Preventing Female Incarceration 

Last week we told the story of Bridges Reentry, a small nonprofit dedicated to helping formerly incarcerated females successfully reenter society after they had paid their debt to society. This week we'll be looking at why women end up incarcerated in the first place, and what School Counselors are doing to help them avoid involvement with the juvenile justice system.

If She Can See It - She Can Be It:  Reentry Success 

Almost every one of the large multinational nonprofits who get all the attention and attribution for the work they do to support society's marginalized started as the small, obscure, empathetic impulses of their founders. Jane Addams labored in obscurity for many years to found Hull House in Chicago, the first settlement house to provide services to immigrants and the poor. Many years later, she was one of the first women to receive the Nobel Peace Prize.

Re-Entry Case Management Software: Facilitating Successful Reintegration 

Reintegrating individuals into society after incarceration is a multifaceted process that demands careful planning, support, and coordination. Re-entry case management software is vital in facilitating this transition, offering tools to simplify workflows, monitor progress, and link individuals to critical resources.

Curious how it works? Keep reading to learn more!

It has become a cliché in film and TV that ex-cons (as they're known) struggle to make a fresh start because they have a "record". Every school kid in America knows that he/she doesn't want to have a "record". They'll never get a good job, never work for the government and, in many places, never be allowed to vote. A standard question on most job applications inquires whether you've ever been arrested. In other words, after a convicted felon has paid his/her "debt to society", he/she must continue to pay the debt forever. Research tells us that this "criminal record" relentlessly following those long after they have served their sentence is the primary cause of recidivism in U.S. Finding no other way to care for themselves in the "outside" world, they return to crime for survival.

The concept of reentry programs in the US has gained prominence in recent years. These programs aim to support individuals who are transitioning from incarceration back into society. While the objectives are clear and noble, the successful execution of reentry programs can be complex.

This is where non-profit software plays a pivotal role, revamping reentry case management and facilitating successful reintegration into society.  Case management software for non-profits in the reentry sector has numerous benefits, some of which are highlighted in this blog.

But first, let’s talk about the challenges of reentry programs in American society.

Every now and then this blog takes a close-up of the work an individual agency is doing. This week we would like to profile Starting Over, Inc. a small Los Angeles agency dedicated to helping individuals who have fallen by the wayside and are trying to reenter the mainstream of normal life. Starting Over Inc. is dedicated to helping Southern California's most vulnerable by addressing homelessness, recidivism, and reentry. Although providing transitional housing is an important part of their service, over time the program has evolved a seven-part service model that seeks to address the complex of conditions that hinder a successful reentry into the mainstream.

Every year, nearly 600,000 people are released from prison. More than two-thirds of inmates are arrested again within three years of their release. Former inmates may struggle to re-enter society due to obstacles such as unemployment, homelessness, or a lack of funds.
The majority of these people do not receive the assistance and counseling they require to avoid committing another crime. In this case, re-entry programs can be beneficial. They want to help ex-offenders reintegrate into society. Re-entry programs offer a variety of services such as job placement, housing, and mentoring.  Let's examine how re-entry programs improve a community. 

We are quite surprised but pleased by our readers' enthusiastic response to our recent blog on forensic social work. Social workers and workers from other professions were so intrigued by the work that forensic social workers do within the criminal justice system that they asked if we would flesh out a little more the career details of the forensic social work specialty. If you're considering a career in forensic social work, here's an overview you may find helpful.

According to The Sentencing Project, over the past four decades, the number of incarcerated women increased by more than 475%, rising from a total of 26,326 in 1980 to 152,854 in 2020. Also, over half (58%) of imprisoned women have a child under the age of 18.

There are over 111,565 forensic social workers currently employed in the United States, but few people have any idea what they do. Forensic social workers are involved in both criminal and civil cases that can include termination of parental rights, juvenile and adult justice services, corrections, and mandated treatment. They fight against oppression that is exhibited through exploitation, marginalization, powerlessness, violence, criminalization, and cultural dominance or imperialism. Forensic social workers assist individuals of all ages, handling child custody, juvenile arrest, and child maltreatment, elder abuse, divorce, civil disputes and criminal offending and imprisonment. As counselors they may provide psychosocial counseling, group counseling or mediation services. As a case manager or liaison, they link the legal world with the field of social work. They may be employed across a wide variety of settings such as court systems, mental health agencies, rehabilitation centers, correctional facilities, hospitals, child and family agencies, prisons, and faith-based institutions.