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For previously incarcerated individuals, being released from jail is the start of a new chapter of difficulties when they are unable to access the right resources to reenter society. Due to minimal preparation and inadequate community reentry programs for those previously incarcerated, as well as prejudices from society towards the incarcerated and their families, many find their options limited. 

The U.S. Department of Justice reports that over 67% of state and federal prisoners are likely to be rearrested within three years of their release, stating, “with no job, no money, and no place to live, returnees often find themselves facing the same pressures and temptations that landed them in prison in the first place.”

However, there is a growing understanding that resources and programs are needed to help those previously incarcerated reenter society successfully and lower the rates of recidivism. These resources are meant to help the formerly incarcerated and their families break through barriers to reenter society and live happy, productive lives.

Reentry Programs and Resources for Those Previously Incarcerated

Housing Services

One of the most immediate needs when being released from jail is the need for housing if none is available. Depending on the situation, it can be difficult for an individual to find housing. If there are strained familial relationships or current addiction issues, living with family members may not be an option. However, an individual’s record and raising rental prices across the country can keep those previously incarcerated from finding a home. Additionally, myths prevail that those who have been convicted of a crime are “banned” from public housing.

If an individual is not able to live with family in a secure environment, it is important to connect with reentry programs as soon as possible to find available housing.

• The first resource is to connect with their parole officer. Parole officers will be the most in-touch with local resources for those previously incarcerated.

• Catholic Charities USA provides resources for families and individuals who are homeless or in danger of becoming destitute. You do not need to be Catholic to receive assistance.

• Reentry and Housing Coalition provides resources in finding housing, including public, private, and transitional, to the formerly incarcerated.

• Volunteers of America also provides housing and additional reentry programs and resources for those formerly incarcerated. With local offices across the country, they have access to more immediately available housing.

• Every state has a Public Housing Authority government office that is responsible for providing housing resources to the local community. These include local Section 8 aid through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

• In some cities, small houses are available to those who are in danger of becoming homeless, including pilot programs in Pinellas, Fl. Google whether there are tiny homes available in your city to see if there are local resources available. 

Employment Services

Finding employment when you have been arrested, much less convicted of a crime, can be difficult. While there is a push to remove the disclosure of criminal records from job applications entirely and move background checks further in the employment process to allow those who were previously incarcerated to be considered for their qualifications, many states still allow employers to request your detainment history. 

That being said, there are a number of employment resources for those who were previously incarcerated.

• CareerOneStop is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, providing employment resources, including for those previously incarcerated.

• The Fair Shake Reentry Resource Center is a 501(c)(3) charity that helps previously incarcerated individuals find a variety of services, including employment listings specifically for those with a criminal record and resources for those looking to start a business.

• Your local municipality should have resources through the Department of Labor to help those previously incarcerated find employment. Googling your city’s Department of Labor will help you find the correct location. Additionally, the U.S. Department of Labor provides employment resources.

• For those looking to start their own business or gain additional training for employment, there are available grants that make finding funding and resources easier to expand your skills or get your business idea off the ground.

Education

Gaining an education can help open opportunities for stable employment. While many jails and prisons provide education programs as part of their previous reentry services, there are opportunities for those released to continue their education.

• The Thurman Perry Foundation provides previously incarcerated females with scholarships to help them pursue educational opportunities.

• The Last Prisoner Project provides resources for those who were incarcerated due to the sale or use of cannabis. These resources include educational and professional development support.

Mental Health

Studies have found that approximately 20 percent of those in jail and 15 percent of those in state prisons have serious mental health issues, however, that number does not include those who have a mental illness that is not considered “serious.” Serious mental illness is defined as “a mental, behavioral, or emotional disorder resulting in serious functional impairment, which substantially interferes with or limits one or more major life activities.” 

Even if someone entered jail without substantial mental illness, they may have developed worsening symptoms or new illnesses since becoming incarcerated.

Working with mental health resource services can reduce the possibility of reoffense and help those previously incarcerated lead healthier, happier lives.

