We Serve Inmate’s Immediate Needs Upon Release

When a person is released from jail/prison, the focus is often again on immediate needs. JUST A FEW OF WHICH ARE LISTED HERE:

• Where will I live?
• How will I get a job?  (approximately 60% of parolees are illiterate; 17% have learning disabilities)
• I don’t have any transportation.  How can I look for a job?  How will I get around to see my parole agent/ probation officer?
• Who will hire me with my tattoos?
• What assistance will my parole agent/probation officer provide?
• My California I.D. was lost while I was in jail/prison.  I need it in order to access other services and to get a job.
• The only clothes I have are the ones I’m wearing.
• How much responsibility should our family assume?  Should we let him/her live with us?  Where else can (s)he get help?
• Was his/her substance abuse problem addressed during incarceration?
• Did (s)he change during incarceration?

In response to these concerns and needs, Friends Outside provide the following services:

• Employment assistance, including job placement with employers who hire felons, referrals for clothing, and assistance to obtain California I.D.
• Emotional support
• Resource referrals and assistance accessing other services, including dental care, health care, counseling, housing and tattoo removal
• Placement into treatment programs, including sober-living programs, substance abuse treatment programs, and domestic violence treatment programs
• Bus tokens
• Support groups for former prisoners
• Case management for the formerly incarcerated and their families

How the Community Benefits:

• Parolees/probationers who get and keep employment for one year are more likely to successfully transition back into the community than are those who do not
• Parolees/probationers who get treatment for substance abuse problems are less likely to recidivate (return to prison/jail) than are those who do not
• Substance abuse treatment costs taxpayers approximately $4,000 per participant for a six-month program.  Incarceration costs taxpayers approximately $12,000 per inmate for a six-month period.

Sources of Information:
Friends Outside staff and case records
The Blue Ribbon Report on Inmate Population Management, State of California