Capital Region Ex-Offenders Support Coalition (CRESC)
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First Chance Trust Fund Coming Soon?

6/22/2017

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(PA DOC) At a press conference held in the Capitol Rotunda on June 21, 2017, a bipartisan group of state senators unveiled legislation to establish a public charitable trust to help children of incarcerated loved ones and reverse the direction of prison-bound youth in Pennsylvania.

Senate Bill 790, authored by state Sens. Vincent Hughes (D-Philadelphia, Montgomery), Pat Browne (R-Lehigh), Jay Costa (D-Allegheny) and Richard Alloway (R-Adams, Cumberland, Franklin, York), would create the “First Chance Trust Fund,” which would be used to create scholarships and provide grants to programs that benefit children of incarcerated loved ones and children facing challenges.

The trust fund would be administered by the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency and would be funded by private, tax‐deductible donations and a 1 percent surcharge on vendors that have a contract with the Department of Corrections exceeding $5 million. Other Pennsylvania agencies would also have the option to include a similar provision in their contracts. It would not require the use of taxpayer dollars.

The lawmakers, along with Department of Corrections Secretary John Wetzel, highlighted the importance of this legislation during a news conference today at the state Capitol.

"This legislation will give organizations the ability to provide children who face challenges with more educational opportunities to help them stay in school, give them a sense of stability and belonging, and protect them from going down the wrong path," said Sen. Hughes, the Democratic chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee. "It's a wise investment that will help children, families, and the community."

“I am pleased to join my colleagues in introducing this important initiative aimed at providing our young people most at risk of dropping out of school or ending up incarcerated with scholarships and resources that may otherwise not be available to them in an effort to help ensure that they succeed both in school and later in life,” said Sen. Browne, Republican chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee.

Initially, the trust fund is anticipated to generate $500,000 to $1 million on an annual basis.  The fund would be targeted to regions that have statistically higher high school dropout rates and risks of incarceration.

The fund, which would be the first of its kind in the country, will enable youth who are predisposed to the criminal justice system to access programs they need to complete school and become healthy and productive members of society.

“Children deserve a chance to grow and thrive and dream about what the future holds,” said Costa the Senate Democratic Leader. “These programs – programs that recognize the potential that lives within each child, each family and each community are evidence of the opportunity we have to make a difference. When we invest in our kids and focus on their future, everyone wins.”

“I am very pleased to join with Governor Wolf, Secretary Wetzel, and fellow legislators to take this major step in providing at-risk youth with the tools that they need to succeed,” Sen. Alloway said.  “This trust fund, which is unique in the nation, will provide targeted grants and scholarships at no cost to taxpayers.  This program will be a model for states across the country and I am excited to play a part in assisting our neediest of youth.”

Children continue to enter the justice system at alarming rates. Additionally, there are more than 81,000 Pennsylvania children with a parent in a prison, and approximately 65 percent of Pennsylvania state inmates have at least one child, according to the Department of Corrections. 

The absence -- which some psychologists have compared to the death of a parent -- through the formative years can have deleterious effects on a child. Dealing with the emotional, social and economic consequences of that loss can trigger behavioral problems, lead to trouble in school and the possibility of dropping out and continuing the cycle of crime.

“This legislation will be a game-changer for the many children with parents in Pennsylvania prisons,” said Secretary Wetzel. “We know that not finishing school is very often the first step in the downward spiral that leads to incarceration. We need to ensure that these vulnerable children instead have a ‘first chance’ to get the education, programs and support they need for success.”

Representatives and students from two organizations that work with at-risk children participated in the news conference and highlighted the benefits of investing in programs that are providing children with a “first chance.”

POPS (Pain of the Prison System) the Club, located at Steelton-Highspire High School, offers students who have been impacted by the pain of the prison system — those with incarcerated loved ones and those who have been incarcerated themselves — with community and emotional support, as well as opportunities to publish the writings and artwork they create through the club.

"Any initiative that places an emphasis on our youth is critical to the future success of our world.  Programs such as POPS shed a light on incarceration and the struggles associated with children and families when a loved one goes to prison,” said POPS art teacher Jennifer Morrison. “POPS breaks the stigma and gives children an opportunity to heal, learn and grow from the experience through creative writing and visual arts. By creating ways to fund programs like this we can ensure that students who may face a hardship do not become defined by their circumstances." 

