Final Comments on VOA Halfway House

 Another subject I have been putting off. I thought two months and my annoyance with the halfway house experience would mellow. It has not.

I have learned in the past few weeks that Social Security sent mail to the VOA. I have written here about how my VOA case manager dealt with my earlier mail issues. The alleged purpose of the halfway house experience is to help former prisoners transition to civilian life. The VOA's inability to forward my mail put roadblocks in the way of my obtaining food stamps and also Social Security benefits. Food and income sure seemed necessary to my being able to survive outside of incarceration.

I make note of that just do you can factor in my biases.

If the public expects the halfway house experience to lead criminals from criminality to some level of respectability through employment, then I have several questions about the VOA.

See, the VOA halfway house acts on behalf of the federal courts of the Southern District of Indiana. That District covers a lot of territory. The VOA halfway house, instead, centers itself on Marion County. None of us from outside of Marion County received any help in obtaining employment in our home counties. The emphasis was on getting work in Marion County - even if it meant the person's employment would end as soon as their stay ended with the VOA. How did this help those returning from prison who want a steady, functioning life?

I had experience with employment agencies. Those agencies prepared their clients for interviews. The VOA had companies who contacted them for bodies. Amongst some of us inmates there were questions about the intimacy between these employers and the VOA. We wondered if these jobs were to benefit the VOA or us.

There was no teaching inmates how to search for jobs, no instructions on how to prepare resumes. Yet, there had been such instruction back in 2010.

There was no Narcotics Anonymous or even AA. Instead, there were addicts on  the edge of passing out around the third floor television.

I thought of Fort Dix FCI as a Potemkin village, but I wonder now if all the United States Bureau of Prisons touches does not suffer the fate. If the VOA was to give me guidance on obtaining work so I could support myself away from prison, if the halfway experience was to help me come to grips with the societal changes occuring during my imprisonment, then the experience was an absolute failure.

On the other hand, I have to thank the VOA for providing free wi-fi. I did not get access to it until I was moved to the second floor. I managed listened music on YouTube and get research done (some of which has been appearing here). Oddly, pornography never crossed my mind.

That I think most people do not care about criminals returning home - I think they would prefer us all to disappear in preferably into a hole in the ground. But we do return home as living beings. That services are needed for prisoners  not be a disputed point. Too bad the VOA does not provide services sufficient for the need.

sch