www.saferfoundation.org 1 eliminating barriers to reentry victor dickson president & ceo, safer...

www.saferfoundation.org1

Eliminating Barriers Eliminating Barriers to Reentryto Reentry

www.saferfoundation.org

Victor DicksonPresident & CEO,Safer FoundationOctober 23, 2014


United States

United States Total Population318, 872, 000

# of Prison Facilities in Operation4,575 (International Centre for Prison Studies)

Total Capacity2,265,000 (ICPS)

Total People Incarcerated2.29 million (2012 year end--BJS)

Operating at 99% Capacity (ICPS)

State Corrections Spending - $53.2 billion

LEGEND

Western Region

Mountain Region

Central Region

Eastern Region

USA REGIONS


Illinois (Location of the Majority of Safer Offices)

Illinois Total Population12,830,632

# of Prison Facilities29

Total Capacity32,075 (BJS)

Total People Incarcerated48,902 (IDOC October ‘14 quarterly report)

Operating at 152% Capacity

Corrections Spending - $1.2 billionIllinois

ADAMS

ALEXANDER

BOND

WINNEBAGO

BROWN

BUREAU

CALHOUN

CARROLL

CASS

CHAMPAIGN

CHRISTIAN

CLARK

CLAYCLINTON

COLES

COOK

CRAWFORD

CUMBERLAND

DE KALB

DE WITT

DOUGLAS

DUPAGE

EDGAR

EDWARDS

EFFINGHAM

FAYETTE

FORD

FRANKLIN

FULTON

GALLATIN

GREENE

GRUNDY

HAMILTON

HANCOCK

HARDIN

HENDERSON

HENRY

IROQUOIS

JACKSON

JASPER

JEFFERSON

JERSEY

LAKE

JOHNSON

KANE

KANKAKEE

KENDALL

KNOX

JO DAVIESS

LA SALLE

LAWRENCE

LEE

LIVINGSTON

LOGAN

MCDONOUGH

STEPHENSON

MCLEAN

MACON

MACOUPIN

MADISON

MARION

MARSHALL

MASON

MASSAC

MENARD

MERCER

MONROE

MONTGOMERY

MORGANMOULTRIE

OGLE

PEORIA

PERRY

PIATT

PIKE

POPE

PULASKI

PUTNAM

RANDOLPH

RICHLAND

ROCK ISLAND

ST. CLAIR

SALINE

SANGAMON

SCHUYLER

SCOTT

SHELBY

STARK

MCHENRY

TAZEWELL

UNION

VERMILION

WABASH

WARREN

WASHINGTONWAYNE

WHITE

WHITESIDE

WILL

WILLIAMSON

BOONE

WOODFORD

Davenport, Iowa


Barriers to Successful Reentry

Individual —people returning from incarceration are not properly prepared to navigate life back in their home communities; beyond the myriad of pre-existing issues consistent with most formerly incarcerated persons (e.g. little education and work history, substance abuse issues) the journey from prison to successful reintegration is often full of road blocks.

Families —often families provide shelter and a safety net for people returning home, but frequently are struggling to meet their own needs & may be ill-prepared to address those of formerly incarcerated individuals.

Systems— public (state, county, & city agencies) & private (service organizations) institutions have not been pro-active enough in coordinating efforts and support for this high-risk group of individuals. Without such support, public safety, community stability, & individual life outcomes remain at risk.

Community—entire communities are not properly prepared to meet the complex needs of those returning home; the communities are weakened both by the individuals’ criminal activities & their ensuing absence due to incarceration, & then burdened by their return.


Personal Barriers to Reentry


Incarceration & Employment• Unemployment Rate: 5.9% (Bureau of Labor, Sep. 2014)

• “Black unemployment rate is consistently twice that of whites” (Pew Research Center, Aug. 2013)

• The likelihood of a callback for an interview for an entry-level position drops off by 50 percent for those applicants with a criminal record (Professor Devah Pager’s, The Mark of a Criminal Record,” American Journal of Sociology 108(5), 2003: 937-975. 4)

• More than one in four adults in the United States (70 million adults with arrests and convictions) have a criminal record that will show up on a routine criminal background check (National Employment Law Project: March 2011)

• Employers had 4.84 million open positions in August 2014 (DOL)


The Individual Financial Costs of Incarceration

(Taken From the Pew Report “Collateral Costs”)

• Two-thirds of male inmates were employed prior to incarceration

• Incarceration, above and beyond arrest and conviction, has the most negative impact on an individual’s economic prospects post release

• Serving time reduces hourly wages for men by approximately 11%, annual employment by 9 weeks, and annual earnings by 40%

• Family income averaged over the years a father is incarcerated is 22% lower than the family income was pre-incarceration. In the year after the father’s release, family income remains 15% lower than it was in the year before incarceration


