For many jail and prison inmates, the toughest part of doing time is being released back into a world with which they've lost touch while they were behind bars.
While some may have friends or family waiting to help them adjust to the outside world, others find their first days of freedom frustrating, confusing and dangerous. They're back on the street with no cash, housing, transportation or hope of employment.
A recently formed consortium of charitable, law enforcement, religious, labor and health organizations is hoping to turn that troubling trend around and give recently released inmates a reason to become productive members of their communities again.
According to P.J. Davis, a member of the multi-agency Re-Entry Council Planning Group, the organization is aimed at addressing the problems of newly released inmates on several levels, including housing, job training and employment, medical and mental health issues as well as the needs of their families.
To succeed, she explained, members of the re-entry team realized that they'd have to have a broad spectrum of specialized individuals and organizations working together.
"We tried to get as many people involved as we could," explained Davis, who also serves as executive director of the Community Action Partnership of Solano. "At our first meeting, we had 12. At the last meeting (in February) we had 57, so we think we're headed in the right direction."
The council now includes representatives from such diverse organizations as Youth and Family Services, the Solano County Sheriff's Office, Solano County Mental Health, the Children's Network, Sheet Metal Workers Local 104, Fairfield Adult School and the state Department of Vocational Rehabilitation.
Services may include anything from transportation to a doctor's or probation appointment to new career training or simply getting a California ID card.
"If you don't have a valid photo ID card, you can't apply for a job, you can't get a room, you can't get a bank account, you can't even get into some homeless shelters," said Pat Nicodemus of the nonprofit Youth and Family Services group. "We try to get them down to the Department of Motor Vehicles to make sure they have that ID."
Getting required medications also may prove difficult for recently released inmates.
Although incarcerated people may have their prescribed medications provided while in custody, they may find themselves without a prescription when they're released.
Solano County's faith-based community also is on board, according to Seretha Jefferson of Solano Help, Inc.
"We bring compassion," Jefferson said. "We recognize that formerly incarcerated people are our fathers, mothers, sons, sisters and brothers. We bring compassion, but we also recognize the need for public safety."
The fact that health professionals, labor unions, law enforcement, family, corrections and religious leaders are getting together to achieve the same goals, Nicodemus said, is a huge step forward in reaching out to those trying to re-enter society from jail or prison custody.
"We have the right people talking about health and we have the right people talking about jobs, because that's what they do, that's what they know," Nicodemus said.
"One of the most exciting things is having the labor unions on board. They really want to work with and help these people succeed," she continued.
And if former inmates can succeed on the outside, the Re-Entry Council believes, there's less chance of finding them back inside.
The next meeting of the Re-Entry Council Planning Group, open to the public, is set for 10 a.m. May 15. For information, call 365-7046