Every aspect of this program uses culturally appropriate practices. The program offers interventions at multiple stages of individuals’ time in prison and out of prison. Chapter 36 in the Race, Ethnicity, and Health book, Meredith Minkler defined community based participatory research as “systematic inquiry, with the participation of those affected by the problem, for the purposes of education and action or affecting social change.” These programs use aspects of CBPR and “cultural leverage.” Chapter 38 in the book, Fisher et. al defined cultural leverage as “a focused strategy for improving the health of racial and ethnic communities by using their cultural practices, products, philosophies, or environments as vehicles that facilitate …show more content…
This is an aspect of CBPR in which the program is collaborating with the community members to affect social change and empower them. This makes the program more effective because the prisoners and ex-prisoners will feel empowered to talk about their needs and advocate for programs or policies that will help them. The five-week education course at Lino Lakes and Rush City prisons is teaching prisoners about health topics that are important to the community. Besides HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted infections, the course covers violence and relationships. The program is taught by a professional Health Educator. However, the program is more successful because inmates are utilized as Peer Educators. Having community members serve as Peer Educators will increase the effectiveness of the program as the community would feel more comfortable engaging in discussion about the health topics with their own people. Ex-offenders often have a difficult time transitioning back to society, finding jobs, housing, or health care out of prison. Having the case advocates to help the ex-prisoners find resources will reduce the chances of them returning to prison. The case advocates are also helping prisoners prior to release. This will better prepare them to transition back into society. Further, the case advocates are helping prisoners of color and prioritizing those with health issues. Ex-offenders will have an easier time managing their health, finding
Many offenders who are released from prison encounter many obstacles which hinder their progress towards community re-entry. On their own, many fail to secure employment, housing, or complete education or training programs. Without guidance or assistance many offenders return to crime to support themselves. Fortunately there are number of organizations that see the need for services to assist offenders on their path back into the community. One such organization that has proven to be successful is the Safer Foundation.
Inmates can learn new job skills, obtain their GED, earn vocational certificates, receive substance abuse treatment, learn about how crimes affect victims and even assist in teaching youths about life in prison.” The Division of Programs and Services are broken into nine main subdivisions: crime prevention, inmate services, volunteers, the Palmetto Unified School District, the Division of Industries, shock incarceration, behavioral and substance abuse, and YOPRS intensive supervision. These main subdivisions are further divided into smaller programs aimed to better address the specific needs of the inmates.
Although several educational programs are widely available, many inmates are unable to take advantage of them, do not complete them, or lack follow up in the form of ongoing support services once released from the correctional system. The following table displays this concern: Table 2. national and state data on inmate participation and completion . Approximate Numbers 1993-2007: Institution Type Total Number of Inmates System 165,000 167,717 Number of Inmates Enrolled in Education Programs 54,000 87,624 Rate of Attendance, At Completion of Course 50% 60% Rate of Completion
In the United States, each day approximately 1,600 adults are released from state and federal penitentiaries to reintegrate back into the community (Gunnison & Helfgott, 2013). Reentry programs have been created all over the nation to help offenders successfully transition from prison into society. Offenders are confronted with numerous obstacles when attempting to reintegrate back into society. Ninety-five percent of offenders are released to reintegrate back into the community (Davis, Bahr, & Ward, 2013). Upon release, ex-offenders realize that despite the fact that they are no longer incarcerated, they face many restrictions. The restorative justice development rose to address the disappointment of the criminal justice framework to manage victims, offenders, and communities in an integrated way. A core focus of this development has been to expand the role of the community in advocating changes that will avert the issues and conditions related with crime and the demand for a criminal justice intervention (Hass & Saxon, 2012).
