Women's Reintegration Services

About the Program

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

Year: 2009

The Women’s Reintegration Services is a program designed to assist soon-to-be released inmates as they attempt to transition back into the Los Angeles community. The service links these inmates with various public and private service agencies as they leave the women’s county jail. Because an overwhelming majority of the inmates have a myriad of health, family, and substance abuse problems, many leave simply to return to the same lifestyle that originally landed them in jail. In order to reduce the likelihood of recidivism, the California Penal Code was amended by the urging of the county to allow Inmate Welfare Funds to be spent to assist inmates for up to 14 days after release. This allowed for the Community Transition Unit of the county to participate fully in the continuum of care to which it so committed. After leaving prison, inmates were provided transportation to the Women’s Reintegration Services where they can receive assistance from the Department of Mental Health, the Department of Children and Family Services, the Department of Public Social Services, and the Child Support Services. This collaboration between the Sheriff’s Department and the various social service agencies exemplifies how the artificial walls between social service systems and jail systems can be broken down to help discharged inmates reintegrate back into the community.