Rabbi Vogel Blog - The Aleph Institute - N.E. Regional Headquarters

Job Search

Wednesday, December 30, 2009 - 6:47 PM

http://jobs.aol.com/articles/2009/11/12/out-of-prison-out-of-a-job-out-of-luck/

Our re-entry programs help ex-inmates daily get jobs and ease the return to society, with the help of businesses (like the Used Appliance Warehouse on the Southside) who partner with us in providing jobs for those returning to the community; we are able to save lives.

Fortunately this week we helped one inmate returning to NY (from a Western PA prison) with housing and a job thanks to the Fortune Society, in another case we were able to help a young man who has returned to this community last week after five years in prison with employment, unfortunately a third person this week we were unable to help Jeremy (name changed) who wants a position more than minimu… Read More »

Crime Drop

Saturday, December 26, 2009 - 7:02 PM

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09360/1023714-53.stm

The numbers of the Jewish inmates incarcerated at the county jail has been more or less the same; we have seen a rise in Jewish inmates over the last few years, but nothing significant in the last year. Compared to the numbers of the rest of the population I think we have stayed in line.

The fears of increased prison population many in the community were predicting due to the new casino on the north side did not come about, our number have not reflected that and to date we have not seen an increase in people in the community seeking services for problems associated with gambling, more then we already were seeing.

Building Bridges

Thursday, December 24, 2009 - 10:22 PM

The Prison Society won funding from the recently announced ‘Second Chance Act’ for funding of a program in PA for “Building Bridges”. The program will begin with two prisons, to have sixty inmate and sixty mentors, in each institution. The inmates will have nine month to go to the end of their sentence, upon their return to society the mentors will continue working with these individuals as they begin life once again.

The goal is to provide for a stable and trusting support and with the help of an institution on the outside to track them, the results should be a lot better then the national rate of recidivism of over seventy eight percent.

Mr. Jonathan T. Backers has been hired by the Prison Society to lead… Read More »

Moving PA inmates out of state

Tuesday, December 22, 2009 - 2:55 PM

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09356/1022675-454.stm

With over 55,000 inmates in the PA state prison! It is high time emphasis be given to rehabilitation; one key element of rehabilitation is the strengthening of ties between family and inmate.

Over ninety percent of those incarcerated are going to return to society and unless we make serious inroads and work with those incarcerated, they are more than likely going to end up back in prison. The current national rate of recidivism is 79%!

Separating these men and women from their family is only going to worsen the minimum support network that they have. Their families for the most part don’t have the resources or are not healthy enough to travel long distances.

Story of man in prison

Tuesday, December 22, 2009 - 2:02 PM

A Jew in Prison

A Reflection on Anti-Semitism on the Yard

David Arenberg had everything going for him. He was smart, the son of a research scientist and a teacher. He graduated in 1980 from the elite University of Chicago with a degree in psychology, and went on to become a left-wing tenants' rights organizer in New York City for seven years. But in 1987, he suffered a "personal tragedy" and a "political defeat" that he doesn't want to discuss but that prompted him to leave his organizing work. Always a moderate drug user, he says, he began abusing cocaine and "generally living a seedy life." His brother tried to rescue him by recruiting him to run a small trucking com… Read More »