Liberty Community Church - Prison Re-Entry Program

FORWARD STEPS NOW REENTRY PROGRAM

Mission: To facilitate a ministry that assists men and women that have been incarcerated to re-integrate into society and to continue to develop the mission of God within their heart for a successful reentry back into society. A ministry designed for men and women (18 & older) .

"Men and women of Promise, Mentors of Hope"
When President Bush called on the nation to assist released prisoners as they make the difficult transition back into their communities, he highlighted a critical need in our country. The fact that he included the Prisoner Re-integration Initiative in the State of the Union address shows the importance that the president places on this issue.
For the Prisoner Re-integration Initiative to be successful, we need much more than government programs. As the president said recently, "Governments can hand out money. But governments cannot put love in a person's heart, or a sense of purpose in a person's life. The truth of the matter is that comes when a loving citizen puts their arm around a brother or sister in need and says, I love you, and God loves you, and together we can perform miracles."
This is one of the roles the Church is called upon to take in our communities: to minister to the least of these. The Foward Steps Reentry Program is assisting in this nationwide initiative by providing the assistance of volunteers mentors within the church from many different denominations in the city of Rock Hill.
The FSRP believes that God is raising up many of the next generation of Church and community leaders from behind prison bars. Why? Because when many offenders go to prison, they hit rock bottom. They truly feel like "the least, the last, and the lost" (Matthew 25:40). They know they have sinned. They know they are unworthy of Christ's love and forgiveness. They know His salvation is an incredible gift. And out of the deepest gratitude and humility, they surrender their lives to Him wholeheartedly. And that is when God begins to work mightily, building them into strong disciples of Christ and productive citizens. With encouragement, support, and practical assistance, many will return to society as beacons of light and hope.
But the Church's help is essential for this vision to become reality. The FSRP (a church-member-based mentoring ministry) for prisoners returning to community is unique because the heart of it's message is the Person of Jesus Christ and His power to transform lives from the inside out! Out of a new life, in Christ flows. Christ-centered values, freedom from addiction, commitment to work, respect for authority, personal responsibility, and family reconciliation.
As the church comes alongside returning prisoners, we can help provide or link them with valuable practical resources to get back on their feet. But most importantly, the Church can manifest the love of Christ to these ex-prisoners and help them become ambassadors for Christ who are grounded in God's Word, dependent on prayer, anchored in the local church, experiencing freedom from destructive habits, and living out the calling to be salt and light in their families and communities. How Can You Help? your Church or as an individual member of a church..

Become a Mentor of Hope: The 1st and highest level of helping

The need for personal male and female mentors is the greatest need of released prisoners.
The moment offenders step off the bus, they face several critical decisions: Where will they live, where will they be able to find a meal, where should they look for a job, how will they get from one place to the next, and where can they earn enough money to pay for these necessities?

This is where the Foward Steps Reentry Program and the Mentors of Hope comes in:
(1) Prior to entering the program a released inmate or one planning to be released will be interviewed to develop the understanding of the program and to evaluate the commitment level of the inmate to the program and what responsibilities will be required while in the program including studies and physical work responsibilities.

2) A match will be made with an inmate and mentor /mentors of a local church fellowship within the city of Rock Hill prior to a released inmate entering the Program.

Become a Mentor of Giving: The 2nd highest level of helping

Provide financial assistance to operate the FSRP in paying the electrical, water and other facility management needs. Provide food and other daily essentials.

Make Checks payable to: : FORWARD STEPS/RE-ENTRY

The 3rd highest level of helping

Provide direction and make personal contacts with community workforce, job training, education, and social services, and locate resources in the community to meet other needs of the ministry.

Become a Mentor of Transportation:

The 4th highest level of helping assisting a participant of the program to a work-site, to church, and other approved destinations, is an excellent time frame for participants to develop relationships with loving, moral adult men and women who will help them re-integrate into society successfully.

