Workforce Development (DWD) provides vocational programs ranging from Auto Body to Welding throughout the state’s adult system. Instructors are typically certified as occupational specialists by the Indiana Department of Education. Examples of available vocational programs are listed below.
- Advanced Manufacturing:
  - American Welding Society (AWS) Welding Certification*
  - National Institute for Metal Working Skills (NIMS) CNC Operator Certification Mill & Lathe*
  - Catapult- Conexus of Indiana*
  - Manufacturing Skill Standards Council (MSSC)- Certified Production Technician (CPT)*
  - Purdue Skills for Success
  - Basic Electrical, Motors/Motor Controls
- Building Trades/Construction
  - National Center for Construction Education Research (NCCER) CORE, Welding, and Level 1 Carpentry Certifications*
  - Indiana Plan Pre-Apprenticeship Building Trades
- Supply Chain/Logistics:
  - Manufacturing Skill Standards Council (MSSC): Certified Logistics Associate (CLA)*
  - Manufacturing Skill Standards Council (MSSC): Certified Logistics Technician (CLT)*
- Information Technology
  - The Last Mile
- Culinary Arts:
  - American Hotel & Lodging Education Foundation: Certified Kitchen Cook
  - Serve Safe
- Business Technology
- Recreational Vehicle Technician
- Cosmetology/Barbering
- ICAN

U.S. Department of Labor (USDOL) Apprenticeship – Program

The Apprenticeship Programs, through a partnership between the U.S. Department of Labor and the Indiana Department of Correction, are for the purpose of providing meaningful on-the-job instruction and training experiences partnered with occupation-specific related training instruction. This structured training will assist clients in their transition from incarceration to the community workplace, by equipping them with the skills, abilities, and verifiable work history which is needed to obtain meaningful employment.

This partnership defines the standards for the operation of apprenticeship. The USDOL will provide a Certificate of Completion for each client who successfully completes the training requirements of the occupation in which they are registered and working.

The Department is providing Apprenticeship Programs through two (2) avenues:

Facility-based Programs
Indiana Correctional Industries-based Programs

Reformative Programming

The Purposeful Living Units Serve (PLUS) program is a faith and character-based community that encourages Incarcerated Individuals to choose alternatives to criminal thinking and behavior by providing a focus on spiritual and character development, life-skills training community service, and intentional preparation for living as law-abiding citizens. Key components of the program include a strong positive peer culture, a curriculum that addresses risk factors and establishing a mentoring relationship with a positive role model volunteer from the community. In 2009, PLUS was nationally recognized by the American Correctional Chaplains Association by receiving their Incarcerated Individuals Program of the Year award. Read more about the PLUS program HERE

Thinking for a Change – Program
The Department utilizes Thinking for a Change version 4.0. T4C 4.0 is an innovative, evidence-based cognitive behavioral curriculum from the National Institute of Corrections (NIC) that has broadly influenced the correctional field and the way correctional facilitators work with Incarcerated Individuals. Studies have shown that, when implemented with integrity, it can reduce recidivism among Incarcerated Individuals. Lessons focus on the development of social and problem-solving skills.

Addiction Recovery Services

The IDOC Addiction Recovery Services Division has been implementing a strategic program improvement plan since Spring 2017 in partnership with our medical services provider, Wexford Health Systems. This improvement plan, called Recovery While Incarcerated (RWI), is a multi-faceted approach aimed to improve the quality of addiction recovery services, increase access to care while incarcerated, implement updated evidence-based integrated care, and provide increased opportunities for collaboration and continuity with community-based services for those releasing. These improvements are currently in the implementation phase and will continue to be rolled out across all IDOC facilities over the next 6 months. For more details about current and upcoming changes, visit this link.

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