Chapter 13. Volunteer Services
Regulation .01 Definitions.LinkCopy Citation
A.
In this chapter, the following terms have the meanings indicated.
B.
Terms Defined.
(1)
“Citizen participant” means a person who provides a service on an irregular and infrequent basis, not exceeding six visits per year.
(2)
“Commissioner” means Commissioner of the Division of Correction or designee.
(3)
“Community service worker” means a person who agrees to perform a certain number of community service hours as a condition of probation.
(4)
“Coordinator” means volunteer activities coordinator.
(5)
“Director” means the Division headquarters Chief of Religious and Volunteer Services.
(6)
“Division” means Division of Correction.
(7)
“Employee volunteer” means a person who is employed by an institution and who provides a service on personal time to that institution.
(8)
“Frisk search” means running the hands across clothing worn to detect any hidden objects.
(9)
“Maryland CCH IDENT/INDEX” means Computerized Criminal History Identification Index.
(10)
“Material or monetary donor” means a person or group that provides material or monetary donations to an institution or the Division.
(11)
“Rap sheet” means the primary method by which criminal history information is reported.
(12)
“Reasonable suspicion” means the apparent state of facts or circumstances which would lead a reasonably prudent person to:
(a)
Believe that something is wrong;
(b)
Have an apprehension or to imagine that a violation has been, is being, or will be committed by a specific individual based on only slight evidence which does not amount to proof.
(13)
“Registered volunteer” means a volunteer who has completed the screening and orientation procedures, and has obtained the approval necessary to make regular visits to the institution.
(14)
“Student intern” means a student from a post-high school educational institution who, for credit and under the supervision of that person's school, performs services on a regular or frequent basis.
(15)
“Volunteer” means someone who has been approved as a volunteer through the procedures in this chapter.
(16)
Volunteer Professional.
(a)
“Volunteer professional” means a person who represents another agency in providing a service on a regular or frequent basis and is paid by that agency.
(b)
“Volunteer professional” does not mean the following personnel:
(i)
Department of Education staff;
(ii)
Contractual personnel who provide substance abuse treatment;
(iii)
Institutional parole agents.
(17)
“Volunteer services” means planned activities which aid staff in promoting inmate adjustment and which utilize volunteers.
Regulation .02 Use of Volunteers.LinkCopy Citation
Volunteers shall be used as an integral part of the service delivery system for the benefit of the Division and its population. Volunteers shall supplement and extend, not take the place of, staff and staff services.
Regulation .03 Volunteer Services Program Management.LinkCopy Citation
A.
The Director and the coordinator for each institution shall develop annual volunteer goals based on institutional needs and direction from the Commissioner and warden.
B.
Each registered volunteer shall have a written assignment description prepared by the coordinator.
C.
The Director and the coordinators shall recruit volunteers from the various cultural and socioeconomic segments of the community.
D.
Selection.
(1)
A coordinator shall ensure that each volunteer applicant is screened using the following methods:
(a)
Personal interview;
(b)
Completion of application for volunteer service;
(c)
Investigation of credentials, if credentials are germane to volunteer services; and
(d)
Criminal history investigation using, at a minimum, the following sources:
(i)
Maryland CCH IDENT/INDEX and rap sheet,
(ii)
FBI check (transaction codes CCH and CCF),
(iii)
OBSCIS II, which is a management information system for the Division of Parole and Probation,
(iv)
Motor vehicle records, and
(v)
Fingerprinting, followed by submission of prints to the FBI for identification, at the warden's discretion.
(2)
A warden or designee may authorize a more limited screening for:
(a)
A citizen participant;
(b)
An employee volunteer; or
(c)
A material or monetary donor.
(3)
A coordinator may place a community service worker as a volunteer if the:
(a)
Applicant is not under court order for drug treatment; and
(b)
Warden approves the placement.
(4)
A warden or designee may accept a person with a criminal record as a registered volunteer, whether previously incarcerated or on supervised parole or supervised probation, with the following stipulations:
(a)
The person may not be selected for service other than as a citizen participant until 1 year has elapsed after termination of supervision by closure or abatement through any criminal justice agency;
(b)
The person may not have been arrested since termination from supervision;
(c)
A person who has had a condition of supervision requiring drug abuse treatment shall also provide as a reference the name of that person's most recent parole or probation agent or substance abuse treatment counselor.
(5)
An employee volunteer shall sign an agreement to volunteer a specific service instead of completing an application.
(6)
Acceptance or Rejection of a Volunteer.
