Transition
Interfaith Prison Ministry for Women defines transition as that crucial time when women in prison actively begin preparing themselves with the education, tools, skills, and shifts in thinking and behavior that are needed to successfully navigate life on the outside. It begins with chaplaincy programs and services inside the prison, which offer life skills training and spiritual formation that serve as a foundation for readiness to receive and benefit from practical assistance.
Through the work of our Transition & Reentry Specialist we provide case management and resource and referral support to formerly incarcerated women through three programs - JobStart, JAGS (Job Accountability Group Support) and Training2Work.
JobStart
JobStart is a premier 16-week transitional education program designed to help women reunite with their families and transition into the community upon their release. Created by the North Carolina Department of Public Safety in 2001 as a prison-to-work program, participants learn concrete life and job skills including time and money management, social and self development, decision making, anger management and emotional regulation, the ins and outs of getting and keeping a job, training and education options and attention to other transition issues. Each woman has a 1:1 mentor who works with her and prison staff in developing and implementing a comprehensive post-transition plan.
JobStart is made possible through a 17-year partnership with the following organizations:
The design of JobStart began in 1999 with a $1,600 grant to the Division of Prisons Administration from the Governor's Crime Commission for developing a prison-to-work transition program. The program was tested and implemented for both men and women at six pilot sites in North Carolina, and operates in one location today - Raleigh - taught by an inspiring instructor from Wake Technical Community College with support from IPMW staff. It is the only program of its kind for women held outside the prison and provides participants with tools they need to build a complete transitional plan for after their release. The course takes place at First Presbyterian Church in downtown Raleigh; participants take computer classes in the afternoons at the Raleigh Unit. Community volunteers serve as presenters and as mentors for the 10 women enrolled in each class, which are offered twice per year. Over the past 15 years, almost 280 women have graduated from this program.
While the primary Wake Tech instructor teaches the class Monday - Thursday, Interfaith Prison Ministry for Women provides instruction for the JobStart Friday curriculum, which includes movement practice, didactic learning and a CBT-based prison education curriculum called “Houses of Healing.” This powerful emotional literacy course offers tools and support for women to assess the life experiences that may have propelled them into criminal activity and encourages them to take responsibility for their behavior, change life-long patterns of violence and addiction, learn how to confront themselves and their situations with honesty, compassion and forgiveness and improve their decision-making skills.
JAGS Transition Night
Upon graduating from JobStart, participants are eligible to move into JAGS (Job Accountability Group Support), which focuses on the continued development of the women both personally and vocationally. IPMW leads JAGS Transition Night once a month concentrating on evidence-based, practical material to assist women in creating a vision for and preparing for a successful reentry. Recent topics have included: Thinking about Your Thinking, Resume Writing, Effective Interviewing, Boundaries and General Vehicle Maintenance. JAGS Transition Night participants also have an opportunity to meet with mentors both one-on-one and as a group.
Training2Work
Interfaith Prison Ministry for Women has partnered with Eckerd Connects, Durham County Workforce Development and Capital Area Workforce Development to provide mentoring, life skills development and leadership training for Training2Work. This comprehensive workforce development program provides educational resources and intensive case management services for incarcerated individuals in Raleigh and Durham, both pre- and post-release.
Through the work of our Transition & Reentry Specialist we provide case management and resource and referral support to formerly incarcerated women through three programs - JobStart, JAGS (Job Accountability Group Support) and Training2Work.
JobStart
JobStart is a premier 16-week transitional education program designed to help women reunite with their families and transition into the community upon their release. Created by the North Carolina Department of Public Safety in 2001 as a prison-to-work program, participants learn concrete life and job skills including time and money management, social and self development, decision making, anger management and emotional regulation, the ins and outs of getting and keeping a job, training and education options and attention to other transition issues. Each woman has a 1:1 mentor who works with her and prison staff in developing and implementing a comprehensive post-transition plan.
JobStart is made possible through a 17-year partnership with the following organizations:
- NC Department of Public Safety
- NCCIW Raleigh Unit
- Wake Technical Community College
- Interfaith Prison Ministry for Women
- First Presbyterian Church of Raleigh
- Volunteers from various faith communities, service providers, agencies and businesses
The design of JobStart began in 1999 with a $1,600 grant to the Division of Prisons Administration from the Governor's Crime Commission for developing a prison-to-work transition program. The program was tested and implemented for both men and women at six pilot sites in North Carolina, and operates in one location today - Raleigh - taught by an inspiring instructor from Wake Technical Community College with support from IPMW staff. It is the only program of its kind for women held outside the prison and provides participants with tools they need to build a complete transitional plan for after their release. The course takes place at First Presbyterian Church in downtown Raleigh; participants take computer classes in the afternoons at the Raleigh Unit. Community volunteers serve as presenters and as mentors for the 10 women enrolled in each class, which are offered twice per year. Over the past 15 years, almost 280 women have graduated from this program.
While the primary Wake Tech instructor teaches the class Monday - Thursday, Interfaith Prison Ministry for Women provides instruction for the JobStart Friday curriculum, which includes movement practice, didactic learning and a CBT-based prison education curriculum called “Houses of Healing.” This powerful emotional literacy course offers tools and support for women to assess the life experiences that may have propelled them into criminal activity and encourages them to take responsibility for their behavior, change life-long patterns of violence and addiction, learn how to confront themselves and their situations with honesty, compassion and forgiveness and improve their decision-making skills.
JAGS Transition Night
Upon graduating from JobStart, participants are eligible to move into JAGS (Job Accountability Group Support), which focuses on the continued development of the women both personally and vocationally. IPMW leads JAGS Transition Night once a month concentrating on evidence-based, practical material to assist women in creating a vision for and preparing for a successful reentry. Recent topics have included: Thinking about Your Thinking, Resume Writing, Effective Interviewing, Boundaries and General Vehicle Maintenance. JAGS Transition Night participants also have an opportunity to meet with mentors both one-on-one and as a group.
Training2Work
Interfaith Prison Ministry for Women has partnered with Eckerd Connects, Durham County Workforce Development and Capital Area Workforce Development to provide mentoring, life skills development and leadership training for Training2Work. This comprehensive workforce development program provides educational resources and intensive case management services for incarcerated individuals in Raleigh and Durham, both pre- and post-release.