Community-based programs that provide congregate living arrangements and a wide variety of counselling and supportive services for ex-offenders who recently have been released from a correctional facility but who require a gradual transition from that highly structured and supervised way of a life to a relatively free and normal existence in the community.

[ View Programs and Services (3) | Related Topics ]

Programs that help people who have been released from a correctional facility make a successful transition to community life. Services generally include an assessment of the individual's needs, discussion of options and short-term case management involving coordination of needed services which may include housing location assistance, job training, job placement and retention services, legal assistance, literacy skills development, GED courses, parenting classes, life skills training, access to food and shelter resources, and other sources of support.

[ View Programs and Services (7) | Related Topics ]

Programs, generally provided by correctional facility rehabilitation staff, that interview inmates who are about to be released from the correctional facility, make an assessment of the services they will need to facilitate their return to the community and provide them with referrals to outside agencies that offer job placement assistance, transportation, lodging, emergency aid or other resources. Pre-release counselling services may also be provided by outside agencies that have a contractual arrangement with the correctional system.

[ View Programs and Services (3) | Related Topics ]

Programs that provide any of a variety of social services for individuals who are incarcerated in a correctional facility including personal and family counselling, information about and referrals to community services and connections to other supportive services offered by the institution. Inmate social services may provided by correctional facility staff or by community-based organizations that have a contractual relationship with the correctional system.

[ View Programs and Services (5) | Related Topics ]

Programs that provide legal assistance for people who recently have been released from a correctional facility and need advice related to their status as ex-offenders.

[ Sub-Topics | View Programs and Services (2) | Related Topics ]

Programs that provide comprehensive support services for ex-offenders who need assistance preparing for, finding and retaining paid employment. Services may include vocational assessment; guidance relating to resume preparation, job application letters and questionnaires, interview techniques, appropriate dress and personal-social behaviours that will allow them to get along with employers and co-workers on the job; job skills development support; job placement assistance; limited periods of subsidized employment, where necessary; and/or on-the-job support, as required, by a personal case manager who may visit the individual while at work, meet with the person's supervisor and/or co-workers and provide whatever assistance the ex-offender needs to meet the challenges of entering the workforce and retain his or her position.

[ View Programs and Services (2) | Related Topics ]

Mutual support groups whose members are people who have been incarcerated in a correctional facility and are seeking support for their return to the community and their ability to remain crime-free. The groups allow participants to share their experience, strengths and hopes; discuss strategies for avoiding substance abuse, gang involvement, or other criminal activity; and pursue a commitment to going back to school, finding and retaining a job and mending partner and family relationships. Meeting formats may include in-person, telephone or Internet options.

[ View Programs and Services (5) | Related Topics ]