Attachment - Method of Approach Revised 9.2.2025.pdf

Solicitation No. BPM007036 Community Accountability Program Services for Community Corrections

New Freedom Solicitation Response

Attachment – Method of Approach

1. Describe how you will provide Sexual Offense specific CBT? Please include the curriculum and materials that will be used.

New Freedom will provide Sexual Offense-specific Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) through a structured, evidence-based approach using the Cognitive Behavioral Intervention for Sexual

Offending (CBI-SO) curriculum developed by the University of Cincinnati Corrections Institute

(UCCI). This curriculum is specifically designed for individuals assessed as moderate to high need in the area of sexual offending and related behaviors. It emphasizes cognitive restructuring and skill-building in areas such as emotional regulation, coping strategies, and social skills to reduce recidivism.

Key program components include:

• Use of the CBI-SO Curriculum: A cognitive-behavioral, skills-focused intervention aimed at reducing risk of re-offense through structured sessions and exercises.

• Pre-treatment screening: Clients undergo a comprehensive intake screening including assessments like the Generalized Anxiety Disorder scale, PRAPARE, and a Safety Plan. Risk level is further informed by tools such as the Ohio Risk

Assessment System (ORAS) and the Sexual Violence Risk-20, Version 2 (SVR-20

V2).

• Treatment dosage: Determined collaboratively with ADCRR based on each offender’s risk level, ensuring individualized care.

• Program delivery: Offered statewide via HIPAA-compliant telehealth services and in-person as capacity allows, with sessions held multiple times per week during day and evening hours.

• Group structure: Sessions are two hours in duration and conducted in an open-enrollment, open-ended format.

This model reflects New Freedom’s trauma-informed, peer-led approach, emphasizing accountability, transformation, and community reintegration.

2. Describe how you will provide Career Criminal specific CBT? Please include the curriculum and materials that will be used.

New Freedom will provide Career Criminal-specific Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) using a structured, evidence-based approach tailored for individuals with extensive, habitual criminal histories and a heightened risk to public safety. The program is designed to foster long-term behavioral change through introspection, skill development, and pro-social reinforcement.

Key components of New Freedom’s Career Criminal CBT program include:

• Curriculum Used:

o “My Life in Recovery – Interactive Journals” by The Change Companies. This comprehensive set includes:

▪ Getting Started

▪ My Personal Change Plan

▪ Substance Use Education

▪ The Power of Self-Talk

▪ Managing My Emotions

▪ My Mental Health

▪ My Coping Skills

▪ My Relationships

▪ Managing My Life

▪ Maintaining My Recovery

▪ My 12 Steps of Recovery o These journals are designed to engage participants in cognitive restructuring and personal accountability through writing and self-reflection.

• Dosage and Delivery:

o Offenders are expected to attend 48 to 96 treatment sessions, capped at two group sessions per week.

o Treatment dosage is based on risk level and is jointly determined by New

Freedom and ADCRR using the Ohio Risk Assessment System (ORAS) and other relevant tools.

• Screening and Group Assignment:

o A structured intake process includes the Generalized Anxiety Disorder questionnaire, Inventory of Offender Risk Needs and Strengths, and trauma screening.

o Screenings help determine group placement, suitability, and potential conflicts between members.

• Telehealth and In-Person Options:

o Services are available statewide via HIPAA-compliant telehealth, in addition to in-person sessions at the central Phoenix location.

o Telehealth class sizes are limited to 12 participants to ensure effective facilitation.

• Supplementary Curriculum:

o Additional materials may include “How to Escape Your Prison” (MRT – Moral

Reconation Therapy) and ACCI Lifeskills Offender Corrections resources, pending ADCRR approval.

New Freedom’s approach is rooted in peer leadership, trauma-informed care, and evidence-based practices, with a strong emphasis on transforming high-risk individuals into responsible, pro-social community members.

3. Are you able to meet the mandatory office requirements under section 3.

PROGRAM DELIVERY-OFFICES?

