Phil Keller Departure
Phil Keller previous Program Administrator has left IPI to become the Executive Director of Goshen Interfaith Hospitality Network, Phil did a great job at IPI and we wish him the best in his new position.
Silver Donor Supporter
It’s Possible Incorporated is pleased to announce that Jerry and Marilyn of Chicago, IL have become our first Silver donor supporter and an anonymous donor has became our first Platinum donor supporter.
Ex-offender program helps with transition to society
April 22, 2012
Ex-offender program helps with transition to society
By DAN SPALDING THE GOSHEN NEWS
ELKHART — Working with former inmates to help them obtain work and immerse themselves successfully back into society is tough enough.
But trying to establish such a program locally is proving just as challenging for Bill Anderson and Phil Keller.
Anderson is the executive director of It’s Possible Inc., a fledgling non-profit group that is trying to establish itself in Elkhart County. Keller is program director.
As of right now, the two men have a temporary office provided by the Elkhart County Sheriff’s department, but otherwise, are unpaid, self-funded and seeking donations.
The program was established last year and Anderson and Keller have sent out nearly 50 letters appealing to various groups, churches and community leaders seeking support. But other than a temporary office through the sheriff and a good conversation with the county prosecutor, their attempt to generate feedback has been met with silence, Anderson said.
“Not to respond at all to letters or phone calls kind of makes you wonder if the community really wants to embrace it,” Anderson said. “There’s definitely a problem and we all know that a large number of people are coming back to Elkhart County from (Indiana Department of Corrections).”
Future success of the program, he said, depends on how much the community believes in what they are doing.
Striving for normalcy
Despite the lack of feedback, the two men will soon begin meeting with inmates at the county jail who are scheduled for release within the next year to begin working with them to find work and housing.
In doing so, Anderson and Keller hope to put a dent in the age-old problem of inmates who transition from being locked up in prison to locked out of any chance to live a normal, stable life outside of prison.
“By helping these people help themselves,” Keller explained, “we improve the quality of life and safety for everyone.”
It’s Possible Inc., is part of the Elkhart County Reentry Initiative program, which pulls together numerous government leaders, agencies and groups in hopes of successfully reintegrating offenders into the community.
Sheriff Brad Rogers is a supporter of the program.
Reentry programs such as It’s Possible Inc., are sorely needed in the community, Rogers said, because they help set the stage for ex-offenders to be empowered and “come back to our community where they are not re-victimizing us all over again.”
Anderson, a native of Niles, Mich., worked for several years as a consultant for prison reentry services at Rikers Island, the prison that serves New York City. He studied criminal justice and has a master’s degree in social work.
Keller served 18 years for murder and earned a master’s degree in ministry with a concentration in counseling from Grace College after being released from prison eight years ago.
Keller has worked as a counselor in Indiana prisons and was volunteering at the Elkhart County jail when the sheriff encouraged him to get involved in Elkhart County Reentry Initiative, which began about a year ago.
“We’re kind of a unique team here,” Keller said. “We can cover things from two different angles. We can cover a lot of bases.”
Aside from setting up the program, Anderson and Keller are working on two fund raising efforts. They need money to operate and are also seeking donations to purchase an office on Benham Avenue in downtown Elkhart.
They have a web site, Elkhartpossible.org, and are seeking donations for the purchase of the building.
The two men have an office at the Elkhart County Criminal Justice Complex on C.R. 26. They said they prefer the Benham location because it’s accessible to many of the people who could benefit from the program.
“That’s where a lot of the crime is and that’s where a lot of the ex-offenders are,” Anderson said. “We believe being there, we will be more of a positive than a negative.”
Often a struggle
They hope to work with both inmates and ex-offenders in the county who are struggling with adjusting to life beyond prison.
Some inmates have never held down a real job and lack the understanding of how to successfully seek a job.
Upon release, inmates often struggle to find housing and employment, which quickly creates a sense of frustration and anxiety, especially if they have family who is eager for them to begin providing support, Anderson said.
“All they want is a livable wage,” Keller said.
The public also stands to benefit through less crime and reduced cost of incarceration, Anderson said.
Elkhart County sees about 700 former inmates return to the county every year, Anderson said
Helping former inmates find a stable life after prison helps reduce the chances they end up committing future crimes and returning to prison.
According to a study by the Center for Criminal Justice Research at Indiana University, Indianapolis, if the county reduced the recidivism rate by one percent — roughly seven offenders — the savings in incarceration would be $318,000.
