PROGRAMS

The SCORE  Program was developed here at the Simpson County Detention Center to prepare our residents for a successful return to society. Simpson County continues to be a national leader in innovative re-entry programs.

Classes

We offer a number of classes based on the individual needs of each resident. Upon application, each resident's file is discussed with our SCORE team to determine an individual case plan. Qualified residents may enroll in classes and also earn educational credit towards their sentence. Class offerings are detailed below.

Community Service

Serving the community is a priority for us and our residents. While enrolled in classes and afterwards, residents are encouraged to participate in community work programs. These assignments include working with city and county government projects, non-profit organizations and our school system.

SCORE Work Program

Eligible residents may participate in our SCORE Work Program after completing classes and participating in community service. This pilot program allows residents to secure actual jobs while incarcerated and their earnings are used to pay child support, restitution, savings and provide a pathway back to citizenship.

Classes Offered

GED stands for General Education Development or General Education Diploma. The GED is an internationally recognized test. If you pass the GED test, you will earn an High School Equivalency Certificate. It can help you get a job or admission to an educational or training program.  After completion of a GED, the Department of Corrections awards 90 days good time for educational credit. 

A person’s failure to control their anger is a common factor in violent crime. Some experts have estimated as many as 20 percent of Americans suffer from anger management problems. Helping offenders understand anger and learn how to deal with it is also useful in drug court and community correctional programs and in helping clients who are resistant to treatment.  After completion of MRT Anger Management, the Department of Corrections awards 90 days good time for program credit.

The class focuses especially on typical criminal thinking issues such as: Everyone lies, cheats, and steals; no one can be trusted; the rules don’t apply to them; that all relationships are manipulative.  Thinking For Good is used with resistant offender populations in groups. The program prepares the most resistant clients for more treatment.  After completion of MRT Thinking For Good, the Department of Corrections awards 60 days good time for program credit. 

MRT addresses beliefs and reasoning. It is a systematic, step-by-step group counseling treatment approach for treatment-resistant clients.  The program is designed to alter how clients think and make judgments about what is right and wrong. The MRT system approaches the problem of treating resistant populations as a problem of low levels of moral reasoning.  In this case, “moral” does not refer to a religious concept, but rather the theoretical conceptualization of psychologist Lawrence Kohlberg.   After completion of MRT, the Department of Corrections awards 90 days good time for program credit.  

Portal/New Directions is a reentry program to help inmates with the barriers they may be facing once released. These barriers may include money management, employment, parenting, housing, supervision, etc.  After completion of New Directions, the Department of Corrections awards 90 days good time for program credit.

Helping someone who struggles with substance abuse understand what may trigger a relapse is a fundamental step in helping that person avoid relapse.  Relapse prevention actually is the primary goal of treatment, but focusing on relapse prevention issues should take place sometime after the client is engaged in treatment and is not actively using substances.  After completion of MRT Relapse Prevention, the Department of Corrections awards 90 days good time for program credit.

Some parents lack a sense of what many people would consider basic parenting skills, but are capable of being good parents if they learn these skills. This class offers a cognitive behavioral program to help these parents overcome their struggles and succeed, designed to help participants develop parenting skills and assess values related to family. Clients confront their parenting skills and habits, perform a clarification on their values regarding family, and establish appropriate discipline routines.  After completion of MRT Parenting, the Department of Corrections awards 90 days good time for program credit.