Woke up this morning to see that yep, I am still in prison.
Sometimes the dreams I have here are so vivid that I am disoriented and then disappointed this wasn’t all a bad dream. Today is one of those days. The reality of residing in a prison is unlike anything I have ever experienced in my life. It’s a cross between being back in the USAF dorms at Scott AFB, and some sort of Davinci Purgatory. But I digress…
As my Career Coaching class is coming to a close, I have been approached to teach classes and assist in building the Re-entry program here at Atwood. I put together an operational plan a few months ago, and with my grassroots efforts in helping my fellow inmates with their remediations and teaching classes, I am grateful this is another avenue for me to help here.
I am starting a cell to cell needs assessment in which I will be asking every inmate here if they have the following prepared:
– Their Release Plan
– Submission for a Commuted Sentence
– If they understand the FSA/SCA and Halfway House laws
– An updated resume
– Review of their SDOH
– A 5 year plan (or 10 for longer sentences)
– Their understanding of the remediation process
– A career pathway in lieu of previous criminal pursuits for fast money
– A census of their budgeting acumen
– Educational and training needs
– Basic computer/typing skills
-Childcare advocacy needs
– Checklist of needs once released
From this data, I will be creating a re-entry plan for each inmate and creating classes based on the results of this needs assessment. I will be writing the curriculum for the classes and also asking others who specialize in areas within the classes needed to help teach them. There isn’t an individualized plan for success for the inmates here, and in seeing many women leave here without housing or any clue as to how to acclimate themselves back into society, I feel I can’t just sit back and watch this any longer. I am grateful that my 6 months in here hasn’t gone to waste so far in that I can continue the work I was doing prior to incarceration with AmeriCorps and in Population Health and Operational Leadership to pivot in assisting others here in prison. I am building a Re-entry protocol to present once I am released from prison later this year that will assist in lowering recidivism and hopefully give women who are incarcerated a better chance once released than what is in place now (essentially nothing).
Sending love and light as always,
Carolynne
