Motivational Interviewing Training Academy (MITA) Frequently Asked Questions

1. Q: Where is the training being held? A: All phases of the Motivational Interviewing Academy will be held in Huntsville at the Correctional Management Institute of Texas.

2. Q: What are the pre-requisites?A: There are no pre-requisites.

3. Q: Do the participants have to be Foundation Skills Trainers?A: No, completion of Foundation Skills for Trainers is not required.

4. Q: Do they also have to be certified CSO’s or can they be counselors?A: Agencies will make the decision regarding the applicant. There are no stipulations required from the Motivational Interviewing Training Academy (MITA).

5. Q: Does CMIT plan to limit attendance to one person per agency? A: Applications will be reviewed by the MITA Trainers and will graded on a Likert Scale. All applications will be considered, and depending upon the number submitted, there may be a need to make decisions based on regional representation. If we have multiple applicants from one agency and can only consider a limited number, we will communicate with the agency administrator to determine the most appropriate applicant, based on their desired objectives.

Motivational Interviewing Training Academy

A Collaborative Effort With CMIT
Delivered by Texas CJ MINT Members

The Correctional Management Institute of Texas in collaboration with MINT Trainer, Greg Sumpter (Tarrant County Juvenile Services), Susan Orendac (Harris County CSCD) and Mark Asteris (Jefferson County CSCD) is pleased to offer and host a three-phase Motivational Interviewing Training Academy.

The MI Trainer Development Academy is designed to develop MI proficiency in individuals leading to the capability to train others within their departments. No prior MI training or proficiency levels are required for applicants.

The program requires satisfactory completion of pre-requisite structured training phases, documented self-study, individual practice of skills and submission of Motivational Interviewing tapes for coding. The program culminates with the provision of tools and materials necessary for implementation within respective jurisdictions.

The three-phase program schedule as listed below is limited to 20-participants, ideally comprised of an equal number of juvenile and adult corrections practitioners who will move together from one phase to the next. The Academy has a fee of $395.00 for all three phases inclusively. Participants are responsible for their own travel, lodging, meals and incidentals.

MI Trainer Development Phase I-January 18, 2012-January 20, 2012 (Wednesday-Friday)

MI Trainer Development Phase II-April 25, 2012-April 26, 2012 (Wednesday-Thursday)

MI Trainer Development Phase III-August 27, 2012-August 29, 2012 (Monday-Wednesday)

Interested individuals can apply at http://www.cmitonline.org/ Deadline for applications is November 30, 2011.

For additional information or questions, please contact Susan Orendac at (713)-696-8758 or Susan.Orendac@csc.hctx.net

SHSU Researchers Evaluate GPS Monitoring on Sex Offenders of Arizona

By Andy Choi

A team of researchers at the Sam Houston State University (SHSU) has conducted a study on usage of GPS technology for the monitoring of sex offenders.

Dr. Gaylene Armstrong and Beth Freeman in the study report titled ‘Examining GPS Monitoring Alerts Triggered by Sex Offenders: The Divergence of Legislative Goals and Practical Applications in Community Corrections’ have scrutinized the effect of a state law in Arizona, wherein adult sex offenders who have been convicted of committing dangerous crimes against children and then sentenced to community supervision, have to be monitored with the help of GPS systems. Over a two year period the scientists monitored sex offenders in Maricopa County AZ and concluded that the GPS technology should be considered as a tool instead of using it as a control mechanism.

Dr. Armstrong, who is also the Research Director of the Correctional Management Institute of Texas, has revealed that there was a discrepancy between the legislative objectives and the practical usage of the enforced GPS monitoring program and that GPS technology was very much restricted in its usage and should be envisioned as a tool. The study indicated that most of the equipment related alerts were produced due to absence of satellite signals, than due to actual violations by the offender and rather than being a help to probation officers, they proved to be a nuisance and increased their workload considerably. This might also lead to situations where the probation officers become complacent and ignore the alerts which would lead to fatal situations.
Community corrections supervisors have assessed that almost 70% of the alerts were false and are mostly technology-related. The report indicates that training should also be given to the Probation Officers on the usage of GPS technology along with framing of written policies and guidelines to facilitate its enforcement. The study also revealed that GPS technology had two major disadvantages. The GPS technology was still in its infancy stages and was underdeveloped and also that it was not cost-effective.
Source: http://www.shsu.edu/