• The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, which falls under the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, provides mental health resources, including for those previously incarcerated and their families.

• Volunteers of America provides both mental health and substance abuse services that are also available to those previously incarcerated.

• Mental health services are provided via your state’s Medicaid/Medicare resources. You can call your local office to get connected with in-service mental health providers.

Drug and Alcohol Addiction

A three-year study by Columbia University found that up to 80 percent of those incarcerated, around 1.4 million people, were seriously involved with drugs and alcohol. Unfortunately, overcoming addiction is more than just willpower or telling yourself that you can avoid temptation. 

There are many resources available to help combat drug and alcohol addiction through the mental health services mentioned above, as well as a few additional key resources.

• The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration has a confidential, free phone service to help people find substance abuse treatment. Call 1-800-662-4357 to get in touch with a representative.

• Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous provide free meetings and other resources to those dealing with addiction.

How HomeWAV Can Help

One of the greatest resources for those previously incarcerated is to stay connected to their friends and family while serving their prison sentence. HomeWAV provides voice calling, video visitation, and eMessaging to help maintain connection between those incarcerated and their loved ones. Discussing a plan of release early will help ensure a plan of action when your loved one is released. See how easy it is to use our services and reach out to us to get started.

Visiting a loved one who is incarcerated often comes with challenges, and the experience produces strong emotions that run the gamut from sadness to elation. Seeing the facility might feel foreign and seem scary, especially to kids. And saying goodbye to your friend or family member? That’s never easy. But supporting an incarcerated loved one makes sense for a variety of reasons, and with help from platforms allowing video visitation in prisons, it’s simpler than ever.

What are the benefits of routine video calls during incarceration? First, they strengthen the bonds between incarcerated parents and their children. In fact, research shows that the rate of recidivism goes down for prisoners whose friends and family stay in touch, meaning less likelihood of repeating the experience later. They also give incarcerated men and women the hope they need, and hope is key to their well-being.

Despite these advantages, some people find planning in-person visits nearly impossible due to travel constraints, financial worries, or concerns about illness. For that reason, visiting someone in jail over a video call has taken off as a viable and safe alternative.

So if you’re looking to have a remote video call with an incarcerated loved one, how can you get started?

Planning for Successful Video Calls With Incarcerated Friends and Family

If someone you care about is serving time right now (and going on-site is not an option), you might want to try remote video visitation for its convenience and continued connection. Before your first call, keep these strategies in mind for a more seamless experience:

1. Use trustworthy equipment. Nothing’s more frustrating than not having the right device for a video call. Test your laptop, tablet, or smartphone in advance to ensure the technology can weather a remote call. Likewise, don’t be afraid to ask someone for help if you’re not confident using the equipment or need a quick walkthrough of the video platform. Also, remember that phones without cameras (say, flip phones) won’t have the specs you need to make your call.

If you don’t have the technology at home to make these calls, consider visiting a friend’s house who does or an organization that loans out the right equipment (like a library). Please note that if you’re using HomeWAV and also borrowing equipment, you’ll need to be able to download the app and log into your personal account.

2. Choose your surroundings thoughtfully. Want a better give-and-take during the call? Set up your remote calls in a well-lit (not backlit) space. This makes it easier for your friend or loved one to see you. Also, be aware that sound can travel, and opt for headphones or earbuds if you think your background could get noisy. Above all else, avoid making calls from a car or bustling commercial location.

3. Pay attention to network connectivity. Bad connections happen, and that’s particularly true if you use public Wi-Fi, which tends to be of poorer quality than connections provided by most folks’ personal cellular plans. In the event of an unacceptable connection, make sure both parties wait a minute before calling back. This allows time for the system to refresh. If you’re having recurring issues with your home’s Wi-Fi, try calling when you’re the only household member relying on your internet signal (this also includes smartphones connected to the internet).

4. Make sure the HomeWAV account holder will be present on the call. Some facilities that monitor live calls will disconnect remote video visitation in prisons and suspend accounts if the account holder isn’t present in the frame (for example, a parent who’s an account holder leaving just their children in the video frame to chat). Likewise, they might discontinue a call if anyone besides the approved visitor appears on camera. Always review facility rules to avoid problems caused by unintended policy violations.

