Brothers in Arms

About the Program

Category: Criminal Justice and Public Safety (Best in Category)

Year: 2023

Brothers in Arms is a Re-entry program designed to assist all veterans housed in the Harris County Jail. Research indicates that veterans are at higher risk of experiencing adverse social, economic, substance abuse and mental health issues than that of non-veterans. More than half of veterans who have criminal legal issues have either mental health issues or substance abuse disorders. The mission of the program is to provide resource education, referrals to Re-entry Services, determine eligibility for services availability upon release from incarceration and to connect veterans to community resources. Eligibility for the program is determined by the following factors: the individual must have served in the U.S Military – regardless of discharge/regardless of legal charges; desire to live with other service members while incarcerated; willingness and desire to learn about resource availability; willingness to help/mentor others in need; desire to be productive in a community setting; willingness to follow jail rules and program guidelines. Our hope for these individuals upon completion of the program is to gain life skills such as: mentoring; anger management; relationships; boundaries, and finances. Additionally, our goal is to provide them with the skills to learn how to live in a community, substance abuse education and maintenance, and resource education/availability.