The organizational functions that would be integral to the positive development of a new reentry program start with sitting down with community leaders to determine what needs are being met, and where shortfalls in the system lie. Once needs are locked in, set up funding, through local, state, or federal means, determine how many employees will be needed and gather a list of potential candidates. Taking the candidates aside at the initial interview/selection, determine assets that can be applied to the program, along with educational and experience. Sometimes needs can be met by individuals that have experience in the reality that is life in prison, these candidates can be brought in and trained to handle responsibilities and build knowledge with time. Creating an outlet for improvement begins with building trust, contacts, and employers willing to work with the system and create
During the past decade, there has been a newly found interest in prisoner reentry. This is due to a change in many of the factors surrounding the release of convicted felons and their reentry into to the community (Visher, C. A., & Travis, J. 2003). The number of people incarcerated in the United States prisons has quintupled and correctional facilities are working on getting them back into the community. Over half of the convicted felons that are released from prison return to correctional systems within one year of their release date. One of the most common reasons for their return into the prison systems is because many
Although we would like to believe the world is not as racially charged in 2013 as it was in the 1960s, a look in our penal system would show that minorities are still arrested and incarcerated at a higher rate than whites. The United States has experienced a rise in its prison population over the last 40 years and our incarceration rate is nearly 5 times higher than any other country. Even though 13% of the US population are African American males, they make up 38% of the prison population. Contributing factors to these numbers are mandatory minimum sentences, high crime and poverty areas, and lack of rehabilitative resources within our system (p.77-78).
There are numerous programs available for inmates who are incarcerated, and the individuals who capitalize on these programs show subsequent improvement after being released. However, these programs only help those prisoners who are willing to change. While incarcerated in the Federal Bureau of Prisons, or BOP, there are numerous programs inmates can take advantage of that will help them in a variety of fields such as, “Education and Vocational Training, English-as-a-Second Language Program, Drug Abuse Education, Sex Offender Treatment Programs – Nonresidential, Skills Programs,” and more (Federal Bureau of Prisons, 2015). On the educational side, the BOP offers a program called the Bureau Literacy Program (Federal Bureau of Prisons, 2015).
Inmates need to be educated and rehabilitated in order to be released back into society. If prisoners receive a good education they are less likely to commit misconduct in the future. The Three State Recidivism Study
Ex-offenders face many challenges after being released into society after prison. This prolonged issue has gone on for quite some time in the United States, and it has been since recent decade that the United States has discovered reentry for prisoners (Johnson & Cullen, 2015). In 2007, the Second Chance Act of 2007 was introduced to break the cycle of recidivism; to rebuild ties between offenders and their families before and after incarcerated to encourage and support offenders; to protect the public; to provide and promote law-abiding conduct; to assist offenders in establishing a self-sustaining and law-abiding life providing sufficient transition
Creating positive influences on our prisoners can reap many more benefits than just educating and releasing back into society. Just as we invest money to educate our children, we can reinvest money to target populations that our prisoners come from to prevent crimes. When we teach them new skills that can better their lives, they can then teach others by example. Once an inmate enters back into society and gets a job in his or her field, stays away from crime, and makes better choices, they can make a positive impact on their communities. Younger generations can see the encouraging example set forth and know that they too can make wiser decisions and hope for the
A large number of incarcerated people leave the state and federal prisons every year. It becomes a major concern for federal, local, and state government when they reenter into the community. Most of these individuals do not fit into the community and after a short period of time, some of them would have committed new crimes or have violated terms in which they were released and thus re-incarcerated. This issue brings about many
The following pages contain information on the AIDS and HIV epidemic within the United States prison system. The characteristics of these inmates will be discussed and how well this population adjusts to the environment. There are some treatments and services provided to these inmates in and outside the walls of the prison. The public views are not very friendly, but the criminal justice system is trying to make it easy for the inmates to return back to society with help on how to cope with the disease.
A more recent inclusion into the workshop education is to provide a programme in prisons and young offenders’ institutions. All these workshops can be run as interactive or by way of assemblies and presentations and can be designed to meet the needs of the
In a report from Serious and Violent Offender Reentry Initiative, Steurer, Linton, Nally and Lockwood (2010) found that 94% of state and federal inmates recognized education as the top personal reentry tool they needed before being released (p. 41). Inmates clearly understand the importance of education in their success once they are released, and it is time to provide them with the skills they need while they are incarcerated. According to Pam Levan, an adult education teacher in the Laporte County area for over twenty years, ”They [inmates] didn’t have enough basic education to know they shouldn’t do certain things that would lead them to prison, or even know the difference between right and wrong” (personal communication, December 2, 2013). Not only are inmates lacking school education resulting in a high school or college diploma, but many also lack common knowledge on what they should and should not do in society. Many inmates grew up in a family and/or neighborhood that did not teach them right from wrong but rather reinforced a life of crime. Education is the key to decreasing the cycle of crime because it allows inmates to learn from their mistakes and have a better chance at a life without crime upon their release.