NCJ Number
188985
Journal
American Jails Volume: 15 Issue: 1 Dated: March-April 2001 Pages: 38-41
Date Published
March 2001
Length
4 pages
Annotation
The San Bernardino County (CA) Sheriff’s Department’s corrections education program has incorporated an inmate prerelease employment preparation component into the program’s curriculum due to recognition that employment is an important element in reducing recidivism and that many adult offenders lack preparation for employment.
Abstract
The program’s name is Inmate Rehabilitation through Occupational and Academic Development Systems (INROADS). The program provides inmates with the necessary tools to assist them in identifying employment opportunities, completing the application correctly and succinctly, and developing strong interviewing techniques. The instruction and collaboration with school districts, the Job Employment Services Department, and local employers have given inmates the opportunity to take part in authentic job fairs to rehearse their skills, enhance their confidence, and increase their self-esteem. Some leave custody with conditional job offers. The idea for the program arose in 1998. The planners used expertise from the employment readiness area to develop a 12-hour series of prerelease workshops. Participation is voluntary. Inmates complete a skills and vocational assessment. The job fair takes place in a conference room that is aesthetically comfortable for employers. Coordinating the job fair is a team effort. The most difficult task is locating potential employers. The last job fair resulted in postrelease employment for 9 of the 92 participating offenders and received positive evaluations from the 22 participating employers. Photograph