The Fortune Society: An Integrated Model for Healthcare Services
Introduction
Every day, numerous individuals are liberated from prisons to the society without the any kind of support. These individuals, particularly women and those liberated with medical problems, lack fundamental resources such as housing, jobs, and healthcare services. The fortune society helps and “support successful reentry from incarceration and promote alternative to incarceration, thus strengthening the fabric of our communities” (fortunesociety.org). This is a very important topic because individuals released from prison need support and guidance to successfully integrate our communities, therefore, become more responsible, independent, and better peoples. With the right support, individuals coming out of prison will have a better chance not to return to prison. According to Bureau of Justice Statistics, almost two-thirds of all prisoners released will go back to prison within three years of their release’ date (nij.gov).
Most prisoners in our prisons are from under resourced and at risk groups that are poor, uneducated, and live in toxic environment lead by violence, drug, and alcohol. These folks go to jails frequently because of responding to their situation with the only tactics they have known. According to Beyond Prison, “There’s a high proportion of very able, smart, talented and often entrepreneurial—if somewhat or more than misguided—individuals in prison” (beyondprison.us). In other words, losing these people have a damaging effect on communities that are already disadvantaged and under-resourced. With the help of programs like The Fortune Society that support and offers vital services to the people coming from prison; these individuals will learn to manage and even transform negative tendencies and become more accountable and responsible for their choice and rebuild their lives.
Description of the targeted groups for this program or intervention. Describe the impact of the health issue for this group
The fortune society focuses on helping under-resourced individuals and individuals reentering the society from prisons. These individuals are individuals who are homeless and unemployed formerly incarcerated. In addition, the fortune society helps youths who want to further their education or get their GED. Also, individuals with mental health problem, substance use problem, and health problem such as HIV are offered support by the fortune society.
“Inmates have a wide variety of health problems ranging from arthritis, asthma, and backaches, to more serious diseases such as hepatitis, HIV, and tuberculosis” (Caron P. Heigel, 2011). These individuals have many risk factors for health problems. In addition, these individuals are from poor neighborhoods with limited access to community based health care and are often uneducated. Furthermore, the popularity of drug and alcohol abuse, and associated health problem, is high among these populations.
The interventions that the fortune society offers to improve the physical health of formerly incarcerated individuals are vital to this population, their family members, and our communities. Most of the diseases in formerly imprisoned populations can be attributed to overlapping epidemics of substance use, infectious diseases, and mental illness in the context of poverty, violence, homelessness, and limited access to health care. Therefore, neighborhoods with high incarceration rates suffer disproportionate stress, since these communities face disrupted social and family networks (Travis, J., 2014).
Challenges and barriers
There are many barriers that formerly incarcerated people faces when trying to reenter the community, specially incarcerated women from low-income communities. Individuals with criminal records often have difficulties when finding jobs because they are seen as risky hired. These individuals return in an environment that is challenging and actively prevents them from becoming productive members of society. According to the article “The Challenges of Prisoner Re-Entry into Society”:
Because of systemic legal and societal barriers, once ex-offenders are released, it is more difficult for them compared to the general populace to find gainful employment, secure a consistent source of housing, and generally function in society. Often viewed as sub-citizens, ex-offenders are perpetually punished for crimes. The causes of these restrictions are systemic and affect ex-offenders at all levels of society (Simmons Staff, 2016).
Another important barrier in tackling this issue is that many formerly prisoners have limited education and job experience which makes it hard for them to get employment after they are released. In addition, large numbers of formerly incarcerated individuals, many who are chronically ill, have difficulties getting health insurance or the insurance does not cover the medicine needed by this population. According to the Bureau of justice Statistics, these individuals have far higher rates of HIV, hepatitis and tuberculosis than the general population. They’re also more likely to have high blood pressure, diabetes, and asthma. More than half are mentally ill. Barriers such as lack of education, limited job experience, financial limitation, criminal records, health issues, lack of health coverage, and environmental factors makes it hard for programs like the fortune society to help these individuals.
Search of the Literature
The imprisoned population over represents socially sidelined and disadvantaged people with a high burden of disease. The insufficient community management of substance addiction and, to a lesser degree, mental illness can be considered as fundamental contributors to actions leading to incarceration and reincarceration in many cases (Rich et al., 2011). According to The Growth of Incarceration in the United States: Exploring Causes and Consequences. National Academies Press:
people without jobs frequently lack the health insurance that allows them to seek medical care and the income that allows them to eat healthfully, buy medicines, and otherwise address their health needs. Housing is another example of a social determinant of health: people without access to stable, adequate housing are at higher risk of a host of physical and mental stressors, from asthma to anxiety. As discussed elsewhere in this report, prisoners, as well as jail inmates, are more likely than the general U.S. population to be unemployed, poor, black or Hispanic (Travis, J., 2014).