8 locations in Illinois and 3 in Iowa

More than 250 employees on staff

A 63% reduction in recidivism rates with clients achieving 30 days of employment

Over 4,200 job starts in FY13

$21 million budget in FY 14

About Safer

Illinois

ADAMS

ALEXANDER

BOND

WINNEBAGO

BROWN

BUREAU

CALHOUN

CARROLL

CASS

CHAMPAIGN

CHRISTIAN

CLARK

CLAYCLINTON

COLES

COOK

CRAWFORD

CUMBERLAND

DE KALB

DE WITT

DOUGLAS

DUPAGE

EDGAR

EDWARDS

EFFINGHAM

FAYETTE

FORD

FRANKLIN

FULTON

GALLATIN

GREENE

GRUNDY

HAMILTON

HANCOCK

HARDIN

HENDERSON

HENRY

IROQUOIS

JACKSON

JASPER

JEFFERSON

JERSEY

LAKE

JOHNSON

KANE

KANKAKEE

KENDALL

KNOX

JO DAVIESS

LA SALLE

LAWRENCE

LEE

LIVINGSTON

LOGAN

MCDONOUGH

STEPHENSON

MCLEAN

MACON

MACOUPIN

MADISON

MARION

MARSHALL

MASON

MASSAC

MENARD

MERCER

MONROE

MONTGOMERY

MORGANMOULTRIE

OGLE

PEORIA

PERRY

PIATT

PIKE

POPE

PULASKI

PUTNAM

RANDOLPH

RICHLAND

ROCK ISLAND

ST. CLAIR

SALINE

SANGAMON

SCHUYLER

SCOTT

SHELBY

STARK

MCHENRY

TAZEWELL

UNION

VERMILION

WABASH

WARREN

WASHINGTONWAYNE

WHITE

WHITESIDE

WILL

WILLIAMSON

BOONE

WOODFORD

Davenport, Iowa

Safer Foundation, a not-for-profit organization headquartered in Chicago, is in its 42nd year.

Our mission is to support, through a full spectrum of services, the efforts of people with criminal records to become employed, law-abiding members of the community and a result, reduce recidivism.

Our vision is that all people with criminal records will have an equal employment opportunity.

Davenport


Direct Services

Page 6


EMPLOYMENT PROGRAMSEMPLOYMENT PROGRAMSRETENTION SERVICES MODEL: AN INTEGRATED

FRAMEWORK

Group Orientation

Pathway Placement

Intake and Assessment

Transitional Employment Pathway

Supportive Services Pathway

Job Ready Pathway

>7.0 TABE>6 Months consecutive work experienceGroup 1: No credentialsGroup 2: GED and/or vocational credential

<7.0 TABE<6 Months consecutive work experience

Candidate Pool/Job Search

Job Bank

Industry Sectors

Service Industries

Manufacturing

Construction

Transportation/Warehousing/

Logistics

Other Sector Strategies

Retention Groups

Job Readiness Training

If <1 yr of work

Career Planning

WorkshopsIf>1 yr of

work

On the Job Groups

If in TransitionalEmployment

Make needed referrals; monitor services to meet required thresholds

Refer to Pathway

Mental HealthSubstance AbuseCareer ScopeBESI

Services heavily front-end loaded towards retention

Preparing for Employment

Finding Employment

Keeping Employment


Safer’s CollaborationsSafer has fostered several partnerships over the years that have proved fruitful in achieving our on-going mission.

Safer’s Partners Include:

Policing, Courts, Jails & PrisonsElected OfficialsGovernment Agencies – Federal, State & LocalLegal Aid ClinicsHuman Service OrganizationsAdvocacy GroupsAcademic and Research InstitutionsFaith-based OrganizationsPhilanthropic InstitutionsBusinessesIndividuals


3-Year Recidivism Results

IDOC Recidivism Rate: 47.0% (FY2011 Releases)

63% Reduction

.


ResultsCOST DIFFERENTIAL

0

5000

10000

15000

20000

25000

30000

35000

40000

45000

Safer

IDOC

Safer Foundation’s Cost to Place Clients through Currently Funded Programs

$38,268*

$3,200

Illinois Department of Correction’s Cost to Incarcerate

Employer’sCost to Use Safer

*According to Vera Institute of Justice

$


ResultsIF PEOPLE GET JOBS

Businesses have employees who contribute and are appreciative

Lower turnover rate

Fewer victims of crime

Tax base goes up

Taxpayer burden goes down

Families work toward a better future

Those connected to their families are less likely to commit crimes

Use Safer Photo


What you should to know?

• Poverty, Unemployment & Low Educational Achievement drive criminality

• Lawyers (Legislators, Prosecutors, Judges) drive criminalization of behavior, punishment & barriers to reentry

• Historical systemic discrimination in the US has always been legal (Slavery Era, Jim Crow Era, Mass Incarceration Era)


What can you do?

• Advocate for Criminal Justice Reform in your state; laws, sentences, incarceration rates.

• Advocate for elimination of legal barriers to employment.

• Advocate for greater investment in reentry programs & services


What can you do?

• Connect reentering citizens to institutions with access to the breadth of services needed.

• Hire reentering citizens

www.saferfoundation.org

QuestionsQuestions??

www.saferfoundation.org 1 eliminating barriers to reentry victor dickson president & ceo, safer...

Documents