Thursday, January 17, 2008
Spy Games - The Staff
The typical client at STC takes pride in his or her ability to outwit the program. The sad fact is that any client in any treatment facility, no matter how physically restrictive the facility is, will drink and use if they really want to. Alcoholics and addicts are notorious for being able to inebriate themselves in the most unlikely of places. A prison guard at Orange County Jail once informed the researcher that prisoners make alcohol out of any fruit they get their hands on. There are a number of stories at STC about clients drinking mouthwash, perfume and rubbing alcohol in an ignorant attempt to get high. The client who really wants to drink or use at STC will find a way to do so, no matter what restrictions and surveillances are utilized. But the object of the game for the staff at STC is to catch the client when they do, and then enforce consequences.
STC has recently implemented drug and alcohol urinalysis testing for every client, three times per week. The client is informed at the last minute about the test and is most often unaware of when the test will occur. On top of this mandatory testing throughout the week, a client is tested whenever he or she returns from a pass, or if they are suspected of being under the influence by a staff member. The obsessive drug and alcohol testing at STC is their solution to the problem of too much freedom. Constant random testing does not seem to alleviate relapses among the clients, but it does prevent them from getting away with it.
The alcoholic's cunningness and his cold-blooded ability to tell lies often makes the game of treatment a loosing battle. In researching the ability of a client to avoid being caught under the influence, I interviewed Slick Rick who admitted to the staff he had been using drugs while in the program. What was even more unusual than his voluntarily relapse admission was his ability to completely deceive the entire staff. Not only did he pass countless urinalysis testing, he also showed no outward signs of being under the influence. Normally, the staff, recovering alcoholics and addicts, is able to detect the smell of alcohol on a person's breath from across a room, or notice symptoms of drug use by looking at a person's eyes, but Slick Rick never missed a meeting and never presented any symptoms. The staff was baffled.
Despite constant inquiries and interrogations, Slick Rick was unwilling to admit how he had accomplished this. Only after I approached him and asked if he would allow me to interview him did he confidentially reveal his sorcery.
Every Tuesday morning at 6:30am, the house parents and Case Managers meet to discuss the clients. During this meeting the House Parents, or House Agents as they will be called for the purposes of this report, give their account of each individual client's progress. The House Agents actually live with the clients and so they are privilege to information about the clients that no other staff member is privilege to. Time spent with the clients in their everyday existence at STC is what makes the field agents the most valuable information sources. The House Agents, drivers, and meeting monitors also have tickets they can issue that are called "write-ups," a very useful weapon in negative reinforcement.
The write-up can be compared to a traffic ticket. If the field agent witnesses any infraction, the client who committed the infraction is written-up. Infractions can include everything from leaving a coffee cup on a table in the morning, to fraternizing with a female or male client. The write-ups are important to the case managers because it lets them know if their client is misbehaving. Every bit of information about a client's actions is gold for the analysts at STC. A write-up for a missed meeting for instance, sends a warning flag up to half-mast. Two write-ups for the same behavior sends the warning flag to the top; and three write-ups for missing a meeting sounds an alarm. The consequences for being written-up the first time involves deducting half the amount of money the client receives as an allowance three times every week (usually $75 per week). Two write-ups result in no allowance; and three write-ups require the client to attend extra meetings.
The paperwork at STC is critical to keeping track of a client's progress. There are forms to be filled out for everything including money, deviations from the normal schedule, passes to leave STC for any period of time, progress reports from Case Managers, progress reports from house agents, and progress reports from the clients themselves. All of these reports must be signed by the Director of Operations, the Program Director, and the client's Case Manager.
Even more important than the paperwork is the communication among the staff. The Motorola two-way cellular phones every staff member is issued are the most important communication instruments utilized at STC. Instantly, staff members can communicate. The loud beeps that signal a staff member to answer his or her radio produce a symphony of annoying noises throughout the day at the Center.