In addition, the high load of disease among incarcerated individuals poses difficulties for the delivery of care, but also chances for assessment, diagnosis, management, and connection to treatment after release. According to Travis “Much of the disease in incarcerated populations can be attributed to overlapping synergistic epidemics (syndemics) of substance use, infectious diseases, and mental illness in the context of poverty, violence, homelessness, and limited access to health care” (Travis, J., 2014). Formerly incarcerated individuals need support to successfully reenter the society the right way. According to Simmons Staff, the two biggest adjustment challenges for the reentry are living with less structure and having less social relations. Jail life is very regulated, and inmates with lengthy sentences become habitual to it, resulting in feelings of shock and profound distress by its absence in the outside world. While they may go back to their home communities or families, their social networks may no longer exist or have changed. This means released inmates must rebuild or create new social networks (Simmons Staff, 2016).
According to Simmons, inmates who return to prison system tend to originate from a concentrated set of communities, which have “above-average rates for unemployment, percent female-headed households, and percent of families living below the poverty level”. Formerly imprisoned people face immense obstacles when looking for work anywhere, so to go back with this disadvantage to an area that likely has low job prospects increases the likelihood of unemployment (Simmons Staff, 2016).
The existence of Collateral consequences of incarceration imposes legal restrictions unrelated to original crime that apply to ex-offenders after their release from jail. This includes things like a lack of access to food stamps and inability to vote. According to the Council of State Government, there are many collateral consequences in of incarceration some are permanent. These consequences include: Ineligible to serve as caregiver/volunteer at family day care home, prohibit conviction-based discrimination in awarding New York Higher Education Loan Program, deny security guard instructor certification renewal, Ineligible for employment as an officer of a public work contractor, Ineligible to serve as children’s camp director…etc. This shows the difficulty formerly imprisoned population face when trying to reenter the community after their release. It is hard for this target group to get jobs or go back to school with the limited options they have (the Council of State Government).
Furthermore, the article “Employment Barriers Facing Ex-Offenders” by Harry J. Holzer, shows that one of the most challenging situations inmates face is that of reentry into the labor market. The article went on by describing that limited education and cognitive skills, Limited work experience, and Substance abuse and other physical/mental health problems are the main characteristics that greatly limit inmates’ employability and earning capacities after leaving prison. In addition, Holzer mentioned that:
about three-fourths of formerly incarcerated people have had substance abuse problems; 2–3% have AIDS or are HIV-positive; 18% have hepatitis C; and 15–20% report emotional disorders (Travis et al., Hirsch et al., op. cit.). Among the small fraction of ex-offenders who are women, large numbers suffer from depression and/or past sexual abuse (Holzer, 2003).
These factors limit employability of ex-offenders because they limit the basic job-readiness that companies almost generally request as a pre-condition for hire. Also besides these skills and health problems, most ex-offenders are minorities—nearly half are African-American, and nearly a fifth are Latino or Asian. To the degree that minorities continue to suffer employment discrimination, this will further hamper the ability of ex-offenders to be hired or make higher salaries (Holzer, 2003).
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Potential Interventions
A variety of efforts can be taken to decrease barriers that ex-offenders face, and support them with all beneficial resources that will improve their employment opportunities and health, education, and social status. Programs like the fortune society are one of those rare programs that focuses on helping this group.
The fortune society is a program that its mission “is to support successful reentry from incarceration and promote alternatives to incarceration, thus strengthening the fabric of our communities” (the fortune society). The fortune society has almost 50 years of experience that are directed at helping people with criminal justice involvement form one of the most underprivileged populations in our country. These individuals experience many challenges and detrimental stigmas that stop them from successfully returning to the society. These challenges include accessing education, employment, affordable housing, substance abuse treatment, healthcare, and family services (the fortune society).
The Fortune Society tries to help reconstruct the lives of individuals who have been imprisoned and offer them dignity, self-esteem, confidence, respect, and hope. For 50 years, the fortune society has delivered substitutions to imprisonment, counseling, employment services, education, housing services, HIV/AIDS-case management, substance abuse and mental health treatment, family services, food and nutrition, discharge planning, benefits application assistance, and lifetime aftercare, among other services to help individuals rebuild their lives (the fortune society).
This program offers help services because prison infection rates of HIV and HCV is very high. The fortune society offers help to these people by distributing free condoms, organizes workshops and HIV prevention and education programs featuring regular group discussions. In addition, the program offers paid opportunities for contributors passionate about improving guidelines impacting people living with HIV/AIDS and justice system involvement (the fortune society).
Furthermore, this program offers education services programs for ex-offenders to earn their high school equivalency diploma and unlock their academic potential, providing them with vital skills to impact their communities and change the world. Also, he Fortune Society serves hot meals in Long Island City, Queens to people coming home from prison. The program also offers stable homes for ex-offenders to start rebuilding their lives and teaches them new parenting, communication, and anger controlling skills (the fortune society).