5. Dress for the visit per facility guidelines. The dress codes and activity expectations that hold up for in-person visits usually roll over into remote ones. With that in mind, remember that nudity, drug use, and even adult language are not allowed on a video visitation. Rather than risk losing the ability to chat with your loved one, follow these rules to the best of your ability. If you have questions about what’s acceptable, clarify before your call so you don’t make any mistakes that could sour your experience. When you’re ready to sign up for a HomeWAV account, be sure to carefully review the facility’s guidelines before completing that process. If you already have an account and need a refresher, check the facility’s website for policy guidelines. Generally, each facility will list basic information on HomeWAV, where to go to create an account, and a set of their own rules.

6. Expect and accept intense feelings. Visiting someone in jail is bittersweet for everyone, and you don’t know exactly how you’ll react. Nevertheless, you can be sure that strong emotions could pop up at any time. It’s healthy to express your feelings rather than hide them, but try to remain as positive as you can. End on an upbeat note, like promising to see each other remotely soon. Your optimism will help buoy the spirits of your family member or friend who can’t come home.

7. Keep children connected from home. Millions of children have an incarcerated parent, and asking a child to participate in a video call with them helps them to not only share in the visitation but also experience a precious moment of connection. To be sure, kids won’t always want to stick around for an entire call depending upon their age and ability to focus. Still, they can say hello and chat for a while, and that’s a blessing for everyone.

If you’d like to include kids, just be sure to get approval from the facility you’re calling before launching the remote call (some facilities require children to be registered for video visits). At the same time, ensure the account holder is on screen and navigating for the entire call.

The digital age continues to remove communication barriers in a variety of ways, including ones between those serving time and their loved ones. If you long to stay in touch with an incarcerated loved one who’s miles (or even states) away, why not try a video visit? If you’re looking to set up an account for inmate calls, create a HomeWAV account and add funds. The HomeWAV kiosk at the detention facility will let your loved one know when you or other visitors are available, and they can then initiate a call.

Interested in learning more about how HomeWAV can help you? Reach out to us today by clicking here!

When a loved one is incarcerated, the lives of their family and friends are profoundly affected and it is often a traumatic experience. Figuring out how to support and maintain a connection with a loved one in jail is stressful to navigate. Feelings of hopelessness, anger, grief, and anxiety all take a toll on one’s mental and emotional health.

Finding a support group for families of incarcerated individuals is a way for you and your family to learn how to cope with the challenges you’re facing, and hear from those who are going through similar struggles.

You Are Not Alone: Attending a Support Group for Families of the Incarcerated 

When a loved one goes to jail, it can seem like your life gets placed on hold. But as hard as it may be, you need to continue living your lives. You are often focused on your loved one who is incarcerated and their situation, but it i’s essential to consider and think about how family and friends feel. Support groups provide an opportunity to share the difficulties of having a loved one who is incarcerated. Topics in support groups range, including:

• How your loved one’s incarceration will affect your whole family.

• How severe the crime your loved one committed was and whether you can get past it.

• How your day-to-day living has been impacted.

There can be a lot of shame around having a loved one incarcerated, further isolating a family. Support groups help families of incarcerated individuals to understand they are not alone. They provide a place where others share their experience, strength, and hope, providing healing and forming friendships. If you cannot attend in-person meetings, there are online discussion rooms and support groups specific to those who have an incarcerated loved one. By finding a network of support, you are not only helping yourself and your family, but also your incarcerated loved one.

Support Group Resources for Families of Incarcerated Individuals

• Big Brothers Big Sisters of America: For those with children facing adversity, this program matches them with a vetted caring adult mentor.

• Volunteers of America: Through this organization, incarcerated parents are trained to read and record children’s books. Then the recordings are given to their children along with a book bag, personal tape player, and other supplies

• National CURE: Organizes incarcerated individuals and their loved ones to work for the cause of prison reform

• PrisonMail.org: Provides constant correspondence between incarcerated people and their families.

