Occupational therapists facilitate participation in meaningful activities that individuals want, need, and/or are expected to do through the therapeutic use of everyday activities (occupations). At the core of occupational therapy is a belief that “doing” promotes health. This action of “doing” encompasses participating in practical and leisure activities, realizing goals, empathizing and managing emotions.

Occupational therapists assist the individual with the development of skill sets for:

• Planning for transition
• Seeking and managing employment
• Attaining housing and sustaining tenancy
• Connecting with supportive networks
• Managing personal finances
• Community mobility
• Coping and parenting skills
• Regulating emotions and resiliency
• Managing mental and physical health
• Engaging in healthy leisure activities

 Mass Incarceration

• 2.3 million individuals reside in 1,719 state prisons, 102 federal prisons, 1,852 juvenile facilities, 3,163 local jails (11 million people cycle through jails each year), and other types of detention facilities across the United States. (source)
• An additional 3.7 million people are on probation. (source)
• 97% of the incarcerated population will be released to their communities. (source)
• 67% of those released reoffend and are rearrested within 3 years of their release. (source)

Employment

• Individuals in transition face more adverse labor market outcomes, including less employment and lower wages. (source)
• Employee turnover is high and is a burden to employers.

Success
OTTIS addresses the existing challenges of mass incarceration and employment in order to aid individuals in their transition after incarceration. Success stories of participants within the program drive the continued effort of the occupational therapy team.

Individual Evaluation and Interventions

• Assessment: We use a variety of occupational performance and health screening tools to provide baseline awareness of individual needs for supporting activities of daily living.
• Goals: Tailored goals and a vision plan are developed together with individuals in order to ensure occupational therapy is focused on their interests and needs.
• Interventions: Applied activities facilitated by occupational therapy occur in real situations in order to support individual goals.

Occupational therapists work with individuals pre-release, helping connect them with employers and community service providers. We work with both individuals and employers to identify potential challenges due to a record of incarceration and/or social and environmental barriers in order to maximize occupational performance and reduce turnover. Community service providers help ease these challenges by providing additional resources.

Occupational therapists with OTTIS can also address workplace health and workforce development needs at the organization level. Informed by the Total Worker Health approach, a National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health strategy, the holistic process involves needs assessment, evidence-informed interventions, and program evaluation.