Reentry Collaboration

Changing criminal behavior, not pausing it while incarcerated is what is needed to keep the public safe, making offenders aware of the destruction they have caused to society, and making them accountable via treatment programs and discipline. Unfortunately, upon release an offender may have set backs, being in a structured, disciplined environment, followed by complete freedom may prove bad for some. Many halfway houses are located far away from an offender’s residence, therefore even if employment is secured during treatment when released they return home to no job, or support, and are put back in the same situation. Community support is imperative in the effectiveness of halfway houses, sadly, many communities refuse halfway houses in their communities, lack of education and fear have been a huge

The primary goal of the probation system is crime reduction and protection of community, with treatment oriented activities better left to agencies in the community better able to meet the social needs of the offender (Martinson and Wilks, 1977). The American Probation and Parole Association (2001) acknowledged that probation sustains the offenders’ ability to continue working and to protect his family’s ability to continue working and to protect his family’s welfare while avoiding the stigma and possible damaging effects of imprisonment. Similarly, United Nation Institute for Crime Prevention delineated the goal of probation system to enhance rehabilitation and reintegration of offenders into the community in order to strengthen their ability to live peacefully with others in the community setting (UNAFEI,

By giving the offender adequate guidance to ease the transition into society, but also giving them some independence and control over their own lives, COSA helps offenders reintegrate with significant success. The program also ensures that, throughout all of this, the community as a whole remains safe and secure. COSA, “has the dual role of providing [the offender] with support through the very hostile response from the community and monitoring [their] behavior to ensure that the community was kept safe” (Clarke et al, p. 3). By addressing the community’s needs as well as the offender’s, the program generates impressive results even when the community is initially reluctant to allow offender re-entry. COSA’s multidimensional process allows offenders to reintegrate into society safely and successfully, while also keeping the community safe.

I am Wiley Hayes, and I serve several roles with Beyond the Bridges Ministry (BTB). My duties include serving as the program’s administrative assistant, managing the central office, and providing direct services to program participants. I have received training to mentor those who enroll in our Re-Entry Ministry, encouraging them to face the long-term challenges of returning from prison to their communities, as well as helping them solve the immediate and practical problems of housing and employment. I have seen how BTB makes a difference for ex-offenders. It helps them put their lives back together, find a place in the community, and put prison behind them. That is BTB’s mission, a ministry service provided to ex-offenders by ex-offenders.

It appears on the multiple studies reviewed in this report there is a variation in the response pending the severity of the offense and the type of restorative justice utilized. It is indicated Sentencing Circles are consistent in all arenas; they report a low recidivism rate in relation to all levels of crime severity. Over all, recidivism rates were down with restorative justice programs when compared to traditional programs. Statistics reported dependable results noting when offenders did re-offend the crimes were not as violent or severe and this was found not to be the circumstance with traditional programs (Umbreit, Vos, & Coates, 2006, p.

La Greta, I really enjoyed reading your post as I have been a part of such programs since I began my career as a police officer 18 years ago. I started by conducting parole checks on violent offenders and quickly learned how little they were prepared to return to society. You are very correct in that an offender’s re-entry starts the minute they begin their sentence. This is going to require the cooperation and collaboration of the prison system, probation and parole, law enforcement, prosecutors, social services and public housing. The money is out there in the form of federal grants and it just takes a little work to find them on the internet. I really like your idea of the “Go to Guide” as it will at least provide phone numbers

Furthermore, Davis (2014) found the same results and underscored that on the outside, the stigma attached to the ex-convicts is one of the causes of their unemployment. In this situation, many incarcerated fathers after their incarceration suffers from deprivation to cope-up to their second change in socializing to the people around them. On the other hand, the National Institute of Justice (2013) emphasized that employment after imprisonment provides ex-convicts motivation to live. Such disclosure negates the fact that employment is commonly one of the challenges former ex-convicts embark on because almost every employer will look after the applicant’s background bearing his/her previous experience and recommendation and no further than their criminal

The reentry model was developed by the National Institute of Corrections to help the state correctional departments develop their own transition programs from prison to the community. A prison case manager develops a transitional accountability plan that serves as an assessment of what each offender needs to accomplish prior to their release date and in the community. They are generally transferred to a transitional housing unit when they are close to their release date so they can work on goals for once they are back out into society.

