TWIMC Volunteer Training Program to Reduce Recidivism for Women Exiting Prison

Initiative Description:

The sad reality for a woman leaving prison today is that a lack of meaningful opportunities to re-engage with society dramatically increases the likelihood that she will end up back in jail. The US Department of Justice reports that 68% of released prisoners are rearrested within 3 years of their release. 83% are re-incarcerated after 9 years. To Whom It May Concern (TWIMC) is a small nonprofit agency determined to stand alongside any woman in the state of Ohio who wants to beat those odds, by providing the support she needs to successfully reintegrate into her community. We are filling the gap where the system is failing. However, our volunteers need training in order to be well-equipped to really assist these vulnerable women and help them to not only survive but thrive in their communities.

TWIMC PROGRAMS AND THEIR TRAINING NEEDS

Life Builder’s – Reintegration starts long before a woman’s release date. TWIMC partners with the justice system to match Life Builder Mentors with inmates for pre-release mentoring through our Life Builder’s program. Working inside the prison, our volunteers build relationships with the women so that they have a healthy, strong supportive connection upon their release. With their Life Builder Mentor, each woman sets goals within five categories: Physical Needs, Financial Needs, Social Needs, Recovery Support Needs, and Spiritual Needs, and then creates a plan to achieve those goals. Our Life Builder volunteers need to be trained on boundaries, trauma informed care, active listening, and appropriate goal setting.

Fresh Start – We have learned that that “the first 3’s” (the first 3 minutes, the first 3 days and the first three weeks) are critical for avoiding recidivism. That’s why our Fresh Start program focuses on these “3s”. When we know a woman is going to be released, we are there for her the moment she steps outside the prison, and if she needs it, we provide a ride home. Within the first three days we provide her with a fresh set of clothes and basic toiletries along with a packet of information with resources in their specific county or city. And for the entire 3 weeks, her mentor and Fresh Start volunteers walk along-side her as she adapts and adjusts to life “outside the wire” with a focus on revising her goals and creating new plans as needs arise, because those needs are sometimes very different than what they anticipated. In addition to boundaries, trauma informed care, active listening and goal setting, Fresh Start Volunteers need to be trained in subjects like overcoming barriers to success, co-dependency, how to find and access resources, and warning signs of relapse.

Next Step – Before the end of those first three weeks each program participant is introduced to more women in the TWIMC community including volunteer coaches who can help them navigate through any of the various challenges that they will inevitably face. This often includes long term housing, transportation, legal concerns, financial issues, employment, mental health resources, recovery support and other needs. We let each woman know that we are dedicated to building a foundation of trust and support that will last as long as they want it to after they are released. In addition to need all of the same training that Life Builder Mentors and Fresh Start Volunteers need, Next Step coaches need to be trained in specific coaching areas listed above so that the participants have the assistance they need to allow them to reach their goals and remain out of prison.

We don’t believe in giving these women handouts. We do believe in giving them a hand up and friend to walk alongside them so that they can lift themselves out of their situation and move beyond their past.

Initiative Anticipated Impact and Outcomes:

Reentry is not an easy process. Women leaving prison face a multitude of problems. Sadly, the American Journal of Public Health reports that between 77% and 91% of incarcerated women have endured childhood trauma including sexual assault, having been injured by their parents enough to need medical attention, and/or having experienced severe, on-going violence between family members. With mental health resources stretched very thin inside the prison, these women come out of prison not having dealt with the root issues that contributed to their incarceration. On top of this, the stigma that comes with being an ex-con means that many of the doors that could lead to successful reintegration are closed. This combination of factors results in what some of termed a “revolving door”.

To Whom It May Concern (TWIMC) is working to change that with an overarching goal to reduce recidivism for the women we serve. Research shows that structured well-run mentoring programs like the ones that TWIMC offers inside the prison can affect outcomes, with 35% of participants being less likely to return to prison than their un-mentored counterparts. We have seen that if we continue to support them beyond mentoring with the Fresh Start program and the Next Step coaches, the recidivism rate drops even further. Less than 10% of the women who go through our programs have returned to prison.

Our volunteers are committed to serving this incredibly vulnerable population, but they are ill-equipped. Training our volunteers will further reduce recidivism and improve other outcomes for participants by empowering the volunteers to better serve and advocate for the participants. We expect that with a trained volunteer workforce, 50% more participants will have access to the housing, employment, recovery, and mental health resources that they need. We also expect that recidivism will be less than 5%.

Initiative Sustainability Plan:

PLAN FOR SUSTAINABILITY

We intend to employ a train-the-trainer approach so that we can provide in-house training after the initial training occurs. We have identified key volunteers who are capable of training other volunteers if they are equipped with the knowledge they need to do so. The Meeting Owl technology that we are proposing to purchase will allow us to provide remote training in the future without requiring volunteers to travel to a central teaching location. Meeting Owl offers nonprofit organizations certified refurbished Meeting Owls at significant discount, making it an excellent, cost effect way to sustain the training moving forward.

TIMELINE FOR SUSTAINABILITY

• Q1 2020 – Contract with Trainers, Secure meeting location, purchase equipment and software, administer pre-training knowledge test/survey with TWIMC trainers and volunteers
• Q2 2020 – Conduct Training of TWIMC trainers and volunteers, administer post-training knowledge test/survey, conduct refresher courses as needed.
• Q3 2020 and Ongoing – TWIMC trainers provide ongoing training for all new volunteers and existing volunteers as needed.

BUDGET FOR SUSTAINABILITY

• Initial Launch Budget (Legacy Collective Request) $4,575
• Training Session Fees ($750) , Travel Expenses ($250), Supplies and Materials ($2,300), Video Conferencing Technology ($400), Laptop
• Computer ($700), Software $175
• Annual Ongoing Budget (provided by individual donors) $475
• Travel Expenses ($25), Training Supplies and Materials ($150), Annual Set Aside for Technology/Computer Upgrades ($300)

Total Funding Requested: $4,575

Funding Date Requirement: 04/01/2020

Summary and/or Supporting Documents:  None submitted

Initiative Video or Related Links:  None submitted

Nonprofit Name: To Whom It May Concern

Nonprofit Website:  http://twimcohio.org/