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Advocating for Change
Many ex-offenders struggle to find jobs and if they find one, they get paid significantly less than the rest of the population. This is somewhat because of stigma and lack of education, skills and work experience. Therefore, they depend on government assistance and are more likely to be homeless and have chronic and acute illnesses. Unluckily for these individuals and for the community, many go back to the behaviors and routines that took them to jail in the first place. To help these people on getting back to fruitful and full lives, we must offer many kinds of support.
We should help prisoners and encourage them choose to modify their lives, learn fundamental skills, and start to plan for a life outside the jail. When released, the most effective way to help these individuals is by helping them reconnect with positive social relations, get work and shelter immediately, and become and stay mentally and physically healthy. Holzer illustrated important points that will improve the employment opportunities for ex-offenders, these points include:
Making it easier for employers to hire prisoners while they are still incarcerated; Reviewing legal barriers to employment of ex-offenders and perhaps regulating the quality of public information on criminal history; Providing greater funding for the efforts of intermediary agencies to link recently released offenders with the labor market; Expanding funding and/or outreach efforts for bonds or tax credits to employers who hire them; and Expanding financial incentives for ex-offenders (and other low-income men) to accept and retain low-wage employment (Holzer, 2003).
Good re-entry programs will provide new means of thinking for the former inmate. Programs that educate these individuals, provide them with classes on anger management and communication that help them re-enter the society the right way are critical. Furthermore, educating these individuals about health and disease prevention and promotion, HIV/AIDS, and substance abuse is an important way that should lead to a better life.
Ex-offenders enter prison from communities with low socioeconomic status, and they more likely to return to the same community. The significant association between poverty, law-breaking, health and mental health, neighborhood characteristic, residence stability, and financial opportunities is well proven. These factors influence the success of these individuals returning to their communities and this shows that this group needs fundamental resource and opportunities, as well as therapeutic services (Wendy Pogorzelski, 2005).
Considering the high incidence of infectious diseases such as HIV, HCV, and STDs and of mental illness and substance use problems, together with general medical problems, in disadvantaged populations that are incarcerated, programs such as the fortune society that provides comprehensive screening, diagnosis, and treatment of these individuals would likely improve their well-being while exploiting on public health opportunities (Travis, J., 2014).
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Summary and conclusions
We have evaluated the leading barriers faced by ex-offenders while trying to reenter the community after they are released. Some of these obstacles are poor skills and work experience or health problems, and lack of financial resources. We also reviewed so potential solutions such as educating them, providing classes on anger management and communication, teaching sections on health and disease prevention, consolation and help with substance use and addiction, and provide available resources (housing and nutrition). These solutions will help these individuals rebuild their lives.
In conclusion, ex-offenders face many barriers when trying to lead a better life after their release from prison. We need programs like the fortune society that allows and give these individuals a second chance to be better people, parents, and citizens. The community and the government should both work together to offer the best resources available to these vulnerable groups. We should help these individuals by providing education, employment services, housing, mental health counseling, nutrition, family services, support, encouragement, health teaching, and community services.
Reference
A Safe Space. (2017, March 31). Retrieved October 30, 2017, from https://fortunesociety.org/a-safe-space-for-sharon/
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Heigel, C. P., Stuewig, J., & Tangney, J. P. (2010). Self-Reported Physical Health of Inmates: Impact of Incarceration and Relation to Optimism. Journal of Correctional Health Care, 16(2), 106-116. doi:10.1177/1078345809356523
Holzer, H. J., Raphael, S., & Stoll, M. A. (2003). Employment Barriers Facing Ex-Offenders. PsycEXTRA Dataset, 3-6. doi:10.1037/e717782011-001
(n.d.). Retrieved October 31, 2017, from https://niccc.csgjusticecenter.org/map/
Path of Freedom #beyondprison. (n.d.). Retrieved October 30, 2017, from http://www.beyondprison.us/chapter/path-of-freedom/
Pogorzelski, W., Wolff, N., Pan, K.-Y., & Blitz, C. L. (2005). Behavioral Health Problems, Ex-Offender Reentry Policies, and the “Second Chance Act.” American Journal of Public Health, 95(10), 1718–1724. http://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2005.065805
Recidivism of Prisoners Released in 30 States in 2005: Patterns from 2005 to 2010. (n.d.). Retrieved October 30, 2017, from https://www.bjs.gov/index.cfm?ty=pbdetail&iid=4986
The Challenges of Prisoner Re-Entry Into Society. (2016, July 12). Retrieved October 31, 2017, from https://socialwork.simmons.edu/blog/Prisoner-Reentry/
Travis, J., Redburn, S., Western, B., Redburn, S., Western, B., & Travis, J. (2014). The Growth of Incarceration in the United States: Exploring Causes and Consequences. National Academies Press.