First, a prior offender who wants to be habilitated/rehabilitated, second there has to be a positive probation officer who works to try and help the probationer to the best of his or her abilities, and third, the community has to be involved in helping the probationer to reintegrate. The community has to show concern for corrections and assure that proper resources are being provided to probationers. Each of these three components are very important to the probation being effective and without any one of these three parts the likelihood of probation being successful is very low. Justice reinvestment is currently not focused on as much as it should be. If there was more focus on justice reinvestment, like there should be, we could target offenders’ needs and the areas that are lacking in habilitation/rehabilitation to assist prior offenders in habilitation or

Employers, whether corporate owned or privately own, can either create or dismantle a barrier for an ex-offender. Willful and cooperation from communities housing businesses, it is probable, and researched, that ex-offenders will revert back into criminal behavior; criminal behavior involving theft, for money, or selling narcotics, for money. Social interaction between a released inmate and a community involve employment opportunities, and trust from an employer to an ex-offender. Without an opportunity. it poses the threat of a collateral consequence; a collateral consequence is “civil death” or “invisible punishment”. It is the burden on individuals long past the expiration of their sentences and,which individually and collectively frustrate

With correctional facilities being a $37 billion market (Myser, 2006), it is difficult to determine whether the challenges of ex-offenders are being addressed, or if the oversight of needed resources is to continue this captive market. The reentry population consist of individuals who had contact with the criminal justice system, and are released on probation or parole; they are a systematic population that is growing steadily each year. The number of released ex-offenders is increasing in comparison to the number of individuals incarcerated yearly. A majority of ex-offenders return to their community, or a community, with hope to establish stability in order to avoid reincarceration. Though some correctional facilities offer activities and

Restorative justice can be defined as a flexible and just approach by which apt reparation is made, for the harm committed, irrespective of the life situations, through a proper communication in adequate perspectives, between the victim and the offender, thereby preventing recidivism and re-establishing peace and harmony to the ultimate benefit of the society. In this particular context, we focus on the criminal justice systems. Restorative justice views crimes not only as a violation of laws but also as harm to the society and community. The core objective of restorative justice system is the safe and satisfied involvement of the victims who agreed to be involved in the process. The goals behind the design of this system include making offenders

In conclusion, offenders who have been confined to prison require a little more attention in prisons than what they have been receiving. Not only will programs such as anger management, substance abuse counseling, vocational skills assist them in ways to readjust to society once they have been released but it is essential for offenders to seek some kind of aftercare program once released. Engaging is some kind of aftercare assistance upon being unconfined is important and can help revitalize ones position in society. There are a number of aftercare programs that can contribute to making the transaction an effortless one, those consist of community involvement, faith based setting, and enrolling in educational courses.

According to Gideon and Sung (2011) explains the three issues that concern successful reintegration was lack of treatment programs, lack of collaboration from resource providers, and need of specialized treatment (pg. 239). The video, presents all three of these issues that impacts the consequences of the parolees goals. As mentioned in one instance in video was that while they have a program to provide housing while in parole they are limited in budget to provide more housing. Employment was also another issue due to background checks leading the to prevent of a stable income to supporting themselves. Lastly, drug treatment programs were implemented however they don 't seem to be effective in improving behavior that still show signs of relapse. All three of these issues show the critical issues mentioned by Gideon and Sung, and thus there must be an improvement to change to reduce

Prisoner are used to punish criminals, it supposed to teach criminals about restraint. The phenomenon of restraint may seem good however, the lesson causes ex-convicts to lose perspective on daily life decision making and living. The transition from prisoner to a free member of society is a long road. Once prisoners become free they have many setbacks that are hard to overcome. While avoiding crimes is a big problem there are many others such as court fees, insurance, and broken bonds in their families. The longer prisoners are held in conviction the harder it is for them to transform into society which is very problematic. The Idea of restraint is nice however this causes convicts to lack everyday skills develop a new life, and transforms