Published: November 17, 2009 09:38 pm      

Officials look at re-entry program

By RORYE O’CONNOR

rorye.oconnor@register-news.com

MT. VERNON — Local leaders of the community are searching for a way to break the chain of recidivism.

“If a parent is incarcerated, their child is more than 50 percent likely to commit a crime, too,” said Terri Deneal, representative from UCAN of southern Illinois, a Department of Corrections program that is the “social services side to parole,” she said.

Deneal and other members of the community gathered at the second meeting to discuss a post-prison re-entry program for people from Jefferson County.

“What we’re here for is to see if we can get our offenders to quit the revolving door,” said District 5 parole director Paul Carlson. “What do they need? What do they want? We need to find out.”

Carlson brought up the idea of a health and career fair for parolees, in which they could find out what jobs are available and what places will hire people with criminal records.

“I think they will be totally amazed that we even care,” he said.

He suggested an event at which parolees could get checkups on their vision and blood pressure, get drug tested and be enrolled in a drug treatment program if they test positive.

Deneal said a post-prison re-entry summit would be extremely effective in helping ex-detainees learn about the services and help available to them when they are out of prison and realize what they need.

“Six months or so short of release, they go to an event and learn about what they have available,” Deneal said. “But often it goes in one ear and out the other because they think they don’t need that. If you bring a group together on the outside, it will work.”

Deneal also discussed an idea of hers, a form letter from an offender that would go with job applications explaining their offense, what they’d done during their incarceration, and what they were continuing to do outside of prison to improve their situation.

“As an employer, I would think it took guts and look at what he’s doing,” she said.

She said the trick for offenders was getting that foot in the door.

“Once they check that box that says, ‘yes, I’ve committed a felony,’ a lot of these applications go in the trash,” she said.

Carlson and Deneal discussed ways to increase awareness about bonding and tax breaks to employers who hire ex-detainees.

“I’m working on a program with incentives — cross your fingers and toes and eyes — for employers who keep these guys employed for 30 days,” Deneal said.

The group decided to gather information about where they could have a fair for Jefferson County’s 150 parolees, and who would be there to present their services. The group will finalize their plans for the fair at the January meeting. The next meeting for the re-entry group will be at 4 p.m., Tuesday, Dec. 15 at the Municipal Building West.