Being released from prison can often be a traumatic affair. Society often places a stigma on ex-prisoners that can make out difficult to find gainful employment, fair housing, and, most importantly, self-esteem. Many ex-offenders find themselves in financial difficulty upon release from prison; they feel a burden on their families and society and often revert
Soft skills and the social graces, as I call them, are very important to our school. We are always working and incorporating soft skills and social graces into the lessons. Every day I never fail to mention something about manners, and proper attire. I may, on any given day, discuss speaking to groups, working as a team, or practicing listening skills. We discuss parenting skills and computer proficiencies such as keyboarding, word processing and spreadsheet creation. I encourage them to practice on the computer to become familiar with its possibilities.
Lifelong learning and the love of learning are illustrated
Being in prison can be a very lonely and despairing experience. Thousands of inmates become “forgotten” and abandoned by families from the outside. It is shown that the more contact that a prisoner has with the outside world, the better their chances of staying out of prison are. ASK (Ask, Seek, Knock) Mentoring Outreach is
Did you know that California has the largest prison system in the nation? There are over 46 adult prison/correctional facilities that incarcerate almost 200,000 men and women – and this leaves nearly 200,000 children without one or more parents. Those are shocking numbers! Children of incarcerated parents are often left in either foster homes or
Within the California Institution for Women, a women’s correctional facility located in Corona, California, a student-run nonprofit organization called Cultivating Dreams helps incarcerated women tend to an organic garden. This dynamic program is a collaborative effort of volunteers from the Claremont College community, and both students and women inside the prison work together to manage
Most prison educators strongly believe that incarcerated prisoners who receive higher education while in prison have substantially reduced rates of recidivism. The Education from the Inside Out Coalition is a collaborative of nonpartisan advocates for higher education for students in prison. And most importantly, the Education from the Inside Out advocates are diligently working for
Prison Entrepreneurship Program Graduates its 17th Class of Future Business Owners and Employees Graduates have real-world, marketable business skills upon release from prison Dallas, June 4, 2012—Prison Entrepreneurship Program, PEP, (www.pep.org), announces the June 8 graduation ceremony for its 2012 class. PEP is a business boot-camp that teaches qualified Texas prisoners real-world business skills so
In 1787, a group of colonial revolutionaries and Quakers created the Philadelphia Society for Alleviating the Miseries of Public Prisons. The group founded this organization due to their strong beliefs against violence and mistreatment of prisoners. Today, 225 years later, this organization is still going strong with its core commitment and beliefs in alleviating the
Being incarcerated in prison can be very lonely. Isolated from friends and family, inmates often have little contact with the outside world. Imagine how important it can be to a prisoner to receive a letter from someone who can talk about day-to-day events in the outside world. Studies show that prisoners who have frequent contact