1. The Milwaukee Safe Streets Prisoner Release Initiative is a collaborative initiative focused on improving the welfare of released prisoners by ensuring that they avoid recidivism. Being a comprehensive program, the initiative seeks to provide the Milwaukee prisoners with a platform to find meaningful employment and treatment for family dysfunction, drug addiction, lack interpersonal connections and gang connections. The program was initiated in 2007 by the criminal justice department through a grant from the United States Department of Justice (Crime Solutions, 2018). The program involves prisoners aged 35 or under, social workers, trainers, and law enforcement officers. The three parties have been core in reforming prisoners and linking them to possible opportunities which have profound impact on the levels of recidivism given that the United States continues to grapple with the problem of prison overpopulation. The program was formed in consideration of 700,000 inmates that are usually released annually, but two thirds up end up in prison after being rearrested (Crime Solutions, 2018). These facts were perceived as a wake-up call to the criminal justice department which has for long been viewed as faulty and discriminatory especially to the minority groups as much of the prisons are occupied by individuals of Latino and black descent. As such, by focusing on reducing rearrests by empowering eligible offenders and linking them to different potential employers, the Milwaukee Safe Streets Prisoner Release Initiative has managed to serve its purpose extensively.
2. The program proposed some solutions. Firstly, identifying prisoners about to be released in order to carry out reach-in services to aid them to counter challenges faced prior and after release. This involves the creation of tailor-made plans that are anchored to assist each prisoner in a personal capacity to ensure that reintegrate effectively with rest of the community. The program also offers vocational skills assessment to the prisoners. This is deemed as fundamental in evaluating the potential of every prisoner put under the program. By taking an audit of the skills, placement of such individuals in different workplaces is eased (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2017). The next service is breaking barriers change program. This happens to be a post-release service which focuses on how best to effect cognitive-behavioral change and life-skills. The comprehensive nature of the service sees to it that the prisoners get to interact with social workers in workshops as a training program. It is in the training sessions that the prisoners are taught basic skills which nurture them on how best to interact with the rest of the world. The eligible prisoners are also linked with work opportunities through the Community Corrections Employment Program. This program takes an audit of every potential employee’s skills. This is deemed necessary to ensure that potential eligible prisoners cum employees are directed to the rightful areas and opportunities that match their skills. Past literature indicates that most of the individuals employed under this program were able to retain their jobs for over six months. That goes on to show that indeed that the program’s model is not defective and can be modeled better to address various shortcomings that it is presumed to have.
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3. The results of the program were more prisoners that were about to be released could easily get help and rehabilitation through the aid of restorative justice circles. Each prisoner was introduced to the victims and law enforcement agencies as a way of highlighting the impact of their crimes as well as a means of deterring them from going back to the life of crime. Another major success witnessed under the program was the treatment of different addictions and mental issues affecting the about-to-be-released convicts. This was important in reducing possibilities of recidivism for the prisoners in areas that they might have had no greater control particularly drugs. Another notable success is the enhanced linkages of the prisoners with potential employers. This was noted as one of the major ways towards reforming the eligible offenders.
4. The social workers were the most impactful in the whole program. The social workers were virtually involved in all the steps of the program. Their input is observed in the manner they managed to counsel the eligible offenders and help them overcome their shortcomings. The social workers were also integral in steering the greater part of the program hence giving it an objective and considerate face (J-Pal, 2018). Many of the prisoners also benefited from post-release services such as counseling which would not have been possible without the aid of the social workers. The social workers also acted as the bridge between the eligible prisoners and the rest of the other stakeholders. By interacting with prisoners, they ensured that prisoners felt valued and hopeful of life after prison. Additionally, social workers facilitated remedial education where the prisoners had a chance to improve on their basic literacy. The remedial teaching also ensured that the prisoners got a fair chance in applying for job openings. The social workers must be commended for carrying out good work given that they provided services to the prisoners six months prior release.
5. The victims were the least impactful to the solution. The victims served to act as a reminder to the prisoners of their past transgressions. The victims, in most cases, did not provide a good environment to facilitate effective reconciliation environment for the offenders to positively take into account their struggles and focus on being better citizenry. The victims were also ill-prepared to meet and integrate with the offenders (J-Pal, 2018). Despite the guided engagements, they still did not meet or match their roles effectively in the offenders’ transformation journey. The victims also served to create discomfort. This was unwarranted as in some instances contributed to the prisoners feeling that they did not deserve their freedom in the first place. Such counter thoughts ought not to be tolerated as they may defeat the sense of the program being rolled out by the different stakeholders.
6. The collaboration could have been improved if the families of the offender could have been involved greatly. Families are key motivators. By having the kin of the eligible offender being part of the journey, it will be fundamental in enabling the reduction of recidivism. It also would create a social support system that would ensure that the offender’s mental and emotional well-being is well catered to. It may also be a platform for families to come to terms with historical patterns that might have led one of their own ending up being an offender. Additionally, a counseling program involving the families can be good in preparing them for the post-release life. This would go a long way in overcoming stigma at home and within the neighborhood (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2017). It is prudent to note that many eligible offenders face post-release challenge which may be overwhelming hence pushing them back to the life of crime. The program could have been improved if more funds were committed to the program by authorities. This means that an evidence-based approach ought to be pursued to ensure that the different sponsors fund the program with an objective of it transforming the lives of millions of the released prisoners. With adequate funds, the program can net many prisoners who may be rehabilitated and presented to the society as well-behaved citizens.
References
Crime Solutions. (2018, January 30). Milwaukee Safe Streets Prisoner Release Initiative (PRI). Retrieved from https://www.crimesolutions.gov/ProgramDetails.aspx?ID=589
J-Pal. (2018). The Impact of a Comprehensive Prisoner Re-entry Program on Employment and Recidivism in the US | The Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab . Retrieved from https://www.povertyactionlab.org/evaluation/impact-comprehensive-prisoner-re-entry-program-employment-and-recidivism-us
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. (2017, March 11). Innovative strategies to reduce recidivism and help prison inmates transition back to society . Retrieved from https://phys.org/news/2017-05-strategies-recidivism-prison-inmates-transition.html