Working with the ex-offenders is a better choice than ignoring them, Anderson and Keller said.
“It’s not like the citizens of Elkhart can meet these people at the Toll Road exit and say. ‘We’re not ready for you — take ’em some place else,’” Keller said. “They’re coming. This is where they were sentenced from. This is where they have to return to.”
New Facility Campaign
It’s Possible Incorporated New Facility Campaign Fund. With impending growth IPI will need a more sufficient facility to accommodate the clients of the program, staff, programs and meetings.
Local Program May Keep Some from Returning to Prison
THE GOSHEN NEWS
By DAN SPALDING
GOSHEN — A wide array of people behind Elkhart County’s unique program aimed at reducing recidivism gathered Friday to celebrate some early signs of success.
County officials lauded the initial results of efforts at successfully reintegrating adult offenders back into the community.
The year-old program was launched using a nationally-recognized leadership program known as LAP — Leadership in Action Program — that brings agencies together to achieve goals through efficient, coordinated strategies. That meant bringing together representatives of eight agencies to work with various facets of police and courts.
One year into the effort, officials chose to rename the program to Elkhart County Re-entry Initiative.
The idea for the Elkhart program was sparked in part by state Rep. Wes Culver who helped organize a meeting in 2009 with the Indiana Department of Correction.
DOC oversaw a similar effort in Marion County.
“What is happening in Elkhart County is very rare and very important,” Culver said, noting that every person who ends up back in prison costs taxpayers $20,000 to $40,000 a year to incarcerate. “Because the costs are so high, the results are very beneficial. The payback is substantial and relatively quick.”
With financial support through the DOC and the Annie E. Casey Foundation, authorities embraced the concepts LAP which brings leaders to learn how to achieve “low-cost, no-cost” strategies.
Promising numbers
While only a handful of statistics are available since the program began in late 2010, the efforts appear promising.
During a recent six-month period, the recidivism rate for former inmates from Elkhart County fell from 5.1 percent to 3.4 percent compared to one year earlier.
The arrest rate for a similar time period fell from 11.5 to 7.9 percent, according to Tina Pfeiffer, the county jail’s capacity coordinator.
Recidivism refers to offenders who end up back in the DOC while the arrest rate means they somehow ended up being arrested and placed in the county jail.
Working to improve the county’s recidivism rate is crucial because an estimated 700 inmates return to Elkhart County each year and more than 200 of those end up back in the prison system, according to Elkhart County Sheriff Brad Rogers.
Reducing recidivism has an impact on public safety, tax dollars and a quality of life, Rogers said.
“If this was easy,” he said, “it would have been done long ago.”
Connie Caiceros, executive director of the Center for Community Justice, one of the agencies involved in the effort, said she was impressed.
“They’re actually achieving what they set out to do,” Caiceros said. “If we can all work together to create (an opportunity) where they can get jobs and find houses and we can provide support for that transition, I think that’s invaluable. I’m excited about this.”
Numerous officials said the role of transitional coaches who serve as mentors is a key component.
Caiceros said she believes some former offenders are eager to work with mentors.
She sees that when they show up at her office and ask to be involved in a community service program.
“Even before this started, I’ve seen people make efforts to make a better life,” she said. “It makes it a lot easier to have support from all of the community.”
Pilot program
Rogers also announced plans to launch a pilot program that will track the progress of 70 offenders in the next year to see how they fare with a handful of issues they face when adjusting to life outside of prison.
Rogers said the county successfully applied for a second grant for $5,000 through the Casey Foundation for the upcoming year.
Jennifer Gross, a representative of the Casey Foundation attended Friday’s meeting and said she believes the fact the county sought more help shows officials believe in the program.
“I’m incredibly proud to continue to support this work,” Gross said.
One aspect society tends to overlook, according to Bill Anderson, is that ex-convicts shift “from being locked up to be locked out” of opportunities for housing, education, employment and other services once they are released.
Anderson is the executive director of It’s Possible Inc., which assists former inmates.
He said he’s passionate about Elkhart County’s efforts.
“Unless you have programs like ECRI, It’s Possible Inc., and some other collaborations, it becomes impossible for them to reconnect,” Anderson said. “If you’re struggling like that, sometimes you do feel you’re better off where you came from, and that’s not what we want.”
Elkhart County Re-Entry Initiative
It’s Possible Incorporated has partnered with The Elkhart County Re-Entry Initiative, The Elkhart County Sheriff’s Department and The Elkhart County Probation and Parole Offices.