Reentry Plan of King County

Reentry Plan of King County

[Student’s Name]

[Professor’s Name]

[Course Title]

[Date]

Reentry Plan of King County

Introduction

The individuals that are newly released from jail face several challenges. They require immediate assistance to help them pick up their normal lives and prevent them going back to criminal activities (Hunter, B. A. et al, 2016). First, they may face discrimination from the society. They may not have their immediate families to go to once released. They may not have funds to even get a house or food. It is therefore important to have strategies in place that help the former inmates to go back to normal lives. Described below are various goals and associated strategies to be considered.

Goal 1: To improve the housing status of those leaving jail

Strategy1: To ensure that the existing funding supports the housing needs of former inmates.

One activity to consider for this strategy is that the Public Housing Authority, in their housing criteria, should put into considerations the needy nature of former inmates (CT Reentry Collaborative, 2018). This may see them pay less, or no pay for some period of time, (Fontaine, J. 2013), or their house acquiring process be made easier compared to non-needy individuals to enable them acquire the houses faster and easier. This is because former inmates may not have enough funds and therefore the inclusive criteria should sympathize with their conditions and make them feel part of the population.

The other activity is to use the traditional public safety funding to develop supportive transition housing. This program ensured that the housing needs of violence victims were met and applying to former inmates will enable them to benefit from the advantages of the program. Other additional activities for this strategy are liaise with loaning sectors to lower interest rates for housing loans for inmates. The government can also provide affordable housing. Here, the inmates are given houses and made to pay very little every month for a given period of time.

Strategy 2: To provide the inmates with education on how to acquire and maintain houses.

It is also an excellent idea to educate former inmates on tenant rights. They will understand what is expected of them without being harassed by landlords. They will be aware of how their houses conditions should be, how to report repairs, who should meet the house repairs, when and how to pay rent and to what extent the landlord should invade one’s privacy, for example, in cases of house maintenance. Being former inmates, some landlords may subject them to and knowing their tenant rights will help them to defend themselves.

It is also crucial for transitional planners to be aware of every available housing option. This will enable them to provide the best choices to the inmates in terms of reliability, cost and convenience among other important aspects. Other activities to consider for this strategy are to educate the inmates on the available housing funds, to make them know of the government affordable housing programs and to be educated on various projects and activities that can enable them to get money for meeting their monthly rent payments.

Goal 2: To provide sustaining employment opportunities to the individuals leaving jail.

Strategy 1: Ensure that the inmates acquire basic education.

With the use of an evidence-based tool, the inmates education needs should be assessed. This will assist in arranging the necessary form of education for them. It is also important to implement jailed-based training/workshops and education programs to enable the inmates to acquire some forms of education and training while they are still in jail (CT Reentry Collaborative, 2018). It will become easy for them to get employed once they are out. High school programs should be provided equally to all inmates in spite of age to enable them to go through the same required educational programs.

The other activities to consider are to provide talent-based training that will enable the inmates to practice self-employment in the event that they miss to get employed. It is also important that they are trained on entrepreneurship so that they can conduct personal businesses appropriately and reap from them. They should also be trained on how to relate and how to network. Considering the fact they are from jail, it may become hard for them to relate well given they are employed or self-employed. For them to improve at work they need to know how to relate well with others and how to build networks.

Strategy 2: Liaise with employers to ensure that job opportunities are increased and improved for those leaving jail.

This can be done by employers offering volunteer and internship programs. This will help them in building their experience levels for better jobs ahead. It is also necessary to review policies regarding employing people with criminal records. The policies should be amended to provide satisfactory chances of employment to the former inmates provided that they posses the right skills. Creating, expanding and publicizing incentives for hiring former inmates will help in ensuring that such individuals are not discriminated in the job market.

The other activities to consider include liaising with employers to give employment chances such that the inmates are trained purposely for certain organizations. This will guarantee employment once released and prevent them from going back to crime. The other employees should also be prepared to receive the newly-employed former inmates without any discrimination. They should be able to guide them and offer further training on what the job expects from them. This will make the newly-received to feel accepted rather than being looked down upon. The employers should also ensure to motivate and reward then on their work to enable work harder and even rise to higher positions.

