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Beyond Incarceration Program

And

Helping Out People Everyday Ministries

Beyond Incarceration is a program concept currently organized through a faith based non-profit organization, Helping Out People Everyday (H.O.P.E.) Ministries. It is a remarkable cooperative between San Joaquin County Collaborative courts, Folsom State Prison, Central California Womens Facility, San Joaquin county schools, community based organizations, Like H.O.P.E. Ministries. To target at-risk troubled youth and adult offenders (incarcerated/parolees/ex-offenders/probationers & juvenile hall offenders) and the staff and inmates within the California Department of Rehabilitation. Beyond Incarceration supporters include a group of professional volunteers working within the judicial systems and self-help organizations willing to provide workshops and various educational training to program participants who have chosen to turn their lives around and pay it forward to reduce the overwhelming number of generations increasing the population structures of corrections. Upon the eventual release of some of the members and participants of Beyond Incarceration, they continue their efforts to reduce the number of youth entering in to corrections and live out the personal and professional goals established while incarcerated. The judicial groups of volunteer professionals include judges, attorney, retired parole administrators, and the business community leaders committed to public safety. The successfully transitioned ex-offenders and current parolees are able to offer personal experience from the ‘struggle to overcoming, monitored mentorship to their peers and participation in all youth diversion efforts. Participants share personal testimonials and must refrain from negative behaviors to remain active for public collaboration activities. Annually, successfully transitioned program participants are recognized for their contributions toward public safety

H.O.P.E./Beyond Incarceration

Beyond Incarceration focuses on the criminogenic activities or circumstances that lead people to commit crimes. Personal choice plays a major role in criminogenic behavior, but you can trace some criminal behavior to the effect that another person had on an individual.

Mission Statement:  

Nurture the human spirit with hope – one act of kindness toward one person, one family, one community, at a time.

Responsibility:

To embrace cultural diversity in all communities where everyone can be who God created them to be; hold each other accountable for making life saving decisions, committing ourselves to reducing violence – domestic, gang and criminal behaviors; and treating each other with compassion, dignity and respect

STRATEGIES:
  • Increase public safety and community awareness through self-help tools and educational symposiums/events;
  • Encourage and facilitate relationships with faith-based communities, service organizations, and businesses to adopt a school and offer financial and leadership support; via, tutoring, coaching, counseling, learning resources, i.e., computers/on-line technology; provide health related essentials    in nearby areas;
  • Develop and mentor Youth Leadership Programs that openly highlight and reward youth who are making good choices toward furthering their education and not participating in negative and harmful actions on them-selves or others;
  • Create and fund educational and musical performing arts programs designed to provide an alternative to unsafe street activities, but develop or enhance the skills, knowledge and abilities of individuals focused on their dreams and life goals;
  • Engage in community service projects with volunteers seeking involvement in the development of healthier communities, hands-on training, and interpersonal skills, social networking, mentoring with community leadership, business owners, and transition service agencies.
  • Training on relationship building; leadership within the home; leadership within the schools; leadership on the job or job search;
  • Provide community partners’ resources to adults striving to be self-sufficient, graduating from recovery programs, pending child custody placement, homeless families, or returning from prison.
  • Continue the Culinary Arts Training & Work Program provided within CDCR that gives many of the transitioning offenders usable resume material for their job search.

For more information contact our primary sponsor.

Catalina Diaz at (916) 351-3023

catalina.diaz@cdcr.ca.gov

 

Folsom State Prison

RICK HILL, Warden

Mission Statement:

The Youth Diversion Program utilizes inmates and staff to expose youth to the realities of prison life.

the goal of the program is to aid in the reduction of youth involvement in criminal behavior by increasing awareness and promoting positive alternatives.  Youth participating in this program observe the lives of inmates.  They are escorted through various parts of the prison and actually experience what prison life is rally about.  The youth interact with inmate team members who have fist-hand experience in the mistakes that the youth are experiencing in their lives.  Openly and directly, the inmates discuss the negative effects of criminal behavior, drug use, disrespectful conduct,gangs, peer pressure and all the other vitally important issues that our children face day-to-day.  Each and every youth is treated equally in importance, and the mission of the Youth Diversion Programs to help the youth realize that there is so much more to life than they ever imagined.  Community organizations, school districts, probation departments, law enforcement agencies, and other concerned groups participate in this program.

Message to Remember:

This goes out to those who had the courage to “change.”  Those who chose to come to Folsom and receive a reality check.  Now that you are on the other side of Folsom’s granite walls, we hope you will never forget the day our paths crossed; The words that you heard, which will hopefully open your eyes. Your brief time here was a real example of were you could end up. We opened up our hearts and kept it real with each of you. Our hope is that our counseling and our sincere warnings will go far beyond the prison to help guide you in your life.  We believe in each of you. We have been your age; none of you have been ours.  We spoke from experience, in the sincere hope that you will not follow in our footsteps.  No matter what, you must always know thath prison (A life of misery) is not and should not be your destiny.  Live your life knowing that many are enduring prison life as a result of past mistakes.  You don’t have to be one of us.  Allow our mistakes-our hard knocks-to be the key that opens your eyes, and be the example you need to get your life back on the right track.  Most importantly, our strongest desire is to help you to see that living a good, decent life is what you should be motivated to do. Live, Love, respect yourself and others.

The Truth is Behind Bars