NCJ Number
217041
Journal
Corrections Today Magazine Volume: 68 Issue: 7 Dated: December 2006 Pages: 50,51,53
Date Published
December 2006
Length
3 pages
Annotation
This article describes the discharge-planning program at the Atlantic County Jail in New Jersey, which was designed to meet the needs of inmates released from jail.
Abstract
Despite the neglect shown to postrelease programming during the 1980s and 1990s, recent efforts to reinvigorate such programming, which assists released inmates in integrating back into society, have occurred at State correctional levels. Postrelease programming for inmates released from county jails, however, has remained slim to nonexistent. Given the large numbers of individuals that enter and leave county jails, the Atlantic County Jail in New Jersey recognized the urgent need to assist these individuals in successfully reentering their communities. In developing the program, four goals quickly emerged: (1) ensure all inmates exiting the jail have access to core stabilization services by pooling resources from the county’s welfare department and department of public safety; (2) enlist a master’s-level clinician to the county jail; (3) enhance services to released inmates through a coordinated one-stop venue; and (4) provide inmates with direct services contact prior to their release. County-level stakeholders, including both nonprofit and for-profit organizations, partnered with the Jail to implement the discharge-planning program. Several weeks prior to an inmates’ planned release they meet with a licensed social worker who assesses their needs in six areas: physical health, mental health, social/family/relationships, occupational/educational, addictions, and legal/financial/housing. Inmates who are two weeks away from release may meet with appropriate agency representatives privately in the jail cafeteria. Guest speakers are also brought in to discuss topics of interest to inmates, such as job training and health care. The evaluation plan for the program is described, which includes a comparative analysis of the recidivism rates of inmates who participated in the discharge-planning program versus those who did not participate. Evaluation results are expected within the next year. Endnotes