Pretrial Diversion: Additional Services Offered

Moral Reconation Therapy

The St. Croix County Diversion Program staff facilitate Moral Reconation Therapy (MRT) group sessions for St. Croix County. MRT is an intensive cognitive-behavioral treatment strategy that seeks to decrease recidivism among criminal offenders by increasing moral reasoning. MRT’s cognitive-behavioral approach combines elements from a variety of psychological traditions to progressively address ego, social, moral, and positive behavioral growth. MRT significantly raises moral reasoning levels, life purpose, and other positive personality variables.

MRT has been proven, through over 120 research studies, to reduce the recidivism rate of criminal offenders and its success rate has been high enough that MRT has been granted Evidence-Based Practice status.

Staff utilizes the “How to Escape Your Prison” workbook in the facilitation of MRT. The workbook is obtained upon enrollment in the program.

Depending on the referral source the participant may be required to pay $25 for the purchase of the workbook.

Participants complete 12 to 16 modules (known as steps) in the MRT workbook. The length of MRT varies and can take up to 24 to 36 weeks to complete. MRT is held in a weekly group therapy format.

Eligibility

The St. Croix County MRT Program is appropriate for adult criminal offenders. Eligibility for MRT is determined based on risk level of re-offense, along with criminal thinking and cognitive behavioral patterns determined by a COMPAS assessment. The Diversion Program staff facilitate MRT for appropriate Diversion Program participants, Drug Court participants, Probation and Parole clients, and St. Croix County Jail inmates.

Benefits

MRT emphasizes personal accountability and helps offenders understand the thoughts and choices that led to their crimes, with a focus on changing criminal attitudes, beliefs, values, thinking patterns, and behaviors.

As part of MRT, participants establish goals and identify the tools they need to achieve them, including doing the right things in the right ways.

Participants assess the quality of their current relationships by formulating strategies for repairing and proceeding with those valued relationships. Participants also complete 20 hours of “helping others” (volunteer work).

Basic Treatment Issues

MRT focuses on these seven basic treatment issues:

• Confrontation of beliefs, attitudes and behaviors
• Assessment of current relationships
• Reinforcement of positive behavior and habits
• Positive identity formation
• Enhancement of self-concept
• Decrease in hedonism/development of frustration tolerance
• Development of higher stages of moral reasoning

Days & Times MRT is Offered

• Mondays 
  • Time: 8:30 to 10:00 a.m. 
  • Location: Hudson
• Tuesdays 
  • Time: 5:30 to 7:00 p.m. 
  • Location: New Richmond
• Fridays 
  • Time: 1:30 to 3:00 p.m. 
  • SCC Jail inmates only

Educational Outreach Session

Diversion Program staff complete a one hour educational outreach session to appropriate low-risk, first-time Diversion Program participants. This session provides participants with knowledge of the criminal justice system and what it means to have your name entered into the Wisconsin Circuit Court Access website. The course also goes over the possible ramifications of having a criminal record. At the end of the session participants complete a thinking report regarding their behavior that led them into the program.