Goal 3: Providing access to effective mental health, chemical dependency, and primary care services for inmates before and after their release from jail.

Strategy 1: Providing appropriate, culturally and holistic community treatment

Trauma-informed interventions involve educating the care providers, current and former inmates, transforming the practices to one that is safe, trust worthy, empowering and collaborative. The offender will be informed and will follow what the providers advices them, and this will improve their metal state

Educating the community mental health providers, this will make them come up with tailored treatment. The offender will greatly benefit from the tailored treatment. The other activity is to make sure that the criminal past doings doesn’t hinder his /her access to any community healthcare providers. Expanding the capacity of Forensic Assertive Community Treatment teams to allow them to work with hardened criminals will improve the psychological state of the criminal

Other activities include creating a conducive culture and immediate environment, reducing barriers (insurance covers) to care access and making welcoming warm and easy to navigate. This will make the offender feel safe and comfortable.

Strategy 2: Directing inmates’ mental problems to appropriate care and effective services

Equipping and making the mental health courts informed on mental illness, this will allow them to direct and refer individuals with mental health problems to the appropriate care giver who will them over appropriate interventions. This ensures timely and effective treatment, and the offender will benefit greatly. The other activity under this strategy is assessing individuals’ mental problems as well as the needs using evidence-based tools. This will ensure that appropriate measures and interventions are tailored, patient-centered, to the person, to effectively treat them.

Other activities are intermediate supervision of the offenders both current and former, this include home visits, electronic monitoring, drug testing and referral to best day reporting centers. Treatment components and treatment levels will also help in selecting the level and components. It provides information of the offender to the community health providers, and placement will depend on factors such as severity and duration of substance use as well as crimes committed. The other activity is offering individualized treatment services based on clinical judgment, diagnostically driven assessments and should be multidimensional as well as availability of resources in the community.

Goal 4: Goal 4: Ensure that the inmates illegibility to government benefits should be sustained.

Strategy 1: The inmates should be assisted to apply for benefits

The inmates should be provided with the necessary identification documents when still in jail. These are the documents that help them access government benefits while in and when released. They should also be trained on the steps required to get access to such benefits. They can do it by themselves and prevent related blackmail. Increasing the number of criminal justice liaisons help in fast and reliable justice processes and helps in better documentation of inmates information.

The other activities to consider are: the government benefits should be reviewed to consider the needy nature of the former inmates. They can be given better start benefits to enable them pick up their lives then equalize after a certain period of time when they have stabilized. The government should liaise with not-for-profit organizations to distribute goods such as clothing and food to the released. There should be policies in place to make it easy for the former inmates to access any government. They should be able to get help quite easy and avoid going back to criminal activities.

Strategy 2: To ensure that criminal history does not deter former inmates from accessing social services

The local social service agencies that offer counseling on recovery processes should be assisted so that they can offer the necessary counseling to the newly released. It is also important to identify such agencies that target individuals with criminal records. This will become easy in referring the newly released to such agencies to get the help needed to enable them to pick up their normal lives. Policies should also be put in place to ensure those with criminal records are not denied access to social services that can help them with guidance to move on and avoid going back to criminal activities.

Other activities should involve providing continuous counseling sessions to inmates while still in jail. This will ensure that they recover and reform while in. They will even start in engaging in reformation activities such as engaging in training programs. They should also be continued support and guidance post release until the individual is able to move on with their normal lives. The society should be sensitized to embrace the newly released in a friendly manner, to support and guide them where necessary and help them to pick up their normal lives.

References

Hunter, B. A., Lanza, A. S., Lawlor, M., Dyson, W., & Gordon, D. M. (2016). A Strengths-Based Approach to Prisoner Reentry: The Fresh Start Prisoner Reentry Program. International journal of offender therapy and comparative criminology, 60(11), 1298–1314. doi:10.1177/0306624X15576501

CT Reentry Collaborative, (2018). Planning for Successful Reentry Strategies to Continue Connecticut’s Second Chance Initiatives

Fontaine, J. (2013). Examining housing as a pathway to successful reentry: A demonstration design process. Washington, DC: Urban Institute.