Criminal Justice Community Resource Web Site Helps Ex-Offenders' Re-Entry

• NCJ Number: 196388
• Journal: Corrections Today Volume: 64 Issue: 4 Dated: July 2002 Pages: 72-75
• Author(s): Jack Powell
• Date Published: July 2002
• Length: 4 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Program Description (Model)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This article presents information on a criminal justice community resource Web site.

Abstract

A criminal justice community resource Web site consists of existing community resource information that would provide help to anyone with access to a computer via the Internet. Such a Web site would provide information for ex-offenders returning home. This could be accessed by case managers of inmates re-entering society to help ex-offenders make a successful transition into society. A study released in the 1980's revealed that nearly 41 percent of former inmates returned to prison. The Web site would assist the inmate in finding housing, employment, food, and medical services. The caseworker would enter the county, city, and zip code of the area to which the inmate will be returning. Once the information is entered, the browser would sort available community resources by locations and display on the computer screen major community resource headings for those location prompts. The correctional social worker would click on the major resources needed and be connected to the sites. The site would contain the following elements: client population to be served; address where client is returning; community resource locations at returning address; client service needs; and resource eligibility requirements. Ideally, correctional facilities would have Internet access, and staff and inmates that use the system would be computer-literate. Possible obstacles include the view from society that there is a lack of need for such a site because community resource information already exists; the site resource data would change too quickly; and would not be accurate; inmates receive too much assistance now and should fend for themselves upon release. But this may be a reasonable step to help reduce the Nation’s recidivism rate. Re-entry issues call for a real solution for successful re-integration into society. 3 references