Heartland Center for Behavioral Change | Treatment Services in Missouri

What We Do

Community Reentry

Community Transitional Unit (CTU)

Our Community Transition Unit, (CTU), is a 24-hour residential program that helps facilitate the community reintegration of adults under the custody of the Missouri Department of Corrections. Our program offers specialized assistance to help individuals obtain employment, housing, treatment, and other services for a successful return to the community. It is funded by the Missouri Department of Corrections.

Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA)

PREA: What Is It?

In September of 2003, the Prison Rape Elimination Act was signed into law and became the first federal law to address the sexual abuse and harassment of individuals on community confinement. The law mandates that each agency adopt a “Zero Tolerance” policy for all forms of offender sexual abuse and harassment. Prevention of offender sexual abuse and harassment is a top priority.

Zero Tolerance Policy

Every individual has the right to be free from sexual abuse and harassment. In accordance with the Prison Rape Elimination Act, the Heartland Center for Behavioral Change has a zero-tolerance policy for all forms of offender sexual abuse and harassment.

When sexual contact is accomplished through fear, threat or implied threat, it is considered sexual abuse. Staff-on-Offender sexual misconduct will not be tolerated. It is against state law for a staff member, contractor or volunteer, to engage in any type of sexual behavior with an offender. HCBC has taken various steps to stop sexual abuse and harassment, including increasing the number of security cameras, providing the offender population with multiple ways to report offender sexual abuse, training our staff to recognize the signs and symptoms of sexual abuse, and educating the offender population on how to avoid and report sexual abuse.

Reporting Offender Sexual Abuse or Harassment

The Heartland Center for Behavioral Change takes the safety of incarcerated offenders very seriously and ensures that everyone that lives or works within our agency understands the signs and symptoms of offender sexual abuse and how to report allegations of abuse.

How do I get help?

If this should ever happen to you or someone else, even if it happened prior to arriving here (prison, jail etc.), you can report sexual abuse and sexual harassment privately and in several ways: verbally, in writing, anonymously, and from third parties. All allegations of sexual abuse will be referred for investigation to the appropriate agency.

Report the information to any staff member who is trained to assist you.
You can call the Metropolitan Organization to Counter Sexual Assault Rape Crisis hotline at (816) 531-0233 or (913) 642-0233 who have preexisting protocols to provide assistance. A crisis counselor is available 7 days a week, 24 hours a day to assist you at no cost to you.
Call the Missouri Department of Corrections PREA Hotline: (573) 526-PREA (7732) or (866) 773-6391.
You can also communicate your concerns in writing to the Director of Advocacy Services, MOCSA, 3100 Broadway, Suite 400, Kansas City, MO 64111.
You can submit a grievance regarding an allegation of sexual abuse at any time, regardless of when the incident is alleged to have occurred.
In accordance with Heartland Center’s Offender Sexual Abuse and Harassment Policy, staff having knowledge of offender-on-offender or staff-on-offender sexual abuse must report immediately to the shift supervisor while keeping the victim safe.

Third Party Involvement

Third Party Involvement allows fellow offenders, staff members, family members, attorneys, and outside advocates, to assist an offender in filing requests for administrative remedies relation to allegations of sexual abuse, and shall also be permitted to file such requests on behalf of offenders.

Friends and Family

Friends and family of offenders incarcerated with the Agency may report offender sexual abuse and harassment by:

Calling: Maddie Steele, 816-421-6670, Ext. 1874
Writing: Heartland Center For Behavioral Change, 1730 Prospect, STE 100, Kansas City, MO 64127
Emailing: msteele@heartlandcbc.org

When reporting offender sexual abuse or harassment, you will be asked to provide information that will assist in the investigation such as the offender’s name and offender’s number, the program where the alleged incident occurred, time and date of the incident, as well as a brief summary of the allegation.