Amachi Pittsburgh provides children impacted by incarceration and children facing challenges with a different path by establishing the consistent presence of loving, caring mentors. The initiative partners with secular and faith-based organizations working together to provide mentoring to children. 

“Tens of thousands of young people in Pennsylvania will go to bed tonight while one of their parents goes to bed in prison.  And many are worried whether they will also end up behind bars in the future,” said Anna Hollis, executive director of Amachi Pittsburgh. “This groundbreaking legislation provides an innovative vehicle for children impacted by parental incarceration to have a viable first chance at a bright future, and for that, Amachi Pittsburgh commends Secretary Wetzel and our bipartisan state senators for advancing such a monumental effort."
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#ChildrenOfIncarceratedParents

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New Website Provides One-Stop Shop For Veteran Services, Programs

6/1/2017

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WRIGHTSVILLE, Pa. (WHTM) – Veterans came out to the Wrightsville American Legion Post 469 Thursday morning to learn more about a one-stop-shop website.

“We’re unveiling a new network that veterans can go on the Internet and look up benefits that are due to them and how to get their benefits,” said Rep. Stan Saylor, (R-York County).

“I can think of something today and go to that website and find the answer,” said Kurtis Timmer, commander of the post.

“Network of Care” has a new database of federal, state, and local services for veterans. It includes everything from programs and services to job boards.

“Whether it’s housing issues, job issues, whatever it is, they can go on that website, and that website will help direct them to the resources they need to get the help they need,” Saylor said.

“Usually when you come back, there’s a lot of things you may have been briefed when you leave the service, but you’re not going to remember all those things because you’re focused on going back home to your loved ones,” Timmer said.

The website consolidates information on services for veterans, such as housing, health care, crisis services, and a library with 30,000 articles.

“Many times there’s so many resources out there today, and no body knows which resources are accurate, which resources are really going to be helpful to me,” Saylor said.

The website has been around for decades but is just making its way into Pennsylvania.

Visit ​http://veterans.networkofcare.org/ for more information.

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Local Business, Ex-Offenders And Charity Join Forces To Help Community

5/23/2017

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Governor Wolf, Attorney General Shapiro Announce Launch of Reentry Council

5/15/2017

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(Governor Tom Wolf) Harrisburg, PA – Governor Tom Wolf and Attorney General Josh Shapiro, along with members of the governor’s cabinet and legislators, today announced the launch of the Pennsylvania Reentry Council (PRC), created to educate the public, members of law enforcement and criminal justice, and policymakers on why supporting prisoner reentry efforts is essential to reducing crime and violence. The council will provide a forum for the sharing of best practices on reentry and will help to identify barriers to successful reentry for persons with criminal records.

“In Pennsylvania, 90 percent of the prison population will return to their community,” Governor Wolf said. “And if we are not successful at getting them the services they need to make it home, then all of our work, all the rehabilitative programming, all the money we’ve spent to get them ready to return home is rendered useless. Pennsylvania has had a large but fragmented network of reentry services, but today with the announcement of the Reentry Council, we can unite the state’s multiple reentry partners into one statewide reentry council.”

“For too long, we’ve relied solely on incarceration to prevent crime and violence,” said Attorney General Josh Shapiro. “By working collaboratively with law enforcement, state and local government and communities, we can create new strategies to expand opportunities and assist returning citizens as they reenter their communities, and make our commonwealth safer as a result.”

The Department of Correction (DOC), the Pennsylvania Board of Probation and Parole (PBPP), the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD), 21 regional reentry coalitions, and numerous reentry services providers work regularly to improve the outcomes of reentrants and increase public safety—but often in silos and without clear direction.

Members of these state agencies and the departments of Human Services, Labor & Industry, Education, and Transportation, the Pennsylvania State Police, the Office of Victim Advocate, and the existing 21 regional coalitions will be part of the new PRC, which will be the center of reentry efforts for the commonwealth to establish common goals, promote evidence-based practices, and encourage collaboration and coordination across all stakeholder groups. PRC will build on the individual successes of reentry organizations and identify and eliminate weaknesses.

The PRC will work to promote collaboration between federal, state, local, and community reentry stakeholders and identify and implement successful evidence-based reentry programs.

