Happy National Reentry Week!!
I would love to hear what you are doing at your facilities to across the country in recognition of National Reentry Week! Job fairs, practicing interviews, mentorship programs, events for children of incarcerated parents, etc. anything designed to help prepare inmates for release. Please post them below - let's celebrate this week.
Brooke
For more information about National Reentry Week, click here.
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I was delighted to receive this message from Brian Walsh at the Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges:
In honor of National Reentry Week, our Governor signed the attached executive order yesterday that directs cabinet agencies (like the agency I work for) to develop improved reentry services. Some of the highlights include:
Office of Financial Management: Work with state human resource managers across all state agencies to identify and reduce other barriers to state employment for those with criminal records; develop training tools for appointing authorities on the appropriate consideration of criminal history to allow qualified applicants the opportunity to provide information that demonstrates their rehabilitation.
Department of Licensing: Identify a mechanism to ensure that all individuals leaving a state correctional facility have a Washington State identification card.
Employment Security Department (ESD): Facilitate access to the statewide Work Source system for DOC and JR staff, so that they may input employment and training information obtained by incarcerated individuals to better assist ESD in helping these individuals plan for new careers upon release by connecting them to training programs and employment opportunities.
State Board of Community and Technical Colleges (SBCTC): Create a statewide correctional post-secondary education and apprenticeship pathway for youth and adults in collaboration with DOC, JR, and the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction.
State Apprenticeship and Training Council: In coordination with SBCTC and Correctional Industries, identify both apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship training opportunities in correctional facilities.
State Cybersecurity Office: Develop recommendations to introduce secure internet-based reentry tools for individuals in adult and juvenile correctional facilities, such as ESD’s job search system, library materials for education programs, housing information, college information, and similar resources.
Health Care Authority: Build a process that allows Medicaid benefits to suspend rather than terminate when individuals are incarcerated to ensure seamless delivery of critical treatment services upon an individual’s release. The suspension would end once the individual is released from incarceration back into the community. While in suspended status, qualified inpatient events for these individuals will be paid by Medicaid.
The net effect will be that all of these agencies will be required to work together (unless the Governor isn’t reelected) over the next year to get a bunch of things done.
Hi. We're recognizing Reentry Week on our social media accounts. We're sharing relevant news coverage, publishing information about inmate GED testing and more! Please connect with us soon. You'll find us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and YouTube. Thanks for asking Brooke!
The goal of re-entry programs are to ensure an individual returns to society with the education, resources, and skills necessary to maintain a sustainable and productive life. Adult Basic Education, a core element of re-entry programs, can begin during pre-trial or for individuals serving short sentences. Knox County Jail and McDonough County Jail in Illinos are both offering independent instruction. I am curious at how many county jails offer High School Equivelancy programs and how adult education programs are connecting with county jails?
Good Morning, I have classes for inmates (who we call mentee's as they chose to have the "inmate" stigma gone) on Sunday afternoon. Four classes for 45 minutes each and tutoring from 5 - 7 and/or testing. Last week we applied to the Colorado Dept of Education and was approved 4 days later to be a testing site. Big step for our rural town! I made copies of one of the National Re-entry articles and handed them out to the mentee's. They did not realize that being arrested and in jail was NOT what the what the justice department wants. They WANT to succeed. That shocked them. Of course, they hate anyone in authority on the most part and between our one on one teaching them and giving Life Skills and a chance to have a successful educational experience they were pretty happy. We are on week 14 of our class program which is all funding on grants and volunteer time and already have 2 in GED classes that have been released. So far so good. The Sheriff is very happy with everything and how this program is coming together. If any of you have heard of a grant for a DETOX center please let me know. That is our missing link. They leave and have nowhere to go and no follow-up treatment centers. You can contact me at cramsay@so.Montezuma.co.us Thank you