ABOUT THE PROGRAM

FORWARD STEPS NOW REENTRY PROGRAM

Contact Information
Pastor Dr. Charles White-Kiser
315 Little Street
Rock Hill, SC 29730
Tel: 803.328.1722
Email:libertycommchurch@yahoo.com
Web:

Organization: Nonprofit

Start Date: 2007

Program Area: Faith

Education

Family

Employment

Program Description
Foward Steps Now Reentry Program is a reentry aftercare program that was established to address the multiple needs of former offenders by focusing on helping the total person. is a program set up to be non-threatening both socially and economically; it is designed to retrain up to 25 former offenders and/or parolees. By using a network of departments, FSNRP attempts to educate, support, and train the individual while helping him develop relationships with staff members and the community at large. The program's multiple components include church, family services department, educational department and vocational department.

The target population is nonviolent men and women who show an interest in Christian values and are willing to work with the program, including drug and alcohol treatment. Potential clients hear about the program through word-of-mouth from other inmates; in some cases, jail and prison staff . FSNRP hopes to be chosen as an alternative sentence to prison. The application process begins with a letter to the program from the inmate and includes a thorough background check and personal interview.

FSRP , the entry point into the program, is the place where clients begin to identify the life skills necessary to change their habits and behavior patterns to reenter society successfully. The program begins immediately after release and lasts 6 months. During that time, FSRP transfers skills, knowledge, and techniques to the clients utilizing 12-step support groups, personal counseling, and religious instruction and discipleship in order to help them become productive citizens. In the program the individual is provided with meals assistance with lodging; an educational director and vocational director oversee his progress. Also, clients undergo apprenticeship training through which they learn marketable skills, learn to deal with personal finances, and study for the GED and other educational assistance, as needed.

Program Goals
FSNRP's mission is to assist newly released former offenders as they reenter society by enabling them to overcome their addictions, behavior and live clean and sober.

Networking, Partnering, and Collaboration

Though many of the departments are housed within, many outside organizations, churches, and individuals actively support FSNRP's efforts. These include local community groups as well as several 12-step programs. Also, FSNRP maintains an excellent rapport with local law enforcement agencies that are used in an advisory capacity.

Outcomes
The organization will be tracking its clients' progress and will continue to collect data as the program grows.

Community Based Reentry and Rehabilitation Services

Quality reentry and rehabilitation services will reduce recividism

and increase public safety by offering ex-offenders alternatives to a life of crime

* provide employment services such as education, job training and placement immediately upon a prisoner's release.

* Direct addicted and mentally ill ex-offenders to substance abuse and mental health treatment immediately upon their release

* Increase case management services to connect ex-offenders with services available and prevent parole violations

Curriculum Components

Ex-offenders face many challenges as they try to transition back into community life. Here are the components that we will implement in the FSN Reentry program an reasoning:

Substance Abuse

In 2002, 66.0% of prison inmates drank alcohol regularly and 68.7% used drugs regularly. Although some offenders receive treatment while in prison, substance use/abuse is still a problem among many of the men and women who are transitioning back into their communities. Use of such substances may, of course, cause many problems, from health detriments and irrational decision-making to conflicts with employers and family members.

Job Training/Placement

Research has shown that employment opportunities may help reduce recidivism rates, although perhaps only for adults and not juvenile offenders. This seems logical in that many ex-offenders, in addition to their own personal needs, have financial obligations (i.e. child support, victim compensation) to fulfill once released and will be sent back to prison if these obligations are not met. The situation is complicated by the fact that many employers are reluctant to hire ex-offenders. In a survey of 3,000 employers in 2001, 2/3 said they wouldn't knowingly hire an ex-prisoner, a worrisome statistic for ex-offenders looking for work.