“The reentry process begins upon an individual’s admission into the correctional system and continues through release and into their community,” Governor Wolf said. “To continue Pennsylvania’s historic inmate reduction – over 2,000 individuals since January 2015 – we must expand reentry services and build on the good work already being done by stakeholders. The new Reentry Council will do just that.”

“One of the most impactful ways to lower our recidivism rate is meaningful re-integrative services and removing the barriers to re-integration,” Representative Jordan Harris said on behalf of the Pennsylvania Legislative Black Caucus. “We applaud the governor and the Attorney General for their foresight to establish this council and look forward to working with the council for the betterment of our commonwealth.”

At the state level the Wolf Administration continues to implement policies and expand services to improve reentry, reduce recidivism, and increase public safety. Among those efforts, Governor Wolf introduced a ‘Ban the Box’ Fair-Chance hiring policy for state agencies that will remove the criminal conviction question from both civil and non-civil service employment applications for agencies under the governor’s jurisdiction. Ban the Box allows for reentry services in Pennsylvania to work by providing applicants a fair chance to be judged on their qualifications, not their criminal history.

Also, Governor Wolf signed Act 5 of 2016 into law, which removes barriers to employment by sealing minor criminal records for those who have been crime-free for 10 years. Farther reaching ‘clean slate’ legislation is anticipated later this year to provide for “automatic” sealing of non-violent misdemeanor records after 10 years.

Following the press conference, the first meeting of the Reentry Council was held at the Attorney General’s Office.
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Education Is The Key To Redeeming Lives In Prison

4/4/2017

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(CNN) Every year, more than 650,000 men and women leave prison and return home to communities across America. They are often released with little more than some spare change, a bus ticket and a criminal record that bars access to some of their most basic rights and privileges.

Facing deep social stigma, many returning citizens feel as though they have left the grips of a physical prison only to find themselves engulfed in a new, 
social prison. It is tragic but not surprising that 50% to 75% of all people who return home from prison end up incarcerated again within five years.

In today's knowledge economy, higher education is one of the first rungs on the ladder to economic freedom and social mobility. Too many formerly incarcerated Americans never climb this ladder -- or reach for it at all.

The lack of high-quality education and job training options for people in prison have led to the vast majority being woefully underprepared to re-enter society. Their skill gaps make our communities 
less safe -- and families less stable -- since without better options, many will return to the lifestyles that got them into trouble in the first place.

It is also shameful that in many communities across America, too many young people are more
 likely to know someone living in prison than living on a college campus.

We must act urgently to increase opportunities for education, workforce skills, entrepreneurship and rehabilitation for individuals who are incarcerated. By doing so we can work aggressively to prevent young people from going down the wrong path again, keeping them out of prison by providing access to college rather than a slippery slope to prison.

First, we need to lift the ban on access to Pell Grants for incarcerated individuals. This 
approach provides motivated individuals an opportunity to turn their lives around. When the Pell Grant program began, all qualifying students including the incarcerated were eligible to receive small amounts of federal funding to help pay for college tuition.

Beginning with the enactment of the 1994 crime bill, incarcerated individuals were 
excluded from receiving federal funds. As a result, nearly 350 in-prison college programs across the country disintegrated.

In 2015, the Second Chance Pell pilot program was announced, which has already helped 
12,000 incarcerated individuals receive grants to access higher education in state and federal facilities across the country. We should expand this pilot program, or make it permanent.

Second, we should 
expand access to all federal student loan programs for incarcerated juveniles and adults. Some believe this approach makes fiscal sense and will help make our streets safer and economy more prosperous. For example, a study from the RAND Corp. showed that a $1 investment in education yields $4 to $5 in public safety cost-savings. It also found that individuals who received education while behind bars were 43% less likely to end up back in prison and 13% more likely to obtain employment following their release.

Third, we must ensure that individuals convicted of drug-related crimes are not barred from financial aid or federal student loans if they choose to pursue a college degree. It is counterproductive to lock individuals out of opportunity for higher learning after they have paid their debt to society, especially when there has been a growing, 
bipartisan movement to ensure that individuals convicted of drug crimes receive access to treatment and rehabilitation, moving them toward a path to success. It is past time.

These recommendations are highlighted in a new campaign by the Institute for Higher Education Policy, 
#CollegeNotPrison. They have also been endorsed by #cut50, the national bipartisan criminal justice reform organization founded by Van.

