Halfway House Ideas, 8-7-2010

 From where I sit, I am left wondering what the federal Bureau of Prisons expects of the Volunteers of America halfway hose. There is no counseling of any sort. Some of these people have been incarcerated for a long, long time (remember Congress equates tough on crime as very long prison sentences), and some psychological counseling would help them. Also, job counseling would help them – instead of just tossing them out onto the street for job hunting. They have none of this, but those getting jobs have 25% deducted from their gross pay.

If the federal government were bot serious about reforming its graduates, one might wonder what they are about. A more cynical person might think the federal government wants to insure jobs for its prison employees.

What makes the situation so strange is the proximity of IUPUI. I assume the school has a masters of Social Work program, and surely a psychology department. Why don't the powers-that-be talk to them about an internship program? I see that as a good idea considering our federal budget woes.

As for the job hunting, I recall the Small Business Administration had a program called SCORE. Who better to teach people with no good experience in the working world on how to get a job and keep it? Again, the cost is minimal and, therefore, budget friendly.

Nor should anyone think this need only be limited to Indianapolis, or to the federal side of the criminal justice system. The true limitation consists only in having the energy to liaise with the appropriate schools in the area of the correctional facility.

sch

[I have described my own experiences as a returnee under halfway house life. There are 39 entries under that category beginning May 2010 and ending in October 2021. There were no changes other than personnel. The 25% deduction persists, and is used to defray the costs of housing the inmates. I just did some off the cuff calculations. Assuming there were 50 inmates employed 40 hours at a wage of $10 an hour who worked 50 weeks a year, then the VOA's take is $250,000. No wonder there are no services, just civilian jailer. sch 3/9/23.]