Helping Inmates Succeed Outside Prison Walls

by MaryJoel Davis

Not long ago, a young, fairly well-dressed, but somewhat wilted young woman wandered into Alternative Directions, Inc. (ADI) – an organization that provides civil legal assistance to prison inmates and transitional services to female ex-offenders. She had just walked three miles in the stifling heat from the Baltimore City Jail after her release on probation for using marijuana. In the interim since her arrest, her baby had been placed in the custody of relatives, and she had lost both her apartment and her job. And, as is so often the case, she was also completely broke.

After listening to the woman's tearful story, ADI's Executive Director made a few calls and sent her off in the right direction, with a little money in her pocket and more than a few encouraging words. But past experience dictates that, because of her criminal record and without continuing support, she will have an uphill battle ahead toward success and self-reliance.

Reducing Recidivism

Sadly, this young woman's story is all too common in a criminal justice system that expects ex-inmates to succeed on the “outside” with only $40 (which they have earned) and the clothes in which they came to prison.. Very few find gainful employment on their own, especially given post-9/11 issues. So, the vast majority live hand to mouth, moving from place to place, with little or no support from family and friends.

To make matters worse, female ex-offenders frequently watch helplessly as their children remain for long periods of time in someone else's care. Additionally, most of those with drug convictions are ineligible for the very transitional services that could make a difference - public housing, food stamps, and medical assistance. Thus, they inevitably resort to “survival” crimes, like prostitution, check forgery, shoplifting, and drug trafficking, just to get by.

The truth is that most women who commit these crimes are not “rotten apples” or “bad seeds,” as they are often portrayed. They simply lack the skills and resources they need to stay out of trouble. In fact, more often than not, they are victims themselves – of domestic violence, addiction, mental illness, and poverty. Nearly half of all incarcerated women report being physically abused by spouses or partners; more than three-quarters of them say they were using alcohol and/or other drugs at the time of their crimes; two-thirds of them suffer from some sort of mental disorder; and almost all of them were unemployed prior to their incarceration.

Yet, with the appropriate community support and resources, Maryland's ex-offenders can see the light at the end of a very long tunnel. ADI recently reported that out of the 113 female ex-offenders it served last year, 75% of them were able to successfully rebuild their lives and reconnect with their children – on the right side of the law – after receiving intensive transitional service support.

Parnters in the Community

Unfortunately, funding for nonprofits like ADI is scarce, despite their positive outcomes. As a result, these organizations merely subsist on what to most would seem like ridiculously small budgets, especially given the magnitude of the work. One such organization, Enterprise, has had similar success in helping male ex-offenders find housing, health care, and jobs. But, both of these nonprofits rely heavily on their community resource partners.

An example of a community resource partner is Tuerk House, which provides an exceptional, 28-day inpatient treatment program for substance abusers, a necessary component in most offender rehabilitation efforts. To bolster recovery outcomes, organizations like Jones Falls Counseling Center and Courage to Change offer follow-up addictions counseling that is both structured and results-oriented. Caroline House, The GATE, and Maryland New Directions operate highly effective workforce development and job placement services.

Marion House and I Can't We Can work tirelessly to help ex-offenders with transitional housing; and The Family Tree, Family and Children's Services of Central Maryland, and South Baltimore Family Health Center focus on high-quality parent education and family support. And, when it comes to health care, nonprofits like Chase Brexton Health Services and Health Care for the Homeless are making a big difference for men and women who are coming out of prison with serious physical and mental health problems.

All of these extremely worthwhile organizations – and many more like them - depend on individual donor and foundation dollars to meet the needs of the many people they help in an urban environment such as Baltimore City. Moreover, attracting those dollars to help ex-offenders is becoming increasingly more difficult because of growing public sentiment to invest in prisons instead of in services to help former prisoners become contributing members to society. But, by helping these men and women turn into community assets rather than remain liabilities, Maryland can begin to break the vicious cycle of intergenerational poverty and criminality. In the long run, the City's children will become healthier, its families stronger, and its neighborhoods more stable.