Transformation Life After Prison: There is HOPE!
By R.B. Holmes Jr.
President/Publisher
The faith-based community must step up to the challenge of providing HOPE to the many young men and women who have served their sentences in prison and are ready to transition back into the community. The Department of Corrections incarcerates over 100,800 inmates per year. However, 87% of these offenders will serve their sentences and be released. Based on FY 2013-14 figures, of the 1,011 inmates from Leon, Gadsden, Jefferson, and Wakulla counties, 983 were released back into those counties. Are we prepared to offer services to these offenders to ensure that they do not return to prison?
Many of these offenders will be released with untreated mental health and substance abuse problems, without a GED or diploma, adequate job skills, or a safe home. If educational, job-training, and treatment programs are not made available to the inmates prior to their release and a support system in place post release, it is estimated that between 45-50 percent of these offenders will commit new crimes in our neighborhoods and will be sentenced to a county jail, federal prison, or recommitted to the Florida correctional system within three years.
According to the department, at the time of admissions, 71.7 percent of inmates had less than GED prep skills (less than 9.0 grade level) and about 25 percent of the inmates were classified as having functional literacy skills (6.0 to 8.9 grade levels). What kind of job is available for that person?
Do we continue to warehouse these offenders at an average cost of $18,064 per year, per inmate, or do we find ways to divert them from prison which will ultimately save taxpayers money by reducing the recidivism rate? Without intervening by offering certain services to these offenders, returning to prison will be a given and the revolving cycle of incarceration will continue. There are some offenders who genuinely want to lead responsible and respectable lives in the community. Those are the ones we are offering to assist.
The Bethel Empowerment Foundation, Inc., has accepted the challenge by developing a faith-based holistic re-entry proposal. In January 2015, the plan was presented to the Florida Legislature with the intent of partnering with the Florida Department of Corrections to work with pre-and post-released inmates. Eligibility for participation in the program is limited to non-violent/non-sexual offenders who are transitioning back into Leon and the surrounding counties.
After many meetings with legislators and the executive agencies, our proposal has received favorable consideration and prayerfully will receive the requested funding in the General Appropriations Act which will be adopted during the legislative special session.
While developing our program, we were made aware of a nationally-recognized program in Jacksonville whose major focus is “providing ex-offenders with the skills and support necessary to re-enter the community workforce as productive and responsible citizens.” Operation New Hope Ready4Work (R4W) Program has been recognized by our last three presidents (Bush, Clinton and Obama) and is “considered as a model re-entry program for the nation.” Bethel is working towards replicating that program and bringing it to the Tallahassee community.
Kevin Gay, CEO/Founder of Operation New Hope, will be in Tallahassee on Tuesday, June 16 to discuss what this community can do to increase public safety, reduce recidivism, partner with the business community to provide employment opportunities for ex-offenders, and assist inmates and ex-offenders in their transition to life outside of prison. This meeting will be at the Bethel Family Life Center, 406 N. Bronough Street, from 12:00-1:30 p.m. Upon completion of the replication process, our initiative will be known as the Bethel Ready4Work Tallahassee Re-Entry Program.
The problem is real, a solution has been developed, and NOW is the time for action! We need the support of the public and private sectors of Tallahassee/Leon County to make this a success.
