Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 4, Number 12, 1 December 1987 — Prisoners Get Help from Alu Like [ARTICLE]

Prisoners Get Help from Alu Like

By Nancy Heinrich Community Specialist Alu Like O'ahu Isīand Center

It's hard enough to get a job in this town, but if you're fresh out of prison, it's twice as hard. Great to be free, but no money, no skills, no luek. In prison you leam not to trust, and its hard to even trust in yourself onee you're out.

hormer prisoners, ex-ottenders, now have a plaee to turn for help in finding work. The Vocational Education division of Alu Like O'ahu Island Center provides workshops for those fresh out of pfison, as well as those still in prison but on their way to release. The Offender/Ex-Offender Program does not give these people jobs. Rather the program staff impart skills needed for the individual to find and land a job for him or herself. The workshops build skills whieh increase selfesteem and this self-esteem spills over to the other areas of life as well, so the skill-building ends up doing double duty..

Most of these folks have been through workshop after workshop in prison — mandatory attendance. Offender/ex-offender workshops don't make the prisoners into listening posts and the eommunieahon isn't just one way; the participants actually participate, eontribute, support eaeh other, leam from eaeh other, till its a web of communication and support.

The building of job-hunting skills is the focus: proper filling out of job applications, attitude, dress, telephone technique, canvassing for job openings, and especially intervieuiing. What will happen when a job interviewer finally asks about the criminal record? Most of the participants don't expect the question, but the workshop leaders spring this one on them, then work with them till they answer it honestly, highlighting the positive aspects of their work experience and attitude. Then it's easier to emphasize what the applicant ean offer an

employer in the present and in the future, not dwelling on the past. By the time a prisoner is ready for work referral, the most difficult aspects of a job interview are well in hand. The program works with two groups: offenders, those still in prison who are involved in "community service," whieh is work of several months duration outside the prison under direct supervision, followed by "work furlough," a regular job in the community with residence still at the prison. After release, any exoffenders who need help re-entering the job market ean find it here.

The Offender/Ex-offender Program began just seven months ago, and has been quite successful. This pilot program anticipated accepting 100 into the program by the end of the year, 65 were to be placed in employment, school and training. After only the first five months, 122 have been accepted and 44 of the 67 ex-offenders have been placed so far. The balance are those still in prison working towards work furlough and release. The job search means facing rejection time after time, difficult enough even for those without a record. The program staff try to prepare their clients for this, emphasizing all the while that keeping a positive attitude ean make a difference, and will eventually result in several job offers, usually all at onee. And that's the payoff .

They follow up on their clients for two years, knowing that the rate of backsliding into crime is high: nearly 60 percent are re-arrested, and three-fourths of these occur within the first two years following release. Mueh of this is tied in with not having a job, so the program has been designed to offer not only the buliding skills and self-esteem, but support later on as well. In the past, programs like this have been tried, but failed. This one was designed with enough flexibility so that as problems arise they ean be ironed out right away . The staff works together as a team so that eolleetive creative solutions to problems ean and do happen.