65A - JAIL REUSE STUDY - Laserfiche WebLink

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Current Available City Jail Inmate Programming / Classes The Jail's four existing multipurpose rooms are utilized to run fourteen programs and seven different religious services. Separate classes are offered for females and transgender inmates (as needed). Classes are not held Saturday or Sunday, but religious services are. Religious services are offered from a wide variety of faiths including (a) Roman Catholic, (b) Evangelical Christian, (c) Jehovah's Witness, (d) Jewish, (e) Mormon, (f) Muslim, and (g) Protestant, in addition to regular bible studies. A General Educational Development (GED) program is also offered to inmates. An average of 100 inmates have graduated from the GED program annually since its inception. This highly successful inmate educational program was developed by instructors from the Santa Ana College School of Continuing Education, Inmate Education, Horizon Wilshire GED Center, and the Santa Ana City Jail. The following is a list of the programs and classes offered in the Santa Ana City Jail: • Alcoholics Anonymous • Anger Management • Breaking Barriers • Business Skills • Computer Applications • English as a Second Language (ESL) • Goal Setting • Learning Styles • Microsoft Office • Music • Parenting • Substance Abuse Treatment • Women's Aglow The space allocated to programs/classrooms is 4,833 square feet. Jail Reentry Services A key program the Jail system currently lacks concerns Jail reentry services for inmates transitioning from incarceration back to their community. The following information developed by the consultant team provides a summary description of key operational elements the City will need to consider in developing a reentry services component at the Jail. Transitioning to Jail Reentry Services: There is a need to build a continuum of reentry services that starts in the Jail and continues when local inmates transition into the community. Developing reentry services for inmates leaving jail reduces reoffending rates. Offenders leaving custody are often in a double -bind: They are more likely to need supportive services than the general local population, but they face multiple obstacles to getting help with the basic resources needed for stability. The reentry priorities that research has reported most frequently among offenders is employment, , housing, addressing problems with substance abuse, improving relationships with family, children, and intimate partners, and staying out of trouble. Best practices suggest that reentry services should begin when someone is still in jail and continue when they return to the community. Currently, the incarcerated inmate population and other local inmates will leave the jail facility with little or no follow-up assistance. Most need assistance with employment, housing, drug use, or other problems before they were booked into the jail and most still have service needs when released from detention. The essential steps and responsibilities of a jail reentry services program is highlighted in the following Chart on the next page. 74 65A-81