Also important to communication and client intelligence is a new computer program, developed specifically for case managers at treatment facilities. The program is similar to the White House's internal e-mail system called PROF. It is designed to allow case managers throughout STC to communicate internally about their clients. Progress reports are written directly into the system from the Case Manager's computer and other Case Managers are able to access the reports. Only Case Managers with special clearance have access to these files because they are highly confidential.
STC has recently implemented drug and alcohol urinalysis testing for every client, three times per week. The client is informed at the last minute about the test and is most often unaware of when the test will occur. On top of this mandatory testing throughout the week, a client is tested whenever he or she returns from a pass, or if they are suspected of being under the influence by a staff member. The obsessive drug and alcohol testing at STC is their solution to the problem of too much freedom. Constant random testing does not seem to alleviate relapses among the clients, but it does prevent them from getting away with it.
The alcoholic's cunningness and his cold-blooded ability to tell lies often makes the game of treatment a loosing battle. In researching the ability of a client to avoid being caught under the influence, I interviewed Slick Rick who admitted to the staff he had been using drugs while in the program. What was even more unusual than his voluntarily relapse admission was his ability to completely deceive the entire staff. Not only did he pass countless urinalysis testing, he also showed no outward signs of being under the influence. Normally, the staff, recovering alcoholics and addicts, is able to detect the smell of alcohol on a person's breath from across a room, or notice symptoms of drug use by looking at a person's eyes, but Slick Rick never missed a meeting and never presented any symptoms. The staff was baffled.
Despite constant inquiries and interrogations, Slick Rick was unwilling to admit how he had accomplished this. Only after I approached him and asked if he would allow me to interview him did he confidentially reveal his sorcery.
Every Tuesday morning at 6:30am, the house parents and Case Managers meet to discuss the clients. During this meeting the House Parents, or House Agents as they will be called for the purposes of this report, give their account of each individual client's progress. The House Agents actually live with the clients and so they are privilege to information about the clients that no other staff member is privilege to. Time spent with the clients in their everyday existence at STC is what makes the field agents the most valuable information sources. The House Agents, drivers, and meeting monitors also have tickets they can issue that are called "write-ups," a very useful weapon in negative reinforcement.
The write-up can be compared to a traffic ticket. If the field agent witnesses any infraction, the client who committed the infraction is written-up. Infractions can include everything from leaving a coffee cup on a table in the morning, to fraternizing with a female or male client. The write-ups are important to the case managers because it lets them know if their client is misbehaving. Every bit of information about a client's actions is gold for the analysts at STC. A write-up for a missed meeting for instance, sends a warning flag up to half-mast. Two write-ups for the same behavior sends the warning flag to the top; and three write-ups for missing a meeting sounds an alarm. The consequences for being written-up the first time involves deducting half the amount of money the client receives as an allowance three times every week (usually $75 per week). Two write-ups result in no allowance; and three write-ups require the client to attend extra meetings.
The paperwork at STC is critical to keeping track of a client's progress. There are forms to be filled out for everything including money, deviations from the normal schedule, passes to leave STC for any period of time, progress reports from Case Managers, progress reports from house agents, and progress reports from the clients themselves. All of these reports must be signed by the Director of Operations, the Program Director, and the client's Case Manager.
Even more important than the paperwork is the communication among the staff. The Motorola two-way cellular phones every staff member is issued are the most important communication instruments utilized at STC. Instantly, staff members can communicate. The loud beeps that signal a staff member to answer his or her radio produce a symphony of annoying noises throughout the day at the Center.
Also important to communication and client intelligence is a new computer program, developed specifically for case managers at treatment facilities. The program is similar to the White House's internal e-mail system called PROF. It is designed to allow case managers throughout STC to communicate internally about their clients. Progress reports are written directly into the system from the Case Manager's computer and other Case Managers are able to access the reports. Only Case Managers with special clearance have access to these files because they are highly confidential.
Labels: Spy-Games