New Freedom affirms its ability to meet the mandatory office requirements under Section 3:

Program Delivery – Offices. The organization will operate its Community Accountability Program primarily in Maricopa and Pima Counties, as required, and is prepared to expand to additional counties as funding allows.

Key capabilities include:

• Current Facility: New Freedom has an operational site at 2301 W. Dunlap Ave., Suite

201, Phoenix, AZ 85029, where in-person group and individual counseling services are offered.

• Telehealth Coverage: New Freedom can deliver services statewide via its HIPAA-compliant telehealth platform, enabling access across all Arizona regions, including underserved and rural areas.

• Scalability: The program is designed to duplicate its original model in new locations without altering the established fee schedule, ensuring consistency and fiscal transparency during expansion.

This structure ensures that New Freedom is fully equipped to meet and sustain the geographic service requirements of the contract.

New Freedom plan to expand operations within 90 days of the award would be executed in multiple operation steps to meet the needs of the contract to include the following:

• Human resources will immediately post positions for behavioral health professionals to be able to facilitate the requirements for each program.

• Executive leadership will identify commercial real estate to identify additional office space to be able to be utilized for the services.

• The compliance department can begin applications for the Arizona Department of Health

Services to license the office spaces at Outpatient Treatment Centers.

• The compliance department can identify a timeline for credentialing the new OTC facilities with Medicaid, but this timeline is dependent on the ADHS licensing and the application process with AHCCCS.

• While these facility operations are in process, a parallel operational plan to utilize telehealth services with newly hired staff to meet the demand of referrals can be implemented.

These operational measures could be initiated immediately upon award but would be dependent on applicants to fill the available positions, commercial real estate opportunities that would provide enough group session/conference room space to hold group sessions, and the licensing and credentialing timelines of governmental agencies.

Regardless of these potential restrictions, New Freedom has a functioning and licensed outpatient facility that has the capacity to provide telehealth and in-person services while referrals are submitted.

4. Describe how you will offer statewide telehealth under section 4. PROGRAM

DELIVERY- TELEHEALTH.

New Freedom will offer statewide telehealth services in alignment with Section 4: Program

Delivery – Telehealth, ensuring broad access to treatment across Arizona.

Key elements of New Freedom’s telehealth delivery include:

• Eligibility and Enrollment: ADCRR refers eligible offenders, and upon screening and acceptance, they are enrolled in virtual classroom-style telehealth groups.

• Technology and Compliance: Services are delivered via a HIPAA-compliant telehealth platform integrated into New Freedom’s electronic health record system, ensuring secure and confidential care.

• Program Availability: Telehealth options are available for Career Criminal CBT, Sexual

Offense CBT, General CBT, and Substance Use Treatment, depending on funding and

ADCRR need.

• Group Size and Structure: Class sizes are limited to 12 participants, with a combination of day and evening sessions to accommodate varying schedules.

• Statewide Reach: Telehealth services extend to all counties in Arizona, making treatment accessible even in remote or underserved areas.

This flexible and secure model ensures continuity of care while maintaining fidelity to program goals and contractual requirements.

5. Are you able to meet the requirements under Section 5.3. “Offeror shall have applicants enrolled into the program within 72 business hours of receiving the referral.”

New Freedom confirms it can meet the requirement under Section 5.3 to enroll applicants into the program within 72 business hours of receiving a referral.

The organization has established systems and infrastructure to ensure rapid intake and onboarding, including:

• A web-based referral and tracking portal accessible by ADCRR staff.

• Streamlined screening and intake processes to assess eligibility and assign appropriate services quickly.

• Telehealth capabilities and in-person options that allow for flexible scheduling and immediate access to services.

This readiness ensures timely engagement of participants and supports ADCRR’s goals for responsive, community-based interventions.

6. Submit a comprehensive description of its Overall Program, including a detailed description of therapy/treatment models, curricula, group programming locations, remote program access options, monitoring options, etc. to meet the requirements under Section 5.4.

