( Start here at the top and read down for a chronology of events.)

Proposed Closure
of Cedar Hills Addictions Treatment (CHAT)
and the Future of NRF (North Rehabilitation Facility)

" The State budget was passed last week and it was a disaster for mental health services and human services in general...As a result, it is very unlikely that Cedar Hills will stay open beyond the end of this year (2002)..."   [From an April 11, 2002 Report by Dustin Fredericks, SEIU Local 519, Public Safety Employees Union]

HEADLINE : 2 treatment centers may be shut down: Budget ax may hit North, Cedar Hills By J. Martin McOmber, Seattle Times staff reporter, Friday, April 19, 2002

     

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NOTICE:

Lay-off notices went out to NRF and Cedar Hills staff on 8/15/2002. The lay offs are effective 10/31/02.  Both facilities have begun the shutting-down process.  

     
     

An Overview of the Problem

These are tough fiscal times in King County and throughout the Pacific Northwest. As a result, publicly funded human services to indigent and low-income individuals have been profoundly affected.  Indeed, our ability to serve chemically addicted and/or mentally ill adults in King County may be seriously compromised in the near future with the closure of two, long-standing and respected programs: the King County North Rehabilitation Facility (NRF) and the Cedar Hills Addiction Treatment (CHAT) Facility.

 

North Rehabilitation Facility (NRF) – Shoreline, Washington

The North Rehabilitation Facility (NRF) is closed effective October 31, 2002.  Over a twenty-one year period this community-based minimum security jail, located on the Fircrest Compound in the City of Shoreline, provided rehabilitation services to nearly 86,000 men and women offenders in King County.

The screening process for placement in this facility was strict, and included a thorough criminal history check by both the King County Department of Adult and Juvenile Detention prior to transport and the NRF staff upon arrival.  Most NRF inmates (called residents) were low-risk misdemeanor and traffic offenders.  Nearly all residents participated in appropriate programs activities throughout their stays.

NRF, a special (minimum security) detention facility, provided innovative and effective rehabilitation services for low risk, adult offender populations in King County.  Research indicates that in-custody programs like NRF are effective and should operate as a part of the continuity of services that includes out-of-custody aftercare and outpatient services. Such a continuum is necessary to reduce offender recidivism and the need for additional jail beds.

NRF provided treatment to addicted offenders who had not been successful in maintaining their sobriety or who could not be initially managed in a community program.  Many of these were offenders whose suspended sentences were revoked because they failed to comply with court ordered directives or failed to appear for scheduled court appearances.  

Since NRF opened in May 1981, over 15,000 DUI (Driving Under the Influence) offenders participated in special programming designed to reduce the likelihood of recidivism among this population.  The DUI Program continues in a new location at the Regional Justice Center in Kent.

Additionally, over 2,000 residents were admitted to NRF's Chemical dependency treatment program, called the "Stages of Change," since it was state certified in 1997.  

Nearly 350 residents earned a GED while incarcerated at NRF.  Nearly 200 men and women completed an intensive 10-day meditation course (Vipassana) during their stay.   Inmates had access to a small on-site branch of the King County Library.

Over 800 men and women successfully completed a flagger's certification course, making them eligible to work as certified flaggers on various maintenance crews working along roads and highways in the State of Washington.  Every resident at NRF received some level of services. 

NRF outcomes results (NRF General Population Study, 2000) reveal that recidivism rates drop dramatically for those residents involved in the Stages of Change Treatment (curriculum written by NRF, for NRF’s population) and other programs (educational/vocational and cognitive-behavioral) for 90 to 180 days. The best outcomes were noted for those staying 150-180 days at NRF. This group showed a recidivism rate (re-booking into the King County Jail within two years post-release) of 25% compared with 81% for those residents staying less than 30 days. 

[By comparison, a study of the KCCF West Wing Population shows that the average 75% recidivism rate of the inmates housed in the West Wing of the downtown jail--with little or no programming services--is not significantly affected  by differences in the length of stay.]

Inmate work crews from NRF assisted the cities of Lake Forest Park, Kenmore, Mercer Island, the City of Shoreline, and Metro Transportation by performing maintenance work doing trash removal, mowing, weed-eating, edging, removal of unwanted vegetation along streets, pedestrian paths, and trails.  A small crew helped the Seattle Police Department in maintenance duties such as cleaning holding cells, facility maintenance upkeep, janitorial work, grounds clean-up and washing and cleaning patrol vehicles.

Although NRF had no physical barriers or armed security staff, the escape rate since inception was only 0.68%.  [Don't misread this figure: six-tenths of one percent.]  Escapes were rare and the offender was typically apprehended within hours of the escape.  The buildings were old and needed to be replaced.  But the staff and programs created a supportive and positive atmosphere and residents were often caught up in their own growth and change process.  It was not a place to run away from.

 

Cedar Hills Addiction Treatment (CHAT) Facility – Maple Valley, Washington.

Like NRF, CHAT operated a State-certified chemical dependency treatment program, along with vocational/educational and cognitive-behavioral programs for adults with substance abuse and other problems. Additionally, CHAT offered more comprehensive primary care and mental health services.

Both institutions served, for the most part, the same target population: high risk, alcohol and other drug-involved adults who recycle in and out of the local Criminal Justice System. Typical charges include DUI, Domestic Violence and VUCSA. 

Both programs offered specialized services for women. These target populations have multiple needs and problems that are often not addressed in the community such as homelessness (approx. 25-30%), mental illness (approx. 10-50%) and dual diagnoses (mentally ill chemical abusers).

     

The Seattle Times 8/30/02: " Bellevue ponders own short-term jail"--the Jail Advisory Group, a committee that is made up of representatives from among the 37 cities that until recently contracted with King County for jail services (those cities that feel like they need some kind of local jail service) will be meeting starting in November & December to plan a minimum security jail on the East side [ a NRF replacement? ]  

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Webmasters note:  I heard of NRF for years before I actually went to work there.  I had always called it Nerf or Nurf.  Then I found it was NRF and stood for the North Rehabilitation Facility.  

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  OTHER LINKS

"The data show that if addicted offenders are provided with well-structured drug treatment while under criminal justice control, their recidivism rates can be reduced by 50 to 60 percent for subsequent drug use and by more than 40 percent for further criminal behavior." [Alan I. Leshner] Read complete article.

     

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