| Successful Reentry Through Volunteers and Partnerships
Caridad Palerm and Kathleen Severens, CCDO Staff
Accomplishing any Weed and Seed strategy, especially a reentry program, is easier with additional resources—and resources can mean both funding and human capital. Sites can carry out their reentry programming better when they have extra people who have enthusiasm and passion for the sites' goals, people who are well-trained and want to help others to succeed. AmeriCorps*VISTA members are providing just such capital to CCDO.
VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America), a program of the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), is a network of service programs that connects more than 70,000 members yearly in volunteer service to engage in different types of work. CCDO believes in partnerships such as this one with CNCS as a way to develop more effective and efficient strategies to reduce crime and build healthier communities. CCDO strongly encourages sites to form partnerships with federal, state, and local governments, as well as with foundations and nonprofit organizations. With AmeriCorps*VISTA, CCDO practices what it preaches.
CCDO and CNCS have entered into an agreement to support the development of a multicity prisoner reentry initiative with a focus in Weed and Seed communities. The purpose of the agreement is to reduce ex-offender recidivism and crime and to promote successful reentry by connecting with existing reentry initiatives and leveraging public and private resources for housing, employment, education, life skills, conflict resolution, and mentoring needs. CCDO has the strategy, the experience, and the resources. AmeriCorps*VISTA has the human capital: more than 40 of its volunteers will be participating in this initiative and making a big difference in our communities.
Specifically, VISTA members will—
- Develop and expand existing reentry programs and local networks.
- Collaborate with existing community resources.
- Help sponsoring organizations to design and establish programs and activities that focus on developing successful intervention strategies.
- Engage the traditional volunteer community in local reentry initiatives, including developing community volunteer programs to help mentor ex-offenders and their families.
- Work with the criminal justice system and prisons to develop reentry program initiatives.
- Help develop or strengthen support systems in the community to aid ex-offenders with reintegration.
- Engage the faith and secular communities in local reentry initiatives.
In August 2005, CCDO and CNCS held a kickoff conference to introduce the initiative to all the partners engaged in the effort, including U.S. Attorneys' Offices, mayoral offices, sponsoring agencies, Weed and Seed offices, and city reentry initiatives. At the conference, CCDO presented key components of effective prisoner reentry programs in a guide that matches national service programs with Weed and Seed and other citywide reentry programs.
The Weed and Seed VISTA reentry initiative will take place in the following cities based on their capacity to develop effective reentry initiatives and on their ability to deliver on-the-ground volunteer capability: Charleston, SC; Chicago, IL; Cleveland and Columbus, OH; Dallas, TX; Indianapolis, IN; Louisville, KY; Miami, FL; Oakland, CA; Philadelphia, PA; Portland, OR; Providence, RI; and Washington, DC. At this time, CCDO is not expanding the VISTA program to additional sites. To gain a better understanding of the overall context of reentry across all Weed and Seed sites, however, CCDO will survey all 325 Weed and Seed sites to determine the extent of reentry efforts, identify innovative practices, and catalog potential resources for cross-site training and technical assistance.
Many new VISTAs are already working onsite. In Miami, VISTA members are helping to build the capacity of the Weed and Seed's R.E.S.P.E.C.T (Responsibility, Empowerment, Skills, Perspective, Education, Character, Time) program through resource development and community mobilization activities. In Cleveland, they are helping to expand the site's "citizen circles" with a goal of establishing additional circles in the next year. In Indianapolis, VISTA members are helping to implement a comprehensive information and referral system, develop and market a public relations campaign to increase community support for programs for released individuals, and recruit community volunteers to work with offenders before and after they are released. These partnerships with VISTAs, Weed and Seed sites, and city reentry efforts will maximize community resources to help returning offenders succeed.
Reentry is important to all Weed and Seed sites. This multicity initiative is one partnership that will engage volunteers and enhance our capacity to create safer communities.
For more information, contact:
Caridad Palerm
or
Kathleen Severens
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