(a)
The Director shall ensure that criteria for acceptance or rejection of a volunteer candidate is consistently applied among all institutions.
(b)
The application of any volunteer applicant who is rejected, along with the reason for rejection, shall be sent to the Director.
(c)
The Director shall forward the information in §D(6)(b) to the Commissioner, along with a recommendation to approve or disapprove the rejection. The Director shall base the recommendation upon:
(i)
Information contained in the application;
(ii)
Criminal history;
(iii)
Reason for rejection;
(iv)
The need for service; and
(v)
The applicant's status as a volunteer elsewhere in the system.
(d)
The Director shall advise the warden of the Commissioner's decision.
(e)
A volunteer applicant may appeal the decision, in writing, to the Commissioner within 30 days of receiving notice of rejection.
E.
Volunteer Orientation.
(1)
A registered volunteer shall receive an orientation which has been approved by the Director and shall sign a document stating that orientation has been received.
(2)
The coordinator shall conduct the orientation which shall include, at minimum:
(a)
Basic rules and regulations which affect a volunteer; and
(b)
A description of institutional programming operations.
(3)
The coordinator shall provide a citizen participant with an orientation approved by the Director.
F.
A volunteer may provide services only after receiving orientation.
G.
Volunteer Training.
(1)
The staff supervisor of the volunteer shall provide special skill training as needed.
(2)
The Director shall ensure supplemental training opportunities for volunteers.
H.
Supervision and Monitoring of a Volunteer.
(1)
A volunteer's supervisor shall:
(a)
Work with the coordinator to assure adequate supervision of volunteer efforts;
(b)
Complete an annual evaluation for each volunteer.
(2)
A volunteer shall complete an annual placement experience evaluation.
I.
The coordinator shall ensure that a volunteer receives formal and informal recognition for the volunteer's contributions.
J.
The warden shall ensure that an inmate receives information about volunteer services during institutional orientation and by institutional bulletins posted throughout the institution.
K.
Gifts, contributions, and donations shall be accepted and processed under procedures established by the Department of Budget and Fiscal Planning.
L.
The coordinator shall maintain a file for each volunteer, to contain at least the following documents:
(1)
Volunteer application;
(2)
Volunteer assignment description;
(3)
Acknowledgment of orientation;
(4)
Evaluations;
(5)
Volunteer exit form; and
(6)
Program notes.
M.
The Commissioner shall review major modifications to existing institutional volunteer programs and program initiatives before implementation.
N.
Volunteer Access to the Institution.
(1)
A volunteer shall sign a volunteer log provided by the institution upon entering and leaving the institution.
(2)
Search Procedures.
(a)
A volunteer is subject to established procedure.
(b)
A volunteer shall sign an authorization for a frisk search. The shift supervisor may deny a volunteer access to the institution if the volunteer refuses to consent to a clothed body search.
(c)
A volunteer shall sign an authorization for a strip search if the warden has reasonable suspicion that an illegal act either has been, may be, or is being committed. The shift supervisor shall deny a volunteer access to the institution if the volunteer refuses to consent to a strip search.
Regulation .04 Reassignment, Suspension, and Discharge of a Volunteer.LinkCopy Citation
A.
The coordinator shall initiate appropriate action if a volunteer is:
(1)
Arrested;
(2)
Violates institutional rules; or
(3)
Is not performing responsibilities in accordance with the assignment description or the expectations of the supervisor.
B.
An action may include:
(1)
Transfer to another assignment;
(2)
Suspension; or
(3)
Discharge.
C.
In the event of discharge, the coordinator shall:
(1)
Conduct an exit interview;
(2)
Complete the volunteer exit form;
(3)
Request that the volunteer complete an evaluation form; and
(4)
Refer the volunteer to a volunteer placement agency if the volunteer so desires.
D.
The name of a volunteer who is discharged for unsatisfactory behavior, with reason for discharge, shall be forwarded to the Director.
E.
The Director shall:
(1)
Determine the appropriateness of the volunteer continuing to provide services within the Division;
(2)
Relocate the volunteer within the system when appropriate; and
(3)
Notify the warden and the volunteer of the volunteer's removal as a volunteer from all institutions of assignment.
F.
The volunteer may appeal an action taken under this regulation, in writing, to the Commissioner, within 30 days after receiving notice of the action.
Chapter annotations
Authority: Correctional Services Article, §2-109(c), Annotated Code of Maryland
History: Effective date: May 27, 1991 (18:10 Md. R. 1117)