NCJ Number
186716
Journal
Corrections Today Volume: 62 Issue: 7 Dated: December 2000 Pages: 94-96
Date Published
December 2000
Length
3 pages
Annotation
This article describes a correctional transition program for long-term offenders nearing the end of their sentences.
Abstract
Inmate participants in this special Florida program are selected based on the criterion of having a release, presumptive parole date, or work release eligibility within 18 months. The program is designed to help these men, who likely have become institutionalized, with their return to society, as many of them have been in prison since they were very young, and some have no family support available to them upon release. The program is a cooperative effort involving the Florida Department of Corrections, the South Florida Reception Center, and Florida International University. Weekly classes attempt to assist inmate participants with behavior, attitudes, values, maintaining mental health, personal effectiveness, and responsible decision making. Inmates also receive information on housing, employment opportunities, community assistance, and Alcohol and Narcotics Anonymous programs. Of 15 men released, only 2 have been returned to prison, a recidivism rate of 13 percent, compared to an overall recidivism rate of 38 percent.