WriteAPrisoner.com – Welcome Home Guide

WriteAPrisoner.com Self Help Series

Click here for a printer-friendly version of this self-help guide. We encourage you to print and mail to your pen-pals.

Welcome Home Guide- For Inmates Coming Home

Welcome home! We are very happy to hear of your release. This is one business where seeing a member leave us is a happy occasion. However, it is an unfortunate situation when a former member ends up back on WriteAPrisoner.com due to being rearrested, and we sincerely hope to never hear from you under such circumstances. Our site provides a great deal of information for recently released inmates to help them get started with their new lives, and we encourage you to visit our website for more information on reestablishing yourself in the outside world.

Step 1) Completely familiarize yourself with all conditions of release or parole. Make note of all dates that require activity on your part whether it’s a phone call, visit or restitution payment. Be sure to abide by any restrictions regarding areas where you may frequent or stay. This paragraph seems obvious, but simple mistakes can cost you your freedom again. Stay on top of it.

Step 2) Back to Work - Place a resume if you've been recently released from prison. It's free. Also, download our Back to Work document for a checklist of useful ideas to finding a new career.

Step 3) Our Forum - The WriteAPrisoner.com Forum can be a great place to locate resources in your area. Our forum members can be very helpful. Additionally, we also would love to get feedback on how to better help inmates rehabilitate and reintegrate. Much of our site has been built around this feedback, and we would certainly appreciate yours.

Step 4) Positive Relationships - Think of churches, synagogues, mosques, volunteer organizations. Follow the arts in your local papers. There are always free and enriching activities available. Attend! Get a library card where you will have free access to the Internet, books, magazines, etc., Check for local sports leagues to become involved with. Visit state parks. Food is easy to grow, and it's healthy and keeps you occupied. Get a cookbook, and learn to make more for less. The point? Filling your time up with quality activities will help you avoid the pitfalls of falling back into old habits, which may have landed you in prison in the first place. It may seem odd going from a cell to a car show, from lock-up to a library, from prison to a park, but each new, positive experience will take you farther from incarceration and toward a future of liberation.

Step 5) Essentials - Visit Goodwill or the Salvation Army if you need help with clothes or household items. They are both affordable resources. Many churches offer free goods.

Step 6) Transportation - Research your local bus schedules, subways, etc. Public transportation may be your only means of travel initially, so write it all down, keep it with you, and be prepared until you are ready to purchase a car.

Step 7) Home Essentials - Try your local dollar store for affordable essentials: thermos, flashlight, jumper cables (if you have a car), supplies, etc. Microwave ovens are very cheap and an affordable way to prepare meals. A TV can often be obtained through charity groups, and it can provide entertainment to keep you occupied instead of relying on bars or old friends likely to get you in trouble. A cell phone is an important tool. Buy a calendar and make notes of all important dates. Be sure to address all issues mandated by parole or probation on the calendar. Make an emergency card for your wallet with contact information of next of kin.

Step 8) Your New Surroundings - Make a list below (or ask your pen-pal ahead of time to do this) listing your local healthcare clinic, dentist, etc. Locate the local Department of Motor Vehicles (call ahead of time) and ask what you need to bring in to get a state ID card prior to getting a license; locate local law enforcement organizations that you are required by law to stay in contact with. If you visit the library, you can access: google.com/maps to print directions to any of these places.

Sadly, as you know, many inmates end up back in prison. You have much more control over this than anyone else in your life. It's up to you to stay out, and we have faith that you will. We hope that the resources provided here will help you reintegrate smoothly back into society and keep you on track to a bright future. Wishing you all of the luck and success in the world!

Useful numbers and addresses (Include walk-in clinics, homeless shelters, Salvation Army, Goodwill, Red Cross, United Way, church outreach programs (food banks, etc.), unemployment office, Manpower office, parole offices, etc.:

Name:_________________________________________
Address:_______________________________________
Address Continued:______________________________
Phone Number:__________________________________
Notes:______________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

Click here for a printer-friendly version of this self-help guide. We encourage you to print and mail to your pen-pals.

View Additional Documents from WriteAPrisoner.com's Self-Help Series

Disclaimer: WriteAPrisoner.com makes no claims to be experts on the material above and cannot be held liable as a result of any action you take based on this information. This document is simply an informational guide and is not intended as legal advice. It is recommended that you research all content yourself and consult a professional if you have questions.

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