Prisoner Re-Entry and Family Unification

Summary Report of Best/Promising Practices 2-25-05

Faith-based and community organizations are uniquely situated to partner with the government in serving poor and low-income individuals and families, particularly those with the greatest needs such as prisoners reentering the community and their families, and children of prisoners.

NEWS....

The Prisoner Reentry Project is beginning!  Faith Initiatives of Wyoming is partnering with the Wyoming Department of Corrections, Wyoming

Inmate Ministries, Main Street AfterCare, Prison Fellowship Ministries, and the Catholic Diocese of Cheyenne to begin a Demonstration Project working to reduce the recidivism rate of women leaving the Wyoming Women’s Facility in Lusk.  The project, based on the successful Prison Fellowship Aftercare model, will ‘partner’ women released from the Lusk facility with churches in the Lusk area.  The churches will work with the women to help them build a successful life on the ‘outside’ by mentoring the women in the Transition, the Discipleship, and the Coaching phases of the program.  This project is designed to not only reduce recidivism but to also strengthen families through parenting skills and family unification, to improve the women’s employment opportunities and skills, and to provide substance abuse programs for the ‘partnered’ women with substance abuse issues.

For more information on the project or to get involved, please contact Debbie Reddy at 307-265-1364 or via email at Debbie@fiwy.org.