Problem: COLLATERAL CONSEQUENCES

The number of people the US incarcerates is the highest in the world. The resultant consequences (law-sanctioned), follows individuals with a criminal record over their entire life.[1] These are called COLLATERAL CONSEQUENCES. Including, but are certainly not limited to:

The Problem-Housing: Individuals & management companies can refuse to rent to individuals with criminal convictions even if they can prove employment, has the required move-in funds (deposit, first and last month of rent, etc.), and is able to provide references.

THE T.O.U.C.H. Solution:

  • We have built relationships and partnerships, (not
    resource lists), with landlords and management companies to help provide
    housing for participants as well as to educate landlords and management
    companies more broadly.

The Problem-Employment: Employers often will not hire individuals with a criminal background even when they are trained and qualified.

The T.O.U.C.H. Solution:

  • We have built relationships and partnerships, (not resource lists), with employers helping them access a reliable workforce, (Mag-7), which provides T.O.U.C.H. clients with employment.

  • Employers conduct recruitment at the agency during which they conduct interviews, drug screens, and hires.

  • We offer our MAGNIFICENT- 7 clients as THE Workforce Solutions to solve employers workforce needs.

The Problem-Voting: Individuals with a criminal record are often prohibited from exercising their basic right to vote as a citizen. You can look at each state’s laws HERE. (Ohio Law allows for full automatic restoration of voting rights upon release from incarceration (re-registration required). Those on probation and/or parole ARE eligible to vote).

The T.O.U.C.H. Solution:

  • To promote civic engagement, we educate participants on their rights, provide voting registration opportunities, and assist with requesting absentee ballots and/or locating polling locations.

The Problem-Government Benefits: Individuals with a criminal background are often ineligible to receive student financial assistance, government food assistance, retirement and disability benefits etc…

The T.O.U.C.H. Solution:

  • We educate participants on their rights, assist them in completing applications for benefits, and work with partners to provide further resources.

The Problem-Volunteering: Most organizations conduct background checks on volunteers and do not allow individuals with a past criminal conviction to provide volunteer services.

The T.O.U.C.H. Solution:

  • We encourage participants to re-establish community ties and become involved in their communities.

  • We assist participants with finding community and volunteer projects as well as providing opportunities through our agency.

The Problem-Availability and Access to Help Services: The Second Chance Act of 2007 increased resources for services. However, 12 years after the Act was passed, services have not been as successful, plentiful, and accessible, as intended. Funding is restricted and geographical swaths are under-represented and under-funded.[2]

The T.O.U.C.H. Solution:

  • MCS-T.O.U.C.H. provides comprehensive services to individuals (ages 16+), with various offenses (except sex offenses), risk levels, and lengths of incarceration.

  • One improvement needed is the type of services provided such as our SOLUTIONS programming. For 9 years T.O.U.C.H., with 6 Ohio prisons, has been providing Innovative Peer-to-Peer Group Mentoring utilizing web-conferencing. Curriculum based Talk Sessions are conducted in real-time from the agency office.

  • MCS-T.O.U.C.H. provides comprehensive wrap-around services, i.e., Employment Placement, Transportation, and Intensive Case Management.

Positive LIFE OUTCOMES the T.O.U.C. H. Way– As an agency, we view our clients as whole, complex individuals. We address client’s social challenges by establishing community via peer-to-peer mentoring and a plethora of wrap-around services. It is powerful to see clients’ shares histories related to each other’s challenges and help each other make better choices. We address economic challenges with employment training and placement opportunities. We value our clients’ health by providing internal 1-on-1 and group counseling as well as connecting them with affordable health insurance.

Interesting reads regarding COLLATERAL CONSEQUENCES:

American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) https://www.aclu.org/other/words-prison-collateral-consequences-incarceration. The Heritage Foundation https://www.heritage.org/crime-and-justice/report/collateral-consequences-protecting-public-safety-or-encouraging-recidivism.

  1. Tyler, E.T and Brockmann, B. (2017). Returning home: incarceration, reentry, stigma and the perpetuation of racial and socioeconomic health inequity. The Journal of Law Medicine& Ethics, 45, 545-557.
  2. NIJ. (2018). Lessons learned from the Second Chance Act: moving forward to strengthen offender re-entry. Retrieved from https://www.nij.gov/topics/corrections/reentry/Pages/lessons-learned-from-the-second-chance-act.aspx.