U.S. Attorney’s Office staff lend support to incarcerated citizens prior to their release

MIAMI - Approximately 100 incarcerated citizens recently attended an Institutional Re-Entry Seminar at the South Florida Reception Center, South Unit Correctional Institution in Doral, Florida, and U.S. Attorney's Office (USAO) staff was there to help those scheduled to leave prison reintegrate more seamlessly.

The seminar, a collaboration with the South Florida Reentry Task Force, featured 15 agencies, to include social workers, probation officers and re-entry specialists. A guest speaker-formerly incarcerated himself-gave a portion of his life story, telling the soon-to-be returning citizens how he turned his life around and motivating them to do the same.

"These men need to be ready for the challenges they will face when reintegrating," said Community Outreach Specialist Corey Mackay, Law Enforcement Coordination/Community Outreach Section (LEC/COS), USAO. "They need to use every available resource, and if they do that, they can be successful."

USAO staff provided resource materials with hundreds of community stakeholder contacts to assist with housing, health care, legal assistance and jobs. The worst thing society can do is fail to support returning citizens when they rejoin their communities. That is when they need support the most.

"These events are one of the most important that we participate in," said Mackay. "These men still have a lot to offer. We absolutely need to support them during their transition. We want them to succeed. If they are living in your neighborhood, would you rather they succeed or reoffend?"

"That statistic needs to change," said LEC/COS Chief and former Police Supervisor J.D. Smith. "I always say that when our returning citizens do well, our communities do well. We need to make their success a priority, and these seminars are a step in the right direction. But we can do more, especially with housing and helping them find jobs."

Supportive non-profit re-entry organizations offer job readiness training, vocational training, and in some cases job placement. Many of these organizations also are able to help with housing through donations, beginning with transitional housing and hopefully leading to long-term housing.

"Stability is key," said Smith. "Imagine trying to reintegrate into a community and you don't have stable housing. Being homeless is the wrong answer. They need to feel a sense of independence to fully embrace re-entry. And a job and a roof over their heads will give them a better chance to prosper."

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