• Parenting & Family Healing:  Provides parenting and family help to incarcerated individuals

• Hope House: Strengthens relational bonds between children and their incarcerated fathers.

Other Ways to Seek Support

• Explore books on the topic of families of the incarcerated:

• Bernstein, N. (2005). All alone in the world: Children of the incarcerated. NY: The New Press.

• Braman, Donald, Doing Time on the Outside: Incarceration and Family Life in Urban America, U. of Michigan 2004

• Condry, R. (2007) Families Shamed, The consequences of crime for relatives of serious offenders, U.K. Willan Publishing

• Check out these films on children and families impacted by incarceration:

• Time – This documentary explores a mother’s fight to release her husband from behind bars while also showing how their children were impacted into their adulthood. This film is available on Amazon Prime.

• Jacinta – This documentary focuses on the impact of addiction and incarceration on an entire family. Jacinta’s ten-year-old daughter provides first-hand experiences of how her mother’s incarceration has impacted her own self-esteem and relationship with her mom. This film is available for streaming on Hulu.

• A Sentence of Their Own – This film is about a family’s annual trip to a New Hampshire State Prison and shows the harsh impact incarceration has on families.

• When the Bough Breaks – This is a documentary about three Missouri families whose children visit their mom in prison and are looked after by social workers, foster parents, and grandparents.

• Join a social media support group for families of the incarcerated.

• Start your own in-person or online support group for families of the incarcerated.

• Advocate or volunteer with an advocacy group for families of the incarcerated. 

Let HomeWAV Support You

By ensuring the family is both mentally and emotionally supported, they can better help an incarcerated loved one through their difficult ordeal.

If you are ready to make communication part of your process for how to cope with a loved one in jail, HomeWAV provides voice calling, video visitation, and messaging. If you are searching for more information about HomeWAV, view our frequently asked questions and details about setting up an account.

Having a home and relationships is what keeps many people grounded, but what happens when their home is lost and their relationships are upended as a result of incarceration? That shift can take a serious toll on incarcerated individuals, as their social interactions are limited. Maintaining a relationship with an inmate can be challenging, both for the person who is incarcerated and their family and friends, but maintaining frequent communication can help everyone involved.

People require social interactions to grow and thrive mentally and emotionally, and we can all benefit when we learn about different perspectives from others through conversation. But how do you maintain a relationship and conversations with the difficult physical and mental barriers of incarceration? There is no easy answer to this, as it will require creativity and putting in the effort.

Creativity Knows No Bounds

There are a variety of ways to maintain a relationship with an inmate, some requiring less effort than others, but they are all capable of helping you connect. With a little creativity, not only will you keep each other engaged socially, you can help each other grow as people. Creative examples for socializing with incarcerated individuals, which can be done virtually or in-person, include:

• Engage their interests. Do not talk about the things you know they dislike. Instead, bring light into their life — it will help sustain them. Do they love sports? Discuss their favorite college or professional team, especially if they are on a winning streak or making good headlines!

• Playing games. Come up with simple games to play. Even ones that do not require any physical items, like games rooted in trivia, can be fun.

• Reading books. Identify a book you both want to read, get two copies (one for each of you, if allowed) and then start your own two-person book club. If you want to study a topic together, a self-help book may be a great option. If the incarcerated individual is not allowed to have books, you could choose to read aloud to them. Some correctional facilities allow books to be made available through the HomeWAV system that can be read together.

• Avoid talking about incarceration. Want to keep the mood light? Focus on fun topics, like favorite vacation spots, best restaurants, theme parks, movies, books, etc.

• Religion. It’s not for everyone, but if your incarcerated loved one is a person of faith, they likely find comfort in discussing their faith background, books from the Bible, and religion.

Maintaining Healthy Relationships After Incarceration

The progress you make in your relationship while your loved one is incarcerated will carry over after their release. Not only will they be better adjusted, but you will also have a stronger bond that can help fuel the two of you emotionally.