Family Relations

Relatives can offer the financial and emotional support that ex-offenders need in transitioning back into community life. Most ex-offenders have high expectations about easily renewing relationships with family members after their release from prison. For the most part, these expectations are met. But adjusting back into family life can be difficult for some ex-prisoners. Some families are reluctant to accept ex-offenders back into their homes for fear of criminal activity and eviction. Physical abuse face some as they head home. Not all family situations are welcoming, healthy, supportive environments; some threaten to undermine rehabilitation.

Housing

As soon as someone steps out of the prison walls they are faced with the question, "Where am I going to sleep tonight?" Some can afford to rent or buy an apartment or home, but the majority do not have enough money to make the large downpayments or security deposits that are required. Although offenders are often given a small amount of money when they leave prison, it is usually only enough to buy them transportation and some food--certainly it is not enough to secure housing. Even if an ex-offender has money available, landlords may be unwilling to rent to them. For these reasons, a large percentage of ex-offenders live with relatives or friends when first exiting the prison system. Those who don't often make rely on transitional housing. Some, however, are left homeless. The California Department of Corrections estimates that 10% of all parolees in the state were homeless in 1997 and 30% to 50% of parolees in Los Angeles and San Francisco were homeless.

Physical/Mental Health

The rates of mental disorders and chronic and infectious diseases are much greater for prison inmates than for the general population. The rate of AIDS among the nation's prison population was about 3.5 times the rate among the general population in 2002. In 1997, 16.2% of state prison inmates and 7.4% of federal inmates were identified as mentally ill and 18.9% of state prisoners were taking medication for a mental or emotional problem. About sixty percent of the state prisoners identified as mentally ill also reported receiving some type of treatment since their admission into the institution. But after a prisoner is released they need to pay for medications and other treatments themselves and they may not be able to afford them. Most can apply for Medicaid or Medicare but there is a gap in time between when they are released and when these benefits are approved.

Education

In general, those who are incarcerated are less educated than the general population in the US. In 1997, 26.5% of federal prison inmates and 39.7% of state inmates had received less than a high school degree or equivalent, as opposed to 18.4% of the general population. Twelve percent of federal inmates and 14.2% of state inmates had only an 8^th grade education or less, as opposed to 7.2% of the general population. The state inmates who had less than a high school degree or equivalent were the least likely among inmates to have been employed before their arrest, the most likely to have been homeless before being arrested, and they had the smallest personal incomes before being incarcerated. Lower educational levels are often equated with weaker vocational skills--yet another reason why ex-offenders have a hard time finding work upon release. Thankfully, educational improvement seems to be desirable among inmates as 51.9% of state prisoners and 56.4% of federal prisoners were participating in some sort of educational program in 1997, and about 70% of the inmates holding a GED said that they had obtained their high school equivalency while incarcerated.

Mentoring

For most ex-prisoners, the presence of a positive role model is completely absent. It can be difficult for ex-prisoners reentering society to hold down a job, pay bills on time, or resolve family conflicts in a healthy way when these skills have never been modeled for them. The support of a mentor can play a key role in a prisoner's successful return to society by providing advice and accountability. Below are some practical ways that mentors can aid ex-offenders before, during, and after reentry:

�** Meet ex-offenders at the gate or bus station to keep them company during the critical hours after release.

� Assist them in developing a "life plan."

� Identify their strengths and weaknesses, skills and abilities, so that they can find employment this is tailored to those qualities

� Coach them in job interview skills.

� Help them write their resume and fill out job applications.

� Provide them with transportation to get to job interviews and job searches.

� When they locate a job, introduce yourself to their supervisor and offer to help when issues arise.

� Introduce them to our congregations and include them in our worship services, Bible Studies, and other activities and support services.

� Help them develop independent living skills, such as budgeting or shopping.

� Help them deal with difficulties with their family and loved ones.

� Meet their parole or probation officer, and make sure they keep their appointments. Let the supervising authorities know you are available to help as issues arise.

� Drive them to parole or probation appointments, if necessary.

� Accompany them to medical and social service appointments to help them tolerate delays in waiting rooms and other challenges.

� Be available to help when temptation arises.