
Books & Papers
Connecting Probationers to Substance Abuse Disorder and Recovery Services
Tessie N. Lam and Brandon B. Daisy
When Virginia's District #11 Probation and Parole was invited to join a federal substance use disorder grant, they used it for genuine self-examination. This paper details how Working Dialogue and SWOT analysis revealed systemic gaps during a devastating opioid epidemic.
Tessie N. Lam and Brandon B. Daisy document how Virginia's District #11 Probation and Parole unit transformed a federal grant invitation into an opportunity for honest organisational reflection. The Support Act Planning Grant, focused on connecting inmates and supervisees to substance use disorder services, came during a severe heroin and fentanyl epidemic devastating the Northern Shenandoah Valley since 2013. Rather than treating the grant as mere paperwork, the District used Working Dialogue methodology combined with SWOT analysis to examine their re-entry practices and identify genuine gaps in community resources. Deputy Chief Daisy facilitated a virtual Working Dialogue where management team members identified strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. The process revealed not just missing services but how the unit could better connect people to existing resources. The paper demonstrates dialogue's value for organisational self-assessment, showing how structured reflection can surface insights that routine operations obscure. Published in The World Needs Dialogue! Four.
Format
Paper
Category
Books & Papers
Topics
Dialogue in prisons and justice settings
Access
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