Why are re-entry programs important to ex-offenders? Because well-completed re-entry programs grant former felons avenues to help and secure themselves via rightful and productive work.
Stopping reoccurrences and aiding to improve public safety as well reduce congestion in the prison yard and reducing government expenditures on prisoners.
Re-entry and Public Safety
Prisons alone in the United States of America have occupants of over 2.1 million inmates at a given time and verse numbers of them will get back to their various localities as soon they completed their jail terms or declare innocent.
These figures alone amounted to over 10 million persons getting back home to their various localities and counties either from state or federal prisons and jails every year.
For our justice department to have a thumbs up in achieving its aim to increase public safety, it must take that bold steps to actualize the aim of seeing this people being transform to a successful individuals that will contribute greatly to their local communities.
‘’Re-entry’’ means freedom of individuals from the prison yards and jail back into their locality.
The process alone can come in three distinctive forms based on the judgment passed by the preceding judge, the facts of a local community, and the individual’s agreement to freely take extra steps to see if their future is successful.
Different Types of Re-entry
1 This re-entry includes government formal supervision and assistance upon freedom, via probation or parole.
In 2016 alone, facts and records show 4.5 million US citizens under some act of community supervision.
These people are seriously supervised and helped by a parole or probation officer, in which you are forced to have a list of conditions placed by a court or the correction guide.
- This re-entry program involves the person intentionally agreeing or looking for admittance into government and locally based programs that will allow them for a re-entry and assists them with aid services when they return back to their base or communities.
- Several acts of re-entry programs has been found to be very effective and a channel for reducing crime re-occurrence and making sure individuals become contributing folks of their locality after paying off their debts to the society.
Lastly, a prisoner can be set free without the assistance of government supervision or a community support program via the re-entry channel.
Steps to a Successful Re-entry
Research has proven that the main limitation that hinders an individual’s effort to improve in life upon re-entry, and is the aim of re-entry, it should start on the first-day convictions.
While an individual is convicted, correctional facility and staff programs should assist the person get a pro-social worldview good community relationships, and overcoming any previous substance abuse or mental health concerns.
As soon as a person re-enters the society, they might likely start contributing to their community as a member depending on whether they can obtain a tangible job, secure a roof over their head, and have the education and skills deemed fit to succeed in life.
A gainful re-entry program is one which assists people with records pass one or more of these limitations and comes in line with other local means to supplement its own program with other services.
Solutions in Community by Attempting to Improve Re-entry
All over the country today, we have tons of organization, agencies, and company looking to empower those returning from incarceration with good skills, character, and real knowledge necessary to be gainful and importance upon re-entry into their locality.
The types of re-entry schemes that presently in place are almost as important as the persons making use of their services.
Some are more vital and comprehensive like the Oasis Centre in Dallas, dishing out mentorship, family relationships, housing placement, workforce development, job placement, and financial advice classes.
We also have more distinctive ones like Root and Rebound,which help with legal services and legal education for those in incarceration and re-entry to communities all over California.
They might render assistance to people looking for employment in a variety of industries or target their efforts in training those in prison for specific industry.
The schemes can be given even when someone is in convictions or after you have left the prison yard.
No matter the method or structure of the agency’s programs, they aim is to improve and increase public safety and guaranteed second chances for people re-integration to the society.
Important Re-entry Programs
While research has boldly stated that the limitations mentioned in our previous topics above in higher recidivism and block gainful re-entry, little was known about a sustainable fashion of elements necessary for re-integration programs to specifically help our 83 percent national recidivism for long term.
Some of the recent research on ground pin-point detail schemes and their importance standing alone.
For instance, the University of Nevada, Las Vegas has studied one reintegration program in their local community to find out if its achievement increased employment and brought down recidivism.
Hope for Prisoners is an 18-month reintegration scheme that gives pre-vocational programming, employment placement, and mentoring.
The scheme’s vital strength is its relationship with local law enforcement, with most of its program mentors being members of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department.
Study shows that about 64% of participants got stable jobs after graduation from the program and only 6% were re-convicted within 18 months, compared to the normal figure of 44% (estimate nationally) and 46% for (Utah) alone.
Another community-based reintegration schemes that has been notice to be significantly helpful is the Entrepreneurship Prison Program.
Participants of this program are in prison, he or she acquire a ‘’mini MBA’’ that are inclusive of character, leadership, and business curriculum.
As soon as reintegration into society, the scheme gives transitional accommodation, job assistance, counseling, and other helpful services.
Since its inauguration, the scheme has had 1,300 graduates with well over 200 starting a business upon reintegration.
The scheme has a 3 year recidivism rate of 7%, 100% of its graduate are employed in the space of 90 days of re-entry from incarceration, and we have 41% of its graduates being paid in the range of $52,000 per year.
Results found on this two research based complete programs that speaks greatly about the important contributions they are having to public safety and economic growth in their localities.
Other locally based reintegration organizations all over the country that have been shown to deduce recidivism include the Safer Foundation in Chicago, New Jersey Corporation, and Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO).
Second Chances and Safe Streets Initiative
Realizing the space in research within integration and the need for a significant strategy for re-entry programs that can be used in any locality across the nation, the second chance and safe street initiative was berthed.
Second Chance and Safe Streets program is in a joint venture between the Texas Public Policy Foundation, the Charles Koch Foundation, Koch Industries, and a group of researchers led by Professor Carrie Pettus-Davis of Florida State University.
This program wants to utilize a proof driven approach that will make use of academic research to fashion personalize reintegration initiative that will support participants improve themselves while showing they are suitable of redemption.
All this works based on the five key model of re-entry postulated by Professor Pettus-Davis and target developing healthy thinking models, locating occupational balance, building positive coping strategies, enjoying good social activities, and making sold interpersonal relationships.
Initial findings in our research indicate that people in incarceration are eager to have a second chance and emotionally proven of re-entry.
The outcomes show that these people want to work, acquire knowledge, and education, establish healthy relationships, improve their health, and practice their faith more than they can in our present prison model.
Summary
Why are re-entry programs important? Note that the United States is faced with the fact that in every five, four out of them people who left prison might return to jail in the future.
Obtaining an effective reintegration ways that allows and educate those leaving incarceration to become contributively individuals in the society is good for the safety of the public.
Tons of community organizations across the nation are looking to tackle this menace by making use of different methods.
Some of these organizations like 211 Housing, Tractor Supply Company, Amazon, Government, Coca-Cola Company and many more have been verified to be of a helping hand to these individuals in finding a reliable job and be on it for better endings.