    
    
ONE-TO-ONE
VISITATION PROGRAM
Through One-to-One, volunteers respond to
inmates’ requests by visiting with them and
help them by providing informal counseling and/or
community resource referrals. The
informal counseling aspect of the program reduces
isolation, maintains community ties,
lowers levels of anger, assists in setting and
working towards goals, and may explore
alternative, non-violent ways of managing
conflict. We also provide community resource
referrals to inmates and their families,
including the location of alcohol- and drug-
treatment centers, half-way houses, and other
necessities upon release. Additionally,
volunteers have assisted some inmates with the
process of getting bonded out of jail
while awaiting trial. This action can result in
the inmate’s ability to keep her home or
job,
thereby promoting self-sufficiency. Some
volunteers and inmates build relationships
that develop into a support base for the
offender’s return to the community.
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New
Foundations has had the One-to-One program since
the organization’s founding in 1987.
Through One-to-One, volunteers visit with inmates
at the Denver County Jail in response to
inmates’ requests and work with them in a
variety of ways. The informal counseling aspect
of the program reduces isolation, builds more
positive self-concepts, lowers levels of anger,
helps with positive goal making, and may explore
alternative, nonviolent ways of managing
conflict. We also provide community resource
referral to inmates and their families. For
instance, several inmates request and receive
help in finding drug-and-alcohol treatment
centers, half-way houses, and other housing upon
their release. Volunteers have assisted
some inmates with the process of getting bonded
out of jail while awaiting trial. This action
can result in the inmate’s stability and
economic self-sufficiency.
This program offers hope and services that no
other group provides (eg, Narcotics
Anonymous, G.E.D., church groups). Says Dwayne
Burris, Denver County Jail Program
Coordinator: “This special group of
volunteers meets needs that other organizations
often
overlook. The one-to-one counseling keeps tension
levels down and this organization helps
inmates’ families.”
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During
the past year we have been very
focused on improving the
capabilities
of our One-to-One program. We
have added continuing education
and training
sessions for our volunteers and,
at the beginning of 2005, we
appointed our
first intern dedicated solely to
the One-to-One program.
Approximately
100 persons were visited through
this program in 2003-2004.
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With
the pre-release service of One-to-One, we help
inmates keep their housing and
belongings while in jail so they have a place to
go when released. Examples of assistance
with housing include making phone calls on behalf
of inmates to landlords to make
arrangements for inmates to keep their apartments
or houses. If this is not possible, we can
assist in obtaining and storing essential
property such as identification, personal photos,
business papers, etc., for a period of up to six
months.
The informal counseling aspect of One-to-One
provides the support and training to help
inmates work on their goals of self-sufficiency.
This assistance takes a variety of forms
including the provision of guidance and
assistance in the formulation and implementation
of
personal and vocational goals. The type of help
is dependent upon what the inmate needs
and the skills of the volunteer. For example, one
of our volunteers is a co-active personal
coach and does a brilliant job in providing peer
mentoring to inmates.
The re-entry component of One-to-One consists of
volunteers making appropriate referrals
to community resources. While we receive a
variety of types of referrals, 50-70% are for
housing and other community referral services. In
addition to residential services, several of
our clients request referrals to drug and alcohol
treatment centers upon release.
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© 2004 - 2008 New Foundations.
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