Jim Alexander introduced Rev. Dr. Joyce Penfield, Executive Director and co-founder of The Blessing Way – a faith-based social service oriented organization founded in 2004 to address the high rate of return to prison by men and women after their release. Dr. Penfield has worked in prisons since 1996 and shared her personal experiences and extensive statistics demonstrating the problem of recidivism.

 

She described how a prisoner can lose everything within several months of entering prison including wages, housing and their children. The cost to the community and tax payers is substantial, but for all that is expended as little as 5% of the RI prison budget is spent on rehabilitation and drug treatment programs. Of the 3600 in prison at any one time (12 % of RI population is affected by incarceration,) 80-90 % has a history of substance abuse and 16% have serious mental illness.

 

The Blessing Way’s housing program in Providence was created to address these issues with a re-entry program opened to prisoners and others who are committed to remaining sober and willing to seek and maintain employment. The program starts the day the person is released when Dr. Penfield picks them up at the prison. It continues for 90 days with a goal oriented life skills and spiritual life program. Finding a job is an immediate priority and program participants are expected to work at least 30 hours a week and contribute the cost of housing.

 

Dr. Penfield and Jim Hummell’s RI Spotlight video gave the audience a view of the substantial challenges facing individuals as they seek to change. While resources like mental health services are clearly limited,   the potential of a motivated individual and the highly structured Blessings Program offer hope to many individuals and families in Rhode Island. It is making an impact much lower recidivism rates in RI than nationally.