OAR: How to Help the Recently Released

Editor's Note: This was written by Brandon Cosby, the director of development for OAR, a local non-profit serving ex-offenders and their families. It has not been edited.

Imagine being dropped off in an unfamiliar community without a place to live and without a job. You don’t have proper identification. You don’t have friends of family to rely on for support. You have no money. What do you do? Where do you go? What choices do you make? How do you survive?

Most of us are unaware of the challenges individuals face when they are released from incarceration. We have all seen footage on television of individuals being arrested and lead into a local jail. We rarely see the struggles and difficulties individuals face once they have “paid their debt to society” and are released from incarceration. Even a relatively short period of incarceration distances an individual from his or her community and from loved ones. Incarceration frequently leads to the loss of employment, housing, and possessions. At the time of release, individuals often have inadequate support, extremely limited resources, and few positive options. The recently released face a decision point. Most truly want to do the right thing. They don’t want to return to a life of criminal behavior but they have difficulty believing they can overcome the challenges before them. As asked above, what would you do in this circumstance? Could you make that transition without support?

January is National Mentoring Month. When we think of mentoring we often think of assisting youth who lack direction, guidance, or leadership. However, mentoring takes many forms and occurs in the fields of business, education, and athletics to name just a few. OAR of Fairfax County, a local non-profit serving Northern Virginia, offers a volunteer based mentoring program for adults involved with the criminal justice system.

Individuals being released from incarceration need, and benefit greatly, from mentoring. OAR establishes mentoring relationships between volunteers and individuals who are within 3 months of their release from the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center. The mentor pairings, made prior to release, create a relationship built on mutual trust and a shared understanding of program goals. The relationships are maintained for no longer than 12 months post release.

Mentors are provided with comprehensive training and ongoing support from OAR staff and other volunteer mentors. The person being mentored also receives case management services from OAR. The professional case management and the individual mentoring provide the recently released individual with the Opportunities, Alternatives, and Resources necessary to successfully transition back to the community.

Through mentoring, a unique partnership is developed. The purpose of this partnership is for the sharing of information that leads to another’s growth and development. More often than not, the mentor benefits as much as the mentee. Mentoring of ex-offenders allows the recently released to focus on positive choices and to develop a belief in their ability to succeed. Successful mentoring relationships lead to a significant reduction in criminal behavior and individuals who are committed to and capable of maintaining a crime fee lifestyle.

If you are interested in learning more, visit the OAR website at www.oarfairfax.org. If you would like to mentor and make a profound difference in an individual’s life and a positive impact on your community please contact OAR at (703) 246- 3033 or by email at info@oarfairfax.org