Corrections Specialist 3 - Reentry Navigator

State of Washington; Seattle (WA); On-site; USD 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Remote/telework/flexible schedules

Up to 25 paid vacation days a year

8 hours paid sick leave per month

12 paid holidays a year

Generous retirement plan

Flexible Spending Accounts

Dependent Care Assistance

Public Employees’ Retirement System (P

Job summary

The Department of Corrections seeks two Corrections Specialist 3 – Reentry Navigator in Seattle, WA. This role supports reentry planning, resource navigation, and coordination of Reentry Team Meetings to assist individuals in transitioning back to the community.

You will work with community partners, corrections staff, and participants to identify needs, craft Individual Reentry Plans, and monitor progress toward successful reintegration, while aligning with Governor’s Outcomes Washington goals.

Qualifications

• High school diploma or GED required with 5 years’ reentry/transition experience.
• Associate/Bachelor/Master degree options with corresponding years of experience.
• Experience coordinating with diverse partners (county, city, housing, health).

Responsibilities

• Provide reentry navigation and assist with Individual Reentry Plans (IRP).
• Coordinate Reentry Team Meetings and wraparound meetings.
• Identify community resources and facilitate referrals.
• Develop IRP milestones and 72-hour post-release plans.
• Maintain regular contact with participants and document progress.
• Collaborate with internal staff and external partners to support reentry goals.

Skills

Communication

Group facilitation

Interagency collaboration

IRP planning

Resource navigation

Education

High school diploma/GED

Associate's degree + 4 years experience

Bachelor’s degree + 3 years experience

Master’s degree + 2 years experience

Tools

Microsoft Office

Records management system

Job description

Department of Corrections

Corrections Specialist 3 – Reentry Navigator

Seattle Community Justice Center | Seattle, WA

Reentry Division

Our agency is looking to hire two permanent Corrections Specialist 3s within the Reentry Division. These positions are based at Seattle Community Justice Center in Seattle, WA. The working schedules are Monday – Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Employees assigned to a permanent duty station in King County will receive a 5% premium pay calculated from their base salary.

Our agency offers a free ORCA card to all employees whose permanent duty station is assigned in King, Pierce, and Snohomish counties.

These positions are a member of the Reentry Division, Reentry Navigator Team. The Reentry Division includes Education, Correctional Industries, Housing Voucher, and Strength in Families, just to name a few. These positions also serve as a member of reentry care teams that may include, but not be limited to, institution and community supervision staff, iCoach representatives, family, faith-based support, mentors, housing providers, Health and Human Service providers, and community support.

These positions directly support achieving Governor Inslee’s Results Washington goal of DOC reducing recidivism and facilities compliance with RCW 72.09.270 regarding legislatively mandated Individual Reentry Plan (IRP). These positions are critical in supporting successful reentry and thereby reducing the likelihood of recidivism and increasing safety for the public, staff, and incarcerated individuals. These positions will be responsible for reentry planning workshops, resource event coordination, Individual Reentry Plan support, and scheduling reentry team meetings (RTM) driven from the Integrated Reentry Continuum of Care Model or attending wraparound meetings. During RTM’s this position will be responsible for identifying institution/community care teams to discuss individualized needs, development of IRP’s and provide individuals with access to programs and services, which target identified needs and scorecard items. Be a reentry liaison for individuals to access resources provided by community-based organizations, whose services provide individuals with opportunity to engage in and develop skills needed to enhance a successful transition to the community.

These positions directly supports compliance with Governor’s Executive Order 16-05 Building Safe and Strong Communities through Successful Reentry. This position assists in providing individuals opportunities that will contribute to personal growth and the likelihood of reducing future victims. The Reentry Division provides people with focused opportunities for success.

Our mission at the Department of Corrections is to ‘improve public safety by positively changing lives’. With more than 8,000 employees, we recognize that staff are our greatest asset, and the efforts of our dedicated workforce have garnered national recognition! Whether the work is inside a prison, out in the field, or an administrative office, DOC staff experience a high degree of personal reward knowing their efforts are creating an environment in which incarcerated individuals can learn to make choices that contribute to safer communities.

