Requiring a rehabilitation plan and a post-incarceration plan for an inmate committed to the custody of the Iowa department of corrections

This bill requires the superintendent of each institution under the jurisdiction of the department of corrections to prepare a rehabilitation plan and a post-incarceration plan for each inmate committed to the custody of the Iowa department of corrections. The bill provides that the superintendent of each Iowa department of corrections institution shall, within six months after the commitment or entrance of an inmate to an institution, develop an individualized written plan and timeline for each inmate directed toward the rehabilitation of the inmate and preparing the inmate to live outside of the institution. The plan shall include but is not limited to an assessment of the inmate’s needs in the following areas: academic and educational, career and job training, substance use disorder treatment, mental health or mental illness treatment including cognitive behavioral therapy designed to help the inmate change the patterns of behavior that led to criminal activity, empathy and victim impact training, and counseling related to parenting and family relationships. The bill provides that within six months of an inmate’s potential release from an institution, the superintendent shall assist each inmate in the preparation of a post-incarceration plan to include but not be limited to workforce training including employment preparation skills such as job readiness and job search techniques, securing housing and work upon the inmate’s release, and arranging substance use disorder treatment and mental health services upon the inmate’s release.