New Freedom Program Overview

New Freedom is a trauma-informed, peer-led behavioral health organization dedicated to supporting justice-involved individuals through reentry, recovery, and long-term community integration. With a mission of 'Second Chances with a Human Focus,' New Freedom blends evidence-based treatment models, peer mentorship, vocational education, supportive housing, outpatient care, and accountability monitoring to deliver a holistic continuum of services.

Programming begins pre-release and extends through structured transitional programs, outpatient treatment, and community integration. Services are delivered both in-person at the

Phoenix campus and statewide via HIPAA-compliant telehealth platforms. The Phoenix campus is a 144,000 sq. ft. converted hotel providing housing, classrooms, wellness facilities, a commercial kitchen, and therapeutic spaces. The men’s treatment program has availability to provide 390 members with services and the women’s program has availability for 150 members.

The outpatient treatment program has a much larger availability utilizing telehealth services.

Measured outcomes demonstrate impact: 92.5% of graduates remain free from incarceration, 99% gain employment, and average participant wages increase by 46.3% two years after program completion.

Therapy and Treatment Models

New Freedom’s therapeutic framework integrates Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), trauma-informed care, and peer-led engagement. Licensed and credentialed behavioral health professionals deliver structured, evidence-based interventions, reinforced by peer mentors who bring lived experience into the therapeutic process.

Key treatment components include:

• Cognitive Restructuring – challenging criminal and addictive thinking errors and building pro-social cognitive patterns.

• Trauma Recovery – addressing Post-Incarceration Syndrome, PTSD, and adverse childhood experiences.

• Behavioral Accountability – promoting personal responsibility, restitution, and empathy.

• Skill Development – emotional regulation, communication, relapse prevention, and problem-solving.

• Community Engagement – fostering belonging and peer-led recovery support networks.

Research has shown that treatment dosage levels over 200 hours provide substantively important reductions in recidivism in high-risk offenders, and that over 100 hours of treatment is effective at reducing recidivism for moderate and low-risk cases. New Freedom’s service model is designed to meet or exceed these dosage thresholds, ensuring participants receive an intensity of treatment that aligns with evidence-based standards for recidivism reduction.

Evidence-Based Curricula by Track

1. General CBT

a. Curriculum: My Life in Recovery Interactive Journaling (The Change

Companies).

i. Managing My Life is designed to help participants plan to manage their life in responsible ways in recovery. They will learn and practice skills that can help them succeed in finding sustainable housing, pursuing a career, managing a budget and maintaining their schedule.

b. Methodology: Combines expressive writing, motivational interviewing, CBT, and the Stages of Change model.

i. Interactive Journaling is an evidence‑based, client‑centered model that uses expressive writing, motivational interviewing, CBT, and the stages of change to motivate and guide individuals toward positive, lasting behavior change.

c. Format: Structured journaling exercises completed in and outside of group sessions. Facilitators guide reflection and discussion, linking written work to real-life application.

d. Focus Areas: Coping skills, healthy relationships, emotional regulation, daily structure, and positive self-talk.

e. Target Population: Low to moderate risk/needs or supervision compliance challenges.

f. Duration: Typically 8–12 weeks depending on risk level and progress.

2. Career Criminal CBT

a. Curriculum:

i. My Life in Recovery Journals

1. Managing My Life is designed to help participants plan to manage their life in responsible ways in recovery. They will learn and practice skills that can help them succeed in finding sustainable housing, pursuing a career, managing a budget and maintaining their schedule.

ii. Moral Reconation Therapy (MRT)

1. Moral Reconation Therapy (MRT) is a cognitive-behavioral treatment program designed to foster moral development and change harmful behavior patterns in individuals, particularly those with substance use disorders or criminal histories. Using a structured, workbook-based approach, MRT helps participants enhance their moral reasoning, improve decision-making, build self-esteem, and develop a more positive identity through group sessions and homework assignments.

iii. ACCI Lifeskills: Offender Corrections

1. This course challenges criminal thinking and behavior, with a focus on crimes of moral turpitude such as theft, assault, and fraud. It is important that students understand that the primary source of their problems is their thinking. If they never change their thinking, they can never change their behavior. Criminals repeat and repeat and continue through the revolving door, because that is what is programmed into their subconscious mind.

