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The hardest thing to do upon release from prison is find a job. Often, despite their best intentions, formerly incarcerated individuals can languish without employment for months or even years due to poor work histories, lack of skills, and the stigma of a criminal record. This situation often leads to desperation and, in many cases, more crime and recidivism. Within 3 years, 67% of people released from prison nationwide are re-arrested and 52% are re-incarcerated.
Over 75% of the homeless men who enter a Ready, Willing & Able facility have a history of incarceration. Some are homeless upon their release from prison and join Ready, Willing & Able immediately, others come to us after failing to successfully re-integrate into the community. By offering housing, meaningful work and supportive social services, Ready, Willing & Able provides a perfect setting for formerly incarcerated homeless people to successfully overcome barriers to employment.
In 2001, The Doe Fund, in partnership with the Kings County District Attorney's Office, adapted the Ready Willing & Able program to meet the needs of former prisoners who were not homeless. This program, now called Ready, Willing and Able - DAY, offers paid transitional work, case management, education, vocational training and job placement for parolees and has recently expanded to accommodate more former prisoners.
As a result of the success of The Doe Fund's holistic approach to prisoner reentry, in 2005 it was awarded two competitive grants: the US Department of Labor's Prisoner Reentry Initiative grant and the NYC Works grant. The awarding of these grants brings both national and local attention to the success of The Doe Fund's model of paid transitional employment combined with holistic prisoner reentry services.
RWA-DAY serves parolees with multiple barriers to employment by providing them with paid work, substance abuse services, education, and mentoring. It also provides job training, preparation and placement, as well as long-term follow-up services to ensure that program participants make a lasting transition to personal responsibility and self-sufficiency.
All trainees in RWA-Day are referred by the Kings County District Attorney's ComALERT Program (Community and Law Enforcement Resources Together), the New York State Division of Parole, the Eastern District Offices of the U.S. Probation and Parole Department and the New York City Department of Probation. To be eligible for the program all individuals must: be assessed and referred by his or her parole or probation officer; be ready, willing and able to work; be drug tested; and have at least one year remaining on parole or probation.
Read a report created by the Independent Committee on Reentry and Employment, chaired
by George McDonald and assembled at the request of Chauncey Parker, former Director of the NYS Division
of Criminal Justice Services.
Read the December 2007 "Prisoner Reentry and the New York City Workforce Investment System" report, presented to the NYC Workforce Investment Board by its Prisoner Reentry Steering Committee, of which George McDonald is a member.
If you are interested in joining The Doe Fund's Criminal Justice initiatives program, please email Charlene Fletcher, Manager of Criminal Justice Programs, or call our facility at 718-417-2565.
For any other questions about this program, contact Felipe Vargas, Director of Criminal Justice Programs, at 718-417-2567.
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