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The Job Preparedness Program at the Sheridan and Southwest Illinois Correctional Centers is the result of a collaborative effort between Safer Foundation, the Illinois Department of Corrections, WestCare Foundation, Illinois Treatment Alternatives for Safer Communities, community college and vocational trainers, and various other community partners. The program aims to provide treatment, reentry services, and employment assistance to incarcerated men with substance abuse addictions.

On-Site Assistance

All incarcerated individuals in Illinois prisons with self-reported drug addictions may choose to finish the final two years of their sentences either Sheridan or SWICC. Working with clients prior to their release, Safer’s Sheridan/SWICC Program offer classroom sessions focusing on career exploration, job-seeking skills, resume building advice, interviewing tactics, and tips on maintaining employment. Clients have access to a wide selection of training programs and courses to build the skills needed to find gainful employment once they return to society. These options range from G.E.D. assistance and college classes to vocational training in manufacturing, construction, food services, custodial maintenance, welding, and warehousing. Clients also utilize a computer lab and resource room to further prepare them for reentry. Upon release, clients receive a portfolio of all they have accomplished at Sheridan to ensure that they are prepared to start their job search as soon as they return to the community.

Community-Based Activities

Following their release from Sheridan or SWICC, clients can receive services from Safer’s statewide locations in Chicago, Aurora, Joliet, Decatur, Rockford, and Peoria. Similar to the on-site services, clients in the community-based program receive both drug-abuse support and job-preparedness training. Clients begin the community-based model with a meeting with a job coach 45 days prior to release to discuss job skills, career plans, vocational training, and other job-readiness needs. Upon release, clients receive support for a total of two years as their job coaches ensure that they have the proper resources, training, and attitude to confront the task of finding and sustaining employment. If necessary, Safer provides clients with transportation support to work or school, clothing assistance for interviews, stipends to continue their education, and assistance with obtaining a driver’s license.

While the client works with his job coach on job readiness, Safer’s Sector Managers are busy cultivating the job market. By assisting with bonding forms, employee screening, and drug testing, the Sector Managers actively recruit potential employers that are willing to hire individuals with criminal records.

Proven Track Record of Success

During the first four years of the program, 2,711 individuals were released from Sheridan Correctional Center after completing the on-site program and participated in the Safer Job Preparedness/Placement Program. Of these participants:

• 1,239 (46 percent) have been employed
• 57 percent of the clients who found employment did so within 60 days following their release
• 89 percent of the initial positions were full-time positions and most clients were earning an average starting wage between $8.75 and $10.00 per hour
• Graduates of the Sheridan/SWICC Program had the lowest conviction rate among parolees in state history, as Illinois saw a 23 percent reduction in arrests among the general parolee population and a 40 percent reduction in incarceration rates among repeat offenders.