Last week seven of us in the Catholic Worker community met
with the chaplains at the Dane County Jail and a representative from Madison
Urban Ministries to kick-off a transportation service for inmates released from
jail. We were energized by the hope that
this ministry could bring to the community and the support we have been
receiving from all in the community who hear of it.
We have recognized the lack of community support for those
in jail once released. Jail is a
challenging environment. However, it
does provide structure, time and an opportunity for sobriety and with this a
person while there can develop healthy resolutions to take on the world in new
ways once released. However, with little
community support and a lack of structure an individual can flounder in the
transition to the real world. When faced
with the challenges of finding housing, food, transportation or clothing it is
easy to enter into or return to unhealthy patterns of behavior. Without an introduction to the wider
community it is easy to become entangled in familiar yet destructive
relationships from the past.
Our idea in brief is to provide a ride from the Dane County
Jail to other supportive services in the area.
We see this as a way to be with someone in that very confusing moment
when that person walks out of jail with only the clothes they came in on. For many, they are walking into a world with
little support. Though we cannot provide for their every need we can give them
a ride to those who are more positioned at this time to help them make the
transition with success. We see this as
a small first step in reaching out to meet what has been characterized as an
“ocean of need.”
Through a referral process in the jail system we propose to
meet individuals at the exit door. We
will sit with them and discuss their plans now that they are free in the
community again. And we will provide
transportation to social services and community support. We are learning as we go but excited to be
off and running.
Peace, Adam
