Community Return
Gender-Specific Offender Rehabilitation for Women
Families Free provides evidence-based, gender specific services to women involved in the criminal justice system including the following:
Reentry Life Skills Classes: Designed for incarcerated women, these classes are structured to reduce recidivism by teaching skills needed to successful community reintegration and family reunification. Topics are addressed to help our participants in reframing their priorities and perspectives on life, to address co-occurring disorders, parenting skills, personal finances, and job readiness. Inmates begin to believe change is possible, take the first steps in addressing their core issues, learn the concepts of criminal and addictive thinking, and begin to plan the concrete supports necessary for their success post-release!
Recovery Support Groups: Helping Women Recover utilizes Stephanie Covington's materials and meets every Wednesday evening at First Christian Church (click here for directions) with child care available.
The Resource Room: Women needing assistance as they reenter our community can come by the Resource Room at Good Samaritan, Inc., on Fridays from 9 am to 4 pm for consultation with a Families Free representative. Click here for directions.
Positive Outcomes
Families Free's participants have consistently shown lower scores on the Texas Christian University's Criminal Thinking Scales when comparing pre-tests to post-tests. This test assesses the following areas: Entitlement, Justification, Personal Irresponsibility, Power Orientation, Cold Heartedness, and Criminal Rationalization.
A huge thank-you to Warden Sam Garland and Chief of Police John Lowry for giving us the opportunity to do this program at the Johnson City Jail!