Women incarcerated in the Pulaski County Regional Detention Facility take classes on anger management, behavior modification and relapse prevention, all taught by Sister Lee Ann McNally, RSM. These 90 minute classes are taught once a week. All classes are voluntary. The average class member usually attends for a period of three to six months, though some attend for a year or more and some are only incarcerated for a few weeks.
Once released, women come to Center for Women in Transition (CWIT) where they begin the reentry process. Women that have been incarcerated in prison are eligible to participate in CWIT’s reentry programming as well.
The Reentry Program assists women with basic needs particularly when they leave jail or prison with only the clothes on their back. CWIT helps them get clothing, housing, medical needs, identity papers, job leads, child care and gain entrance into rehabilitation programs when needed.
Women can then continue to get moral support from the Women-to-Women mentoring program.
The Mentor Program is a year - long program that pairs trained volunteers to journey with women upon their release from jail or prison. A Mentor's primary responsibility is to help her Transition Partner create and stay focused on healthier goals and life choices, thus enabling her to parent her children better, attend the weekly support group, get private counseling if necessary, participate in twelve -step programs of her choosing and get encouragement and support for changes that need to be made in her personal life in order to reduce the chances of her return to drug use and/or incarceration.
CWIT also offers a courtroom advocacy program which is run entirely by formerly incarcerated women. Women participating in the Reentry Program may face probation or parole revocation or other court sentences and court liaisons advocate on behalf of these women in order to prevent a return to jail or prison, particularly if they have shown to be doing well in CWIT programs.
Started in
2005
Who is helped?
Women in jail, women who have been formerly incarcerated, women with substance abuse issues, women who have suffered physical and sexual abuse.
Capacity:
600-700 women in jail per year, 150 released women per year.
More Information
- Stages of criminal justice:
Jail-Based, Parole, Prevention, Probation, Reentry
- Areas of service:
Advocacy/ Empowerment/ Civic Engagement, Domestic Violence, Education, Employment/ Vocational Training, Faith-Based, Health/Wellness, Housing, Mental Health, Mentoring, Substance Abuse
- Keywords:
Not available
- Program evaluation:
Not available
- Published curriculum available:
No
Last modified: 11/3/2011 11:44:54 AM