Part of having a healthier relationship after incarceration is that incarceration provides opportunities for both parties to improve communication skills, which in turn can help strengthen your commitment to one another and perhaps even provide conflict-resolution skills. The development of these newfound skills does more than help you maintain a healthy relationship after incarceration, it can help ease the reentry process and reduce the chance of recidivism. 

Additionally, by communicating more with those outside of jail, those who are incarcerated are likely to feel more at ease settling back into society once they are released because they feel more connected to their loved ones and the community. They are more aware of things that have happened while they were gone and how those in their lives are doing, leading to feelings of connection.

Creating Interpersonal Connections through HomeWAV

HomeWAV provides cost-effective and convenient video visitation options to friends, family, and their incarcerated loved ones. With a free mobile app and easy-to-use technology, we make video calls simple. By bridging the technology gap, we make maintaining a relationship with an inmate easier. Create an account or check out our FAQ page for more information.

While nothing can take the place of in-person visitation, advancements in technology can help bridge the gap between you and your incarcerated loved one by allowing video calls with someone in jail. Through companies like HomeWAV, inmates are able to make video calls with friends and family from jail easily and safely, allowing for better connections and communication. If you have been looking for an alternative to FaceTime to connect with someone in jail more efficiently, HomeWAV provides video and voice calling resources.

If your loved one is currently an inmate at a correctional facility that offers the HomeWAV system, video calling is as easy as five steps:

There are a variety of ways to maintain a relationship with an inmate, some requiring less effort than others, but they are all capable of helping you connect. With a little creativity, not only will you keep each other engaged socially, you can help each other grow as people. Creative examples for socializing with incarcerated individuals, which can be done virtually or in-person, include:

1. Create an Account: To ensure safety for yourself and your loved one, you’ll need to first create a HomeWAV account online, either through your computer browser or the mobile app on your phone. (The mobile app is available free in the app store for iOS and Android.) You will need to upload a profile picture of yourself that is head-on, from the shoulders up, and without filters or edits, as well as a government-issued ID like your license, state ID, or passport.

2. Wait to be Accepted by the Detention Facility: In most cases, your account will be reviewed by the correctional facility within 24 to 48 hours. The correctional facility will see your account, profile photo, and government-issued ID, then grant or deny access. This process is similar to the one you would need to go through to visit in-person and gives facility staff the awareness of who inmates are speaking with.

Please note that acceptance is at the discretion of each correctional facility. Outside of financial fraud situations, HomeWAV does not stop accounts from being made. If your account is not accepted, please contact the detention facility.

3. Add Funds to Your Account: You can also add funds to your incarcerated loved one’s HomeWAV account through the website, mobile app, a PayNearMe kiosk, or through our automated phone payment system. Your loved one will be able to use these funds to call those on their approved phone list. 

Fees and services are set independently by each corrections facility, but most are between 10 and 30 cents per minute. eMessaging features are less than one cent per character. Unlike calls from the detention center which can sometimes allow for outgoing collect calls, you will need to add funds via credit, debit, or prepaid cards prior to the call. Enter the amount you would like to add to your account via the “Add ‘Talk to Me’ Funds” in the app or online.

4. Stay Logged into Your Account and Wait: The great thing about video calling with an inmate is that you do not need to have a scheduled time to chat. Instead, voice and video calls are initiated from your loved one when they have access to a HomeWAV kiosk or tablet. Your loved one will be notified via kiosk or tablet once you are signed into your account and available to connect.

5. Video Call with Your Loved One: When you are both available, your loved one can call you through our secure app or website portal. Be sure to have a strong Wi-Fi signal for the best video quality.

We understand that knowing someone in jail is hard, but with HomeWAV, we hope to make communicating easier by allowing video calls similar to FaceTime. With video calls, you can keep your loved one up-to-date about what is happening in your life and feel a bit closer, even while they are incarcerated. 

For more information about HomeWAV or how to stay in contact with your loved one, help children understand the situation, and care for yourself during this trying time, we have free resources available on our website.