The Osborne Association

Usable Knowledge recently worked with the Osborne Association, a large provider of services to those who are incarcerated or were recently released from prison following a period of incarceration. Osborne received a large grant to provide counseling and case management to people who developed a mental illness or had a mental illness that was exacerbated in prison. While the central goal of the program was to bring about improvements in mental health for the target population, in the course of the evaluation, other outcomes surfaced as well. For example, the program allowed Osborne to build new relationships with state mental health agencies and community organizations that serve the needs of low or no income people relationships it had not had in the past. It also enabled Osborne to bring together officials from the state prison system and the state office of mental health around the issues faced by formerly incarcerated people with moderate mental illnesses after release. While outcomes for the clients remained central, these kinds of ancillary benefits will continue to have direct and indirect impacts on the agency, the corrections system and individuals who face similar issues in the future.