Their thoughts are the driving force behind their criminal activity. If you think like a criminal, you will act like a criminal.

b. Target Population: Repeat felony offenders or those assessed as high risk.

c. Expected Outcomes: Increased moral reasoning, decreased antisocial cognition, strengthened pro-social identity.

3. Sexual Offense CBT

a. Curriculum: Cognitive Behavioral Intervention – Sexual Offending (CBI-SO), University of Cincinnati.

i. UCCI’s Cognitive Behavioral Intervention - Sexual Offending (CBI-SO) curriculum is a structured curriculum intended for individuals who are moderate to high need in the area of sexual offending and related behaviors. This curriculum can be delivered as a stand-alone intervention or incorporated into larger programs, particularly those designed for clients in the correctional system. As the name of the curriculum suggests, this intervention relies on a cognitive-behavioral approach to teach participants strategies for avoiding sexual offending and related behaviors. Specifically, the program emphasizes skill-building activities to assist with cognitive, social, emotional, and coping skills development.

The goal is to increase the value participants place on pro-social thoughts and choices. Focus: Accountability, risk management, empathy development, behavioral self-regulation.

b. Methodology: Structured CBT program with modules on cognitive restructuring, empathy development, self-regulation, and relapse prevention.

c. Format: 26–32 structured sessions, 90 minutes each, with supplemental homework and risk management planning.

d. Target Population: Individuals with moderate-to-high sexual offending risk.

e. Expected Outcomes: Accountability, risk management, empathy, self-regulation.

4. Substance Abuse CBT

a. Curriculum: A New Direction (Hazelden Publishing).

i. A New Direction is a flexible, evidence-based, cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) curriculum that treats addiction in justice-involved men and is proven to reduce recidivism.

b. Methodology: Modular CBT curriculum addressing addictive/criminal thinking, relapse prevention, and emotional management.

c. Modules: Criminal & Addictive Thinking, Relapse Prevention, Socialization, Emotional Management, Responsible Living.

d. Format: 24–36 sessions, 90–120 minutes each, supplemented by homework.

e. Target Population: Justice-involved individuals with substance use disorders.

f. Expected Outcomes: Reduced relapse risk, improved emotional regulation, lifestyle stabilization.

Core Outpatient Treatment with Supported Housing

Core Reentry Program (90 days)

• Daily structure includes physical wellness, three to five therapeutic group sessions weekly, one or more individual sessions weekly, vocational classes, meals, housing, and case management.

In-Reach

• Pre-release programming through letter-writing, peer mentoring, and goal planning.

Transition Program

• For early-released participants or those not housed at campus. Includes outpatient and telehealth therapy, peer navigation, and SDOH-focused case management.

Vocational Education and Workforce Readiness

Vocational training includes carpentry, HVAC, electrical, welding, culinary arts, commercial painting, business administration, GED prep, peer support certification, and digital literacy.

Courses typically run 8–16 weeks. Soft skills (resume writing, interviewing) are integrated.

Employer partnerships support placement. Many graduates return as instructors.

Case Management and Supportive Services

Case managers assist with housing, employment, healthcare, budgeting, ID recovery, and legal advocacy. Caseload ratios average 1:25 for standard participants and 1:15 for high-need cases.

Transportation is provided at release. Community integration is promoted through outings, volunteerism, and peer-led 12-step groups.

Transitional Services Outpatient Program

Group Programming Locations

• Phoenix Campus: 2301 W. Dunlap Ave., Suite 201, Phoenix, AZ 85029.

• Future Expansion: Pima County satellite office within 90 days.

• Community Partner Sites: Regional access points for rural counties.

• Remote Program Access Options

Telehealth delivered via Kipu EMR integrated with Zoom. Features include:

• HIPAA compliance.

• Day/evening scheduling, six days per week.

• Class size capped at 12.

• Secure messaging and progress tracking.