DOC OFFERS:

• Flexible schedules
• Comprehensive compensation packages
• Training and development opportunities
• The fulfillment of public service

Duties include, but are not limited to:

• Provide reentry navigation by assisting individuals in completing Individual Reentry Plans, Essential Needs Checklist, coordinating Reentry Team Meetings or participating in wraparound meetings, providing transfer day support as needed, and providing resource navigation that meet the identified needs and/or Scorecard items. Reentry navigation services include connecting appropriate resources and support systems based upon the individual’s risk, needs, and reentry goals and objectives:
• Identify existing evidence-based programs and services that address criminogenic needs identified through the Washington ONE assessment in coordination with the individual’s correctional counselor, corrections specialist, or community corrections officer. Provide resource navigation and assist with the referral process to identified programs and services in coordination with the individual’s corrections counselor, corrections specialist, or community corrections officer.
• Coordinate Reentry Team Meetings with the individual and reentry team members to support stabilization and progressive achievement of identified goals and execution of the reentry plan for successful reintegration into the community.
• Meet with incarcerated individuals, key correctional staff, pro‑social supporters (if available), health services and treatment staff (when applicable) for participants to identify programs, services and resources that address risk and needs during confinement, partial confinement, and following release or transfer to support successful reentry.
• Identify what resources are available in the community matching individual’s IRP/Scorecard needs that will provide long‑term benefits to the community and the individual.
• Develop essential needs checklist with the individual to provide a plan for the critical first 72 hours after an individual’s release or transfer.
• Maintain regular communication with participant through workshops, facility visits, e‑mail, telephonic or office visit.
• Attend facility and community Reentry Resource Events that promote engagement with community partners and provide ongoing support for individuals in their communities.
• Request and process essential needs funds for transfer day support.

Support the work of incarcerated individuals in developing Individual Reentry Plans to address the needs of the individuals including education, employment, substance abuse treatment, mental health treatment, family reunification, and other areas which are needed to facilitate a successful reintegration into the community. This duty serves to meet Governor Inslee’s initiated Results Washington outcome measures to reduce recidivism, increase post‑release employment and decrease homelessness:

• Support incarcerated individuals in development of IRPs through workshops, groups, or individual work in conjunction with internal and external stakeholders.
• Identify reentry programs and services within the assigned areas of coverage.
• Coordinate with Correctional staff to ensure that the individuals are referred and connected to the appropriate programs and services that are based upon risk and needs.
• Recruit, schedule and facilitate community‑based partners to present workshops and resource information for reentry planning efforts within the institutions and in the community.

Provide effective communication, documentation, collaboration, and community outreach. Tasks include:

• Collect and track data related to reentry outcomes including IRP completion, reentry planning workshops/groups/individual efforts, Essential Needs Checklist completion, transfer day support, Reentry Team Meetings, and regular contact with individuals.
• Record, access, update, and retrieve participant‑related information from agency.
• Represent the agency on various community groups that provide services and partnerships to ensure continuous engagement of a wide range of systems and community‑based agencies in an effort to leverage available resources that may support sustainable reentry.
• Connect incarcerated individuals with community justice center and/or community transition coordination network in the area in which the incarcerated individual will be residing once released from the correctional system.

Other duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications:

• High school diploma/GED and 5 years’ experience providing reentry/transition support to justice‑involved population.

Five years of experience needs to include:

Three years of experience working with a range of system and community‑based resources available to support the diverse spectrum of potential reentry needs such as collaborative relationships with entities external to the agency, such as county, city, and regional jails, residential/outpatient treatment facilities, housing organizations, health and human services providers, and/or work release facilities OR three years of experience using participant‑driven reentry strategies in adult or juvenile corrections, social services, or closely related field.

OR

• Associate's degree and 4 years’ experience providing reentry/transition support to justice‑involved population.

OR

• Bachelor’s degree and 3 years’ experience providing reentry/transition support to justice‑involved population.