Ninety-five percent of people behind bars today will eventually return back to their communities. Our challenge is to ensure they return with skills that make them less likely to commit future crimes. If we successfully provide access to affordable, high-quality education options for justice-involved individuals, we will be able to better address incarceration that bars too many Americans from opportunity through higher education.

We need to stop wasting genius in America and start opening doors to opportunity.


Editor's Note: Van Jones is president of Dream Corps and Rebuild the Dream, which promote innovative solutions for America's economy. He was President Barack Obama's green jobs adviser in 2009. Gerard Robinson, a resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, is a former Florida education commissioner and Virginia secretary of education. The opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the authors.
#CollegeNotPrison
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Across The Board, PA Voters Support More Help For Ex-Offenders

3/23/2017

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"Pennsylvanians -- Republicans, Democrats, Philadelphians, suburbanites, people from upstate and mid-state Pennsylvania -- overwhelmingly believe that the state’s legislature and criminal justice system need to do more to help ex-offenders keep from committing another crime."
On 3/22/2017, PhillyNews' Jane M. Von Bergen published an article summarizing a recent poll released that demonstrated the idea that Pennsylvanians support more help for ex-offenders.  "The poll also indicates that 92 percent support breaking down 'barriers for ex-offenders so they can get jobs, support their families, and stop being dependent on government services that cost Pennsylvania taxpayers money.' The weakest support for that proposal -- 87 percent in favor -- came out of the Philadelphia suburbs. More than 90 percent of voters in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Wilkes-Barre, and Harrisburg supported removing barriers for ex-offenders."  Read the full article here.
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"There is hope, but, you have to be strong..."

3/22/2017

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On 3/22/2017, PhillyNews' Jane M. Von Bergen published an article about the importance of staying positive after serving time in prison in order to be a successful ex-offender.  The ex-offender's message was clear - "When you get out of prison, don’t give up. No matter if you are homeless, no matter if you think white people are racist, no matter if you are earning so much less in a real job that it’s laughable."  Read the full article here.
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New Criminal Sentencing Efforts Aim To Reduce Prison Crowding

2/9/2014

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This week the Justice Department encouraged people sent to prison under tough old drug laws to apply for clemency. The Senate Judiciary Committee also advanced a bill that advocates call the biggest sentencing reform in decades. Justice correspondent Carrie Johnson speaks with NPR's Rachel Martin

Listen to the Report from NPR by clicking here
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Motivational Interviewing is powerful - wish I had learned it long ago!

7/16/2013

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I attended the Motivational Interviewing training, and found Luis Rosa to be an excellent instructor.  His experience and knowledge and enthusiasm for MI were contagious, and I expect all eighteen of us in the class to use motivational interviewing in our lives -- I know I will.
Jim Cavenaugh, volunteer Chaplain and member of the CRESC Board
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Lighthouse Covenant International

8/1/2012

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Dear Vladimir,

It was a pleasure meeting you this morning,thank you for being so gracious.  I only have a week remaining to make this happened. I am the Vicewoman for a humanitarian organization in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania by the name Lighthouse Covenant International. You can learn more about our work atwww.lciintl.com.  We have been working in the Philadelphia Prison System for the past 3 years, our work includes teaching and advocate on behalf of the inmates that successfully completes our program (Transform Your Mind Interactive Learning Initiative).

As you know Incarceration is a problem we can’t ignore, with an invisible crisis. 2.3 million men, women, and juveniles are currently held in American correctional facilities, locked up out of sight and out of mind. Morally lost and spiritually blind, those doing time for their crimes face overwhelming loneliness and despair. Their communities and their families – including 1.7 million innocent children – also suffer deeply from the never-ending cycle of lawlessness and imprisonment. That’s why God calls His followers to “remember the prisoner” (Heb. 13:3).

We know you care as much as we do at Lighthouse Covenant International about the laws in our country that has created the mass incarceration of our citizen, that is now destroying our families and communities..  Well, here is our chance to be part of the change; President Obama Administration will take action if we can get 25,000 people to sign this petition we created on the Whitehouse.gov by August 5, 2012.

To make sure we did not make you up, the administration requires you register to sign the petition. Please fellow the link
https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/reforming-our-criminal-justice-system-stop-mass-incarceration-our-citizen/ZxHPy4W2
I would appreciate it very much the help of you and your organization in assisting us in reaching our goal to take this National Petition to Washington DC

We are the difference,
God Bless,
Maurine McFarlane
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