ST. LOUIS (KMOX) – St. Louis on Tuesday launched a pilot program designed to give just-released inmates a guided path to success as they re-enter society.
City corrections commissioner Dale Glass said “From Prison to Prosperity” will target inmates between the ages of 17 and 24 – those who have a future but made one bad mistake.
“This will give us an opportunity to divert them from a life of crime, perhaps, and then give them a chance to be productive in the community,” Glass said during a news conference in front of the Medium Security Institution on North Hall Street.
A major program supporter is Missouri state senator Jamilah Nasheed.
“For the last eight years, I have been putting monies in the budget to the tune of $750,000 for re-entry,” she explained. “And I can tell you that this program here is going to be a game-changer in the St. Louis area.”
She noted the idea is to dramatically reduce recidivism, especially among young offenders.
But first, she said, they must be given a chance.
“Too often young men, they knock on the doors of opportunities, and the doors are slammed in their faces each and every day because they walk in those doors with the stigma of being an ex-felon,” Nasheed said. “But this program will stop it.”
During the pilot program, up to $250,000 in state and private funding will be used to connect 130 inmates to jobs in the community or classes at Ranken Technical College upon their release.
Training includes financial literacy and a connection to social services for both the inmate and his family in an effort to create a “realistic path” to a constructive life.
The goals of the program are to 1) reduce recidivism; 2) provide access to supportive, credentialed job training before and after release; 3) connect participants to real job opportunities; and 4) help them open banking and savings accounts and value fiscal responsibility.
Mayor Francis Slay says participants will be counted upon to follow through, help themselves and take full advantage of the opportunities provided through this program.
“From Prison to Prosperity is open to those who go to class, who want to learn, and who want an opportunity to better themselves,” Slay said. “If they do, we will help.”
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