OR

• Master’s degree and 2 years’ experience providing reentry/transition support to justice‑involved population.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Ability to communicate clearly and concisely, both orally and in writing, with program participants, staff at all levels within the Agency and with a broad range of system- and community-based external stakeholder organizations.
• Ability to build strong rapport with justice involved individuals and use effective engagement strategies to maintain open communication; gauge participant competencies; discuss needs, barriers, and goals; collaborate in problem‑solving; and support each participant's capacity to prioritize action steps.
• Ability to develop proficient skills in group facilitation.
• Ability to work both independently and in close collaboration with system- and community‑based stakeholders. Demonstrate a willingness to receive, internalize, and learn from feedback to exhibit professional growth.
• Knowledge of prison-, jail- and community corrections‑based standards and rules with the ability to analyze information to identify problems and develop subsequent action and strategic plans. Possession of good interpersonal skills, ability to work without direct supervision, demonstration of high degree of motivation.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Expertise in the Washington State criminal justice system (i.e. law enforcement, prosecution, courts, correctional facilities, and community correction supervision) from the point of arrest to the point of release from jurisdictional custody. Working knowledge of the key decision points for the transition of person released from prison or jail to the community transition and intent and desired outcomes.

Vision: Working together for safer communities.

Mission: Improving public safety by positively changing lives.

Our Commitment: To operate a safe and humane corrections system and partner with others to transform lives for a better Washington.

DOC is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, creed, color, national origin, sex, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, honorably discharged veteran, veteran status, genetic information, or the presence of any sensory, mental or physical disability or the use of a trained guide dog or service animal by a person with a disability.

IMPORTANT NOTES:

• Please include a minimum of three (3) professional references with your application. A professional reference is defined as an individual who has been paid to supervise your work and can attest to your work performance, technical skills, and job competencies. If you do not have any or sufficient professional references, please include non‑related professionals, such as educators or other professional associates.
• Phone number AND email address are required for all professional references.
• A background check including criminal record history will be conducted prior to a new hire. Information from the background check will not necessarily preclude employment but will be considered in determining the applicant’s suitability and competence to perform in the position.
• Employees may work directly with or near incarcerated individuals in a potentially hazardous setting. Please consider this when deciding whether to apply.
• We are committed to maintaining a drug and alcohol‑free work environment, and our employees are expected to comply with all state and federal laws. A pre‑employment drug test may be administered as part of the selection process, and applicants who test positive for any controlled substances, will be disqualified from consideration.
• Oleoresin Capsicum (OC) is an aerosol pepper spray made available as a means of self‑defense and/or de‑escalation. Applicants with sensitivities or allergies are encouraged to ask about the level of exposure they could expect in this position.
• Animal care projects are a common component of most Washington State prisons, including dog and cat programs. Applicants with animal sensitivities or allergies are encouraged to ask about the level of exposure they could expect in this position.
• Tuberculosis (TB) is a priority health issue for DOC employees. The successful candidate may be required to provide valid proof of a baseline TB skin test within 60 days from the date of hire. When positive tests result, further information, testing and treatment will also be required. Employment is not contingent upon test results.

What We Offer:

• Remote/telework/flexible schedules (depending on position)
• Up to 25 paid vacations days a year
• 8 hours of paid sick leave per month
• 12 paid holidays a year
• Generous retirement plan
• Flex Spending Accounts
• Dependent Care Assistance
• Deferred Compensation and so much more!
• This position is eligible for the Public Employees’ Retirement System (PERS).

Visit our benefits page to see more!

The DOC complies with the employment eligibility verification requirements for the federal employment eligibility verification form I‑9. The selected candidate must be able to provide proof of identity and eligibility to work in the United States consistent with the requirements of that form on the first day of employment.

DOC does not use E-Verify; therefore, we are not eligible to extend STEM-Optional Practice Training (OPT). For information, please visit www.uscis.gov.

For questions about this recruitment, or to request reasonable accommodation in the application process, please email [e-mail] or [e-mail]