“When people get out of prison, they have so many strikes against them, they feel doomed to failure. The Report of the Re-Entry Policy Council details the kinds of services – drug treatment, job training, and family counseling – that can keep people from returning to prison, help them to take care of their families, and allow them to become productive members of society,” said the late David Lewis, President and Co-Founder, Free-at-Last.
The successful reintegration of prisoners into society is a very important aspect of an effective criminal justice system, however little is known about the development effective prisoner re-entry programs.
To assist policymakers and practitioners seeking to improve the likelihood that adults released from prison or jail will avoid crime and become productive healthy members of families and communities, the Council of State Governments established the Re-Entry Policy Council.
The Policy Council includes a hundred leaders at the local, state, and national levels, as well as: state legislators; criminal justice policymakers and practitioners; workforce development and employment services officials; housing providers and housing system officials; representatives of health, mental health, and substance abuse treatment systems; victim advocates; the formerly incarcerated and their families; ministers and others working in faith-based institutions.
The Re-Entry Policy Council report provides hundreds of recommendations which reflect the common ground reached by this wide-ranging, diverse group of leaders. Decades ago, many of these ideas were unknowingly a part of a philosophy put into practice by a man committed to public safety through a vision of successful reconnecting ex-prisoners to their communities.
Jacquin “Jack” Brito has been involved with numerous public safety policy makers throughout his career as an advocate for successful re-entry of ex-convicts.
He has once again emerged in the forefront of a call to duty for common sense public safety policy while our cash-strapped state struggles with unconstitutionally overcrowded prisons and one of the highest recidivism rates in the country.
“I will volunteer to assist setting up the demonstration project at no charge,” said Brito.
Founded in 1975, Brito continued to direct two re-entry facilities until 1997: Casa Libre and Casa Oasis.
Brito touts the success he has enjoyed in reintegrating ex-convicts into the community by asserting that eight out of 10 residents, who completed Casa Libre and Casa Oasis programs had no further problems with law enforcement two years after they graduated.
Casa Libre and Casa Oasis provided room and board, peer and individual counseling, job development and placement, transportation, and time off on weekends so participants could visit their loved ones.
Enlightening the public about the food preparation brought a smile to Brito’s face.
“The food was excellent and the average weight gain by the participants after 90 days was about 30 pounds. Their bellies were full, and happy hearts helped to keep everyone content and in good spirits. This was a major part in their ability to complete their assigned programs and duties,” he said.
Residents who found jobs paid 25 percent of their earnings to the costs and operations of the facilities, which reduced the taxpayer’s burden significantly. The remaining costs were paid by the state under a yearly contract. In the 1990s, each prisoner’s incarceration cost was about $107 per day; today that cost has increased to about $135 per day. During that period, Brito’s rate was about $43 per day, with 25 percent offset by contributing residents. Casa Libre and Casa Oasis had room for about 30 residents at a time – with an average stay between 90 and 120 days. Parole officers would frequent the programs, ensuring that public safety needs were met.
