But perhaps not like it first sounds.
Does anyone out there work with populations of prisoners or recently released inmates? Have you had any success finding funding for this work?
Community Cycles has a program in which we work with our County jail's work release program. When inmates here have less than 25% of their sentence left, and qualify for the program (this is determined by the jail based on factors such as non-violent, non sexual offenses, behavior during their stay, etc.) they are given 2 weeks in which to find a job on the outside. During this 2 week period, they are very strictly monitored, and must check in when they arrive at a location, must let the jail know when they are leaving, etc. Once they've found and landed a job, they are let out in the morning, and return to the jail at night, paying rent for the remainder of their sentence. The job allows them to start saving money for free life once they're out, and gets them back into a schedule and everything that comes with the regularity of work. They are not given bus tickets or money for travel, and must either walk back and forth, or rely on family members and friends for transportation during this time. The jail is located out of the way, several miles from the center of town and any decent work options.
Community Cycles has partnered with the jail and we are now a place where inmates in the program can come and get a bike through our regular Earn-a-Bike program. They typically do this during the first two or three days of their 2 weeks, and then they have wheels which allows them to go farther faster, and opens up many opportunities for work which walking would't.
We've heard from the jail that the recidivism rates of those inmates going through our EAB program are the lowest of any group and that the jail has had to install more bike parking as a result.
I've contacted the supervisor of the program on the jail's side, trying to suss out any possibility of getting some kind of financial support either through the country, or through other outside groups, but they were of no help. When I broached the subject, the immediate response was "Well, we don't have any money, so you're not going to get any from us!" and it didn't get better as I probed more.
Do any of you have any experience with groups that fund work with inmates? Any suggestions for ways to get or "work release" program to start paying for itself? Right now, the only thing that makes it a "program" is that the Earn-a-Bike participants are a specific demographic--inmates--who all come from the same place. If they didn't tell us they were in the Work Release program or staying at the County jail, we would have no idea.
Thanks!
josh.