Re-ENTRY SERVICES

The Prison Society's Re-Entry Services Program has enabled thousands of men and women released from prison to become self-sufficient and lead productive lives in the community.

Often, people returning from prison find that their communities have changed, face discrimination in the search for jobs and housing and feel isolated.

As the population of women in prison grows, so too does the number of women struggling with gender-specific barriers to re-entry that can be hard to face without adequate support. Many women face re-unification challenges with their children, a dearth of public housing suitable for raising a family and affordable child-care options that allow them to work full-time.

The ISI, or Welfare to Work, program assists (primarily) women with criminal records transitioning from welfare to work by providing them with employment referrals and case management in such areas as: child care, medical/mental health, housing, legal, and referrals to other human service agencies. Clients interested in this program should contact their CDU worker at the Department of Welfare.

Re-Entry Services prepares former prisoners to reach self-sufficiency through a series of workshops, offered weekly, addressing how to obtain necessary identification and the skills necessary to find and keep a job. Clients are urged to call the Prison Society to attend one of our weekly in-take sessions on Mondays at 10 A.M. or 1 P.M. To schedule an appointment, call (215) 564-4775, ext. 121.

"JOBS" is a program provided in collaboration with the Philadelphia Prison System to help prisoners begin the process of "re-entry" before they are released. Participants in this program attend a series of life skills workshops while in prison and receive intensive case management both during their incarceration and after.

Contact:
     Betty-Ann Soiefer Izenman
     Program Director
     (215) 564-4775, ext. 114