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On Friday, August 5, Diane Williams, President and CEO of Safer Foundation, was named a Champion of Change for the organization’s innovative and proven programs and services supporting formerly incarcerated individuals.

The "Champions of Change Series: Winning the Future Across America" is a White House initiative that honors Americans making an impact in their communities and helping the nation rise to meet the many challenges of the 21st Century.  Williams, along with other award recipients, met with National Drug Control Policy Director Gil Kerlikowske to share best practices from their work in the community.

Ms. Williams said, “This award is a testament to the hard work of our entire organization to ensure that Illinois citizens with criminal records have the resources to become working, law abiding members of the community.  It is gratifying that reentry services have captured our nation’s attention and support as a critical need for stronger communities."

The recognition came for Safer’s work implementing the Safer Return program in the East Garfield Park community of Chicago.  The program was featured in the Obama Administration’s 2011 National Drug Control Strategy — a blueprint for reducing substance abuse and its consequences across the country.  The five-year demonstration project is a product of a partnership between Safer and Urban Institute to develop a prisoner reentry initiative.  Made possible by a grant from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Safer Return is an innovative, community-based pilot that engages the entire community in positively affecting prisoner reentry and reducing recidivism.

It is a collaborative effort of community members, law enforcement and corrections officials, service providers, businesses, and participants.  Participants are interviewed while they are in prison to begin reentry planning; then post-release, community-based professionals work with them on a range of important issues.

Williams said that programs like Safer Return provide a solid return on investment to the state by placing former inmates in jobs and ultimately keeping them out of the prison system.  It is estimated that Illinois pays over $22,000 per year to incarcerate each inmate.  Assuming an average stay of one year in prison, Safer saved the state more than $83 million as a result of having more than 3800 job starts in fiscal year 2011.  Further, Safer Foundation conducted a three-year study and found that formerly incarcerated individuals who attain employment have a recidivism rate of 18 percent, compared to the statewide average of 52 percent. 

"Not only are employed individuals less likely to commit crimes, but they also become taxpayers, contributing to state revenues from which they formerly subtracted," Williams said. 

So we share this award and extend a heartfelt thanks to all of you — our clients, partners, and supporters.  Through our collective commitment, we will continue our mission to reduce recidivism and increase public safety by supporting the efforts of people with criminal records to become employed, productive members of our society.