When men and women are released from prison they land in town with a little gate money in their pocket and the clothes on their back.
We host a meeting with Parole where those released in the last month hear a pep talk about staying out, and then meet with local agencies and organizations that offer them help. The RAP has members from housing providers, substance abuse programs, the DMV, Employment Development, the Welfare Department, church recovery groups, the Rescue Mission, and others. A catalog of local agencies is presented to parolees, and they are encouraged to talk to the representatives. The catalog includes phone numbers so they can call later through the month.
One of the best practices has been to send a reminder to the agency list a couple days before the next meeting. Our state has a budget crisis (whose doesn't?) and sometimes agencies cannot attend every month. But as the network develops we have seen participants sending literature with other attenders. There seems to be genuine concern over the success of the parolees, and we have seen a few make it off parole altogether.
What is working where you are? Leave a comment.
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