Corrections_Today_May_June_2023_Vol.85_No.3

NEWS&VIEWS

NIC UPDATE

Working on the inside … succeeding on the outside By P. Elizabeth Taylor

Laying the foundation O ver 11 million adults in the United States. It’s a daunting statistic considering the economic burden that jails place on our com munities. Jails also pose social costs to the family unit, and these should not be minimized. Many of the people we work with (and for) are stuck on the merry-go-round of transition annually through approximately 3,200 jails

incarceration, spending most of their adult life in and out of jail (doing life on the installment plan). They are separated from family, use illegal substances to cope with feelings of inadequacy, are detached from a sense of responsibility, lack market able job skills and are always coming from where they should have been. They experience challenges related to their complex health and human service needs, lack of post-release

support, and inability to secure and/ or maintain employment that pro vides a livable wage. As a result, we need to change how we do business. A successful workforce system for justice-involved adults requires migration from a “face them and place them” mentality towards a model based on risk/needs/responsiv ity (RNR), incorporating assessment, services and support. This transfor mative model has helped redefine

istock/RomoloTavani

14 — May/June 2023 Corrections Today