There’s a lack of addressing mental health issues inside. There’s a lack of people thinking about what some people have dealt with since children and why they ended up inside. People wonder why there is recidivism or why people end up in jail. A lot of it has to do with the lack of opportunity and mentorship in peoples lives starting with childhood...and then especially after turbulent times, never introducing itself ever to these individuals. It’s not like people want to end up like this. For many of these individuals they’ve never had the support and opportunities many of us don’t realize we’re so lucky to have.
They have some education programs, they just are always not focused on skills that are valuable outside. There’s also issues, believe it or not, about people not knowing these programs are avail. What we are doing is trying to create Edu programs for in demand skills and bring in a dif local business to teach each course. This way it breaks down the stigma for these businesses about hiring justice involved individuals, trains these individuals at a skill, and helps them get hired by these businesses after. And this is not training to work in fast food chains.
There’s also work release where certain members can go off location to work when they’re getting close to release. In addition there stuff like unicore
https://www.bop.gov/inmates/custody_and_care/unicor.jsp
Unicore pays pennies on the dollar though. But this money helps people upon release have enough maybe to get an apartment for their first month out - which most cant afford.
Some cool organizations trying to help, just as examples off the top of my head in case you are interested in looking further about solutions include:
But main point is really these individuals that have served their time are not adequately given the resources they need to succeed. Tons of opportunities to contribute though - as with any u underserved demographic.
I really think the point is not how long it might take someone to learn how to use tools, but the impacts of prison. I work with these folks through my company to help them become employed upon release.
A few things, it is astounding but believable that when people are released they enter a world that is entirely unknown to them. Not only technology but their relationships and neighborhoods are completely different.
In addition,They have no reliable way of getting back on their feet. They usually have zero money, no housing and no job - and there is why you have high recidivism rates. Not only that, but no one wants to hire justice involved individuals, even though significant tax credits are available for doing so - Walmart for example, takes extreme advantage of these.
The training programs in prisons will train someone up to a certification, but fall short of letting them get that certification. People have completed their GED maybe 5 times inside serving sentences at different times because doing so can reduce their sentence, it doesn’t help them in any other way.
Without the ability to access training for in demand skills, many of these individuals get temp service jobs as flagged for construction for example. Doesn’t make sense to me that we want to rehab people yet minimal opportunities inside are provided to break the cycle.
Realize this. People serve a sent and then they are eligible for parole. Many people opt to serve their parole inside, rather than outside. I’ve been told they feel it is easier inside than out.