Senior Level Corrections Leadership Development-October 2-7, 2011

The Correctional Management Institute of Texas is pleased to offer a week-long Senior Level Corrections Leadership Program for criminal justice professionals at the George J. Beto Criminal Justice Center in Huntsville, Texas. The purpose of the program is to equip selected participants with the necessary correctional knowledge from an academic research standpoint and with the necessary leadership skills from a practitioner perspective that are required for Senior Level Leaders. This training will target deputy directors within adult and juvenile community corrections, assistant wardens/wardens, assistant jail administrators/jail administrators, and assistant superintendents/superintendents within adult and juvenile institutions. The Institute is now accepting nominations for its program scheduled for October 2-7, 2011. This program is limited to 24-participants.

Agency Responsibility:

• Nominate a person who is in a Senior Level Leadership position or who has the potential to be promoted into a Senior Level Leadership position;


• Nomination must be signed by the Agency Executive Director;


• Nominees that are two years from retiring from the agency are not eligible;


• Consider diversity when making the nomination;


• Be prepared to allow the nominee to be in attendance from Sunday afternoon to noon on the following Friday; and,


• Provide transportation or reimburse the nominee for round trip mileage between duty site and Huntsville.

Participant Responsibility:

• Arrive at the Criminal Justice Center in Huntsville on Sunday by 5:15 PM for the opening session;


• Actively participate in training activities the entire week;

Institute Responsibility:

• Consider a variety of diversity issues in selecting participants;


• Notify nominee of acceptance into the program;


• Provide 34 hours of relevant training in an atmosphere conducive to learning;


• Provide all training materials;


• Provide accommodations at the University Hotel;


• Provide meals for participants.

For questions, please contact Fred Rangel at (936) 294-3916 or email at frangel@shsu.edu

Motivational Interviewing Implementation Training Forum

The Correctional Management Institute of Texas in collaboration with the Texas Motivational Interviewing Cooperative (TMIC) is pleased to offer a 3-day Motivational Interviewing Implementation Training Forum at the George J. Beto Criminal Justice Center in Huntsville, Texas on June 6-8, 2011. This program is limited to 40-participants.

The Forum will assist professionals with implementing motivational interviewing (MI) in their agency. Material will include assistance with providing introductory training in MI, as well as assisting with implementation, coding, and quality management. At the end of the training, attendees will be able to:

1. Conduct a basic overview of MI. Attendees will receive material to assist with an initial training. (1 day)
2. Supervise and provide quality control for their agency, and be able to assist with the “rollout” of MI in their department. Using Fixsen’s implementation model, attendees will receive material to assist with the rollout. (1 day)
3. Be familiar with two measures of MI fidelity (MITI and BECCI) so that they can provide feedback and assure competence of coworkers in MI. Attendees will receive copies of the MITI, BECCI, and scoring instruments. (1 day)

This is an advanced training for those with a high degree of MI competence. Acceptance is not guaranteed. In order to be considered for the Forum, applicants must complete an application form, submit a taped work sample, and complete other screening processes. Apply online at http://www.cmitonline.org/

For questions, please contact Fred Rangel at (936) 294-3916 or email at frangel@shsu.edu

Lead trainer: Scott T. Walters, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Behavioral Sciences at the University of Texas School of Public Health. Dr. Walters is the author of 50 articles and four books, including, Motivating Offenders to Change: A Guide for Probation and Parole. Dr. Walters is the recipient of grants from the National Institutes of Health and the U.S. Department of Justice, and received the 2006 University of Cincinnati Award from the American Probation and Parole Association.

Hurricane Preparedness Planning

The Correctional Management Institute of Texas is pleased to host a one day Hurricane Preparedness Planning Training on May 19, 2011. This training is for Adult and Juvenile Community Corrections Administrators along the Gulf Coast Region who are responsible for developing or implementing Hurricane Readiness protocols.

Participants will be provided information on the potential results of failure to prepare, the State of Texas 2-1-1 Program, Local Emergency Operations Coordinators, Essential elements of Written Emergency Plans, Post Hurricane Recovery Issues and other critical topics. There is no registration cost to attendees. Lodging and travel are at the participant’s expense. A limited number of self-pay rooms block has been established at the University Hotel (936)291-2151 for interested participants. For more information, please contact Fred Rangel, Project Coordinator, at (936)-294-3916.