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Concurrent Session 1: Education and Workforce Development

Project RIO (Re-Integration of Offenders) Serving Ex Offenders in
Dothan/Houston County—A Pilot Project for the State of Alabama

Speaker:

Rosalind James
Alabama Cooperative Extension System
1699 Ross Clark Cir., Suite 4
Dothan, AL 36301
(334) 794-4108, (334) 794-4100 fax

Concerned citizens of Dothan/Houston County area, community partners have joined together and developed an employment referral system designed to reintegrate ex-offenders into the labor force. Assurance of no duplication of current services are coordinated by a project manager. Project RIO is a proactive employment assistance service that supports targeted ex-offenders both during incarceration and after their release. There is a multi-agency effort to assist the ex-offender in becoming a productive member of the community. Past experience indicates ex-offenders’ success in avoiding recidivism often depends on the following factors:

  • A place to live
  • Freedom from drug and alcohol dependency
  • Social support
  • Appropriate employment

Community partners ask themselves two important questions early in the planning process: Is the reintegration of ex-offenders really a vaild concern in our community? Is this project worth the effort? Consideration was based on on these factors:

  • Unrealized possibilities and undeveloped talents cause a tremendous loss of human capital
  • Stonger, safer communities are a result
  • It represents a reduction in costs to taxpayers

RIO is a state piloted funded program by the ADECA with a goal to reach 200 offenders per year. Community partnership includes:

  • Alabama Career Center System/Dothan
  • Houston County Community Corrections Services
  • Alfred Saliba Family Services Center
  • Wiregrass Rehabilition Center
  • Wallace Community College
  • Alabama Cooperative Extension System
  • Department of Human Resources
  • Department of Mental Health

Result: Extension provides money management classes for offenders in preparation for their new lifestyle and employment. Due to positive directions and 30 mentors 80% of offenders that attend the RIO program have lead a productive life.

PowerPoint Presentation (PDF format, 1,525 kb)

 
 

     
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For more information about the conference, contact the conference co-chairs: Jeri Marxman, jmarxman@uiuc.edu , (217) 244-2850 or John Burton, burtonj@unce.unr.edu, (775) 784-7070.

For questions, comments or concerns about the 2005 NACDEP Conference Web site, contact khetland@iastate.edu.
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