PRISON FELLOWSHIP BLOG: Second Chance Month

Housing is a transitional service that is an important component for long-term reduction in recidivism. Nationwide, state agencies and secular and faith-based organizations are taking different approaches to the housing challenges facing returning offenders. Here are a few examples.

State Departments of Corrections operate halfway houses; however, need exceeds capacity.

One Sunday morning in November 2008, Edwin Wolff penned in his journal: “One year from now, I want to have a stable job, a vehicle, and be published on some national level.”

Two months earlier—on September 12—Edwin walked out of the Huntsville Unit prison in Huntsville, Texas.

Tony Davis never thought he would appear on a panel about employing ex-offenders at an Out4Life Reentry Summit for coalition members, but he’s well-qualified.

On most days Tony, 32, works outdoors with his five-man auto maintenance crew in the sweltering heat of Sulphur, Louisiana.

No rational parent would toss the car keys to a teenager who has never driven before and expect him to drive through traffic without causing casualties. Likewise, pushing prisoners back into our communities without the right preparation and resources and expecting them to stay out of trouble is foolhardy.

To keep the state afloat in treacherous economic seas, Arizona has already dumped significant public programs and services overboard. But even while battered by a $2.6 billion budget deficit, we must not sacrifice public safety to the wind and the waves.

A conference going on in Phoenix this week is working to create solutions to help keep ex-prisoners from re-entering the system.

Today more than 2.3 million men and women are incarcerated in the U.S. In the last 20 years, the prison population has nearly tripled, until now one of every 99.1 adults is behind bars.

But they don’t stay there. According to the U.

Nationwide, as many as 60 percent of ex-prisoners are unemployed one year after their release from prison. This signals pending disaster—not only for the ex-prisoners and their families, but also for the broader community.

Nationwide, as many as 60 percent of ex-prisoners are unemployed one year after their release from prison.

Soon after Pat Nolan was released from a California State Prison, he found himself seated at a deli with some friends. Nolan, a 15-year veteran of the California State Assembly, and four-time Republican Assembly leader, had served 25 months after being targeted for a campaign contribution he received as part of an FBI sting.

Prison Fellowship says the U.S. has done a great job of getting criminals off the street.  What we haven’t done a good job of, says the ministry, is getting criminals ready to come back onto the street.  The president of Prison Fellowship shares with Phil Fleischman about a program that challenges the Church to help former inmates transition back into society.

Before joining the staff of Prison Fellowship in 2007, Patti Tasa was a vibrant volunteer—serving inside prison for three years, then another three years as county coordinator for one of Prison Fellowship’s Aftercare Teams. Her long-standing mentoring relationship with ex-prisoner Tina Huber  has given her valuable experience and insights to share with other mentors.