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PermalinkMonday, April 13, 2009
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Local Program Aims to End Cycle of Recidivism in California
Aired 4/13/09
What are the biggest challenges parolees face upon their release from prison? What can California do to reduce the cycle of recidivism that has plagued our state's over-crowded prison population? Host Tom Fudge speaks to Second Chance Founder Scott Silverman about the Prisoner Reentry Employment Program (PREP). We also hear from Regina Nolte-Ware, who is a PREP graduate, about how the program has impacted her life.
(Originally aired on July 15, 2008)
Alison St John: It doesn't take a lot of imagination to get an idea of what it would be like to be released from prison then try to straighten out your life. If you had a strong, supportive family, you might go okay. But without that, you're by yourself in the outside world with little or no money and no job, trying to make your way in a society that is highly distrustful of you. Add to that the possibility, if not the likelihood, of being chemically dependent, and it's no surprise that more than half of ex-offenders reoffend. It's a vicious cycle for the offender. And it's a vicious cycle for society that must pour money into a state corrections system.
There are some people and some programs that are trying to chip away at the system and make a difference. One such program is in San Diego and it's called PREP, that's stands for the Prisoner Re-entry Employment Program. It's run by a local organization called Second Chance.
Last year, Tom Fudge talked with Scott Silverman, founder and executive director of the Second Chance program, and Regina Nolte-Ware, a graduate of Second Chance's Prisoner Reentry Employment Program.
Guests
Scott Silverman, founder and executive director of the Second Chance program.
Regina Nolte-Ware, is a graduate of Second Chance's Prisoner Re-entry Employment Program (PREP). She now works for Downtown San Diego Partnership and serves on Second Chance's board of directors.
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