• Participants are supported with technology orientation

Monitoring Services

Managed through Allied Universal and SCRAM Systems with dedicated monitoring officers.

Caseload ratios average 1 officer per 50–75 participants.

Options include:

• Electronic Monitoring (EM): Continuous ankle device location tracking.

• GPS Monitoring: Real-time tracking, geo-fencing, restricted area alerts.

• Continuous Alcohol Monitoring (CAM): SCRAM ankle device measures transdermal alcohol levels.

• Remote Breath Alcohol Testing: Cellular-enabled device with facial recognition and instant reporting.

• Curfew Monitoring: Automated call and electronic verification of curfew compliance.

Accountability Features:

• Real-time reporting to case managers and ADCRR supervision staff.

• Automated tamper alerts.

• 24/7 staffed monitoring center with escalation protocols.

• Monitoring data integrated into treatment planning.

Participant Expectations and Support

• Participants are required to:

• Attend all scheduled group and individual sessions.

• Complete assigned workbook/homework activities.

• Collaborate on treatment planning and goal-setting.

• Submit to regular risk assessments, pre/mid/post evaluations.

• Comply with monitoring requirements (when applicable).

Supports include case management, peer mentorship, vocational referrals, Spanish-language materials, and transportation assistance.

Outcome Metrics and Evaluation

• Assessment tools include:

• PICTS (Psychological Inventory of Criminal Thinking Styles).

• BAM (Brief Addiction Monitor).

• URICA (University of Rhode Island Change Assessment).

• CBT Skill Acquisition.

Evaluations are conducted at intake, mid-program, and discharge. Data is entered into a secure portal accessible to ADCRR. Metrics tracked: reductions in violations, recidivism, and substance use; increases in employment, housing stability, and program completion.

Conclusion

New Freedom offers a comprehensive, evidence-based, and operationally detailed program that fulfills contractual requirements. Through the integration of CBT-based curricula, structured service dosage, credentialed staff, robust monitoring, and wraparound supports, New Freedom delivers measurable outcomes that align with ADCRR’s mission of public safety, rehabilitation, and successful reentry.

7. Please provide proof to demonstrate ability to meet the requirements under

Section 6. Qualifications - Education and experience.

New Freedom demonstrates its ability to meet the requirements under Section 6: Qualifications

– Education and Experience through the following:

• Licensed Behavioral Health Program: New Freedom is fully licensed by the Arizona

Department of Health Services (ADHS) as an Outpatient Treatment Center, ensuring regulatory compliance with Title 9, Chapter 20 of the Arizona Administrative Code.

• Qualified Staff: All clinicians providing services are appropriately licensed (e.g., LPC, LCSW, LISAC, LMSW) or credentialed behavioral health professionals. Staff receive clinical oversight supervision in accordance with Arizona Department of Health Services and Arizona Board of Behavioral Health Examiners regulations.

• Curriculum-Specific Training: Staff assigned to each CBT track complete formal training and demonstrate proficiency in delivering the specific evidence-based curricula, such as

CBI-SO (sexual offense), MRT (career criminal), and Hazelden’s A New Direction

(substance use).

• Experience with Justice-Involved Populations: Since October 1, 2020, New Freedom has successfully delivered therapeutic services to incarcerated and reentry populations across Arizona, including operating programs in ADCRR prison complexes.

This combination of licensing, trained professionals, and proven correctional experience meets and exceeds the qualifications required by the contract.

8. Describe how you will meet the requirements under Section 8.1. REPORTS

REQUIREMENTS.

New Freedom will fully meet the Section 8.1 Reports Requirements by maintaining a secure, web-based system that allows for:

• Daily tracking of offender participation, including attendance, group engagement, and progress updates.

• Real-time access for designated ADCRR staff, who will be able to log in to verify referrals, monitor compliance, and review program data.

• Integration with electronic health records (EHR) for secure and organized documentation of services, assessments, and outcomes.

This system ensures transparency, supports compliance monitoring, and facilitates efficient communication between New Freedom and ADCRR.