HOPE (Helping Other Pursue Excellence)
2011 NACo Achievement Award Winner
San Diego County, Calif., CA
Best In Category
About the Program
Category: Criminal Justice and Public Safety (Best in Category)
Year: 2011
HOPE, Helping Others Pursue Excellence, is a local reentry resource program designed to gather and share information with inmates released or recently released from local jail custody. The program is run by Americorps VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America) members and staff at the San Diego County District Attorneyâs Office. HOPE staff visits local San Diego jails, to explain the HOPE program and how referrals to service providers can be obtained by inmates when the contact HOPE. Participants are given a brochure with contact information so inmates can write or call the County at their own convenience. Participants are encouraged to contact HOPE explaining their immediate needs for referral services before they are released from custody. In partnerships with the Sheriffâs Department and community-based programs, the HOPE program has assisted inmates in obtaining referral services in a streamlined manner. By addressing a participantâs immediate needs before they are released from custody, research suggests that participants may have a more successful reentry into the community and avoud criminal behavior brought on by the uncertainty and stress of reintegration without a plan upon reentering the community. HOPE staff also contacts participants soon after they are released to address newly realized needs that may occur post-release.