At any given time there are tens of thousands of U.S. Military veterans incarcerated in the United States. Many of these are being detained temporarily for some minor indiscretion, and will be released within a few hours, days, or maybe, weeks. This type of incarceration seldom results in the need for emergency intervention from the VA or other veteran service organizations.  Many more of these veterans are in jail for serious crimes and will be there for several months to several years.  And some, those sentenced to life, will leave the prison only after they die.

 

One day, however, the vast majority of these men and women will either be granted parole or max out their sentence, and be faced with the daunting task of starting life over on the outside, after years and for some, decades of incarceration.  This transition is commonly referred to as re-entry.

 

Re-entry is the process of preparing to leave the specialized, closed community of a corrections facility and re-enter society at large.  It is a process.  A series of related tasks designed and organized in a way to lead to a stated goal.  In this case, the goal is to reduce the rate of recidivism.  The vast majority of correctional facilities provide counseling, employment and jobs skills, and other opportunities for correctional.

 

For some of these veterans, families will be a resource. They will have marketable skills to trade for a living wage. But for many, they will be alone in the world. Penniless, without skills, jobless, and homeless.  This is the population that needs attention right now.

 

The VA, combining resources from their Homeless and D&A programs,  has developed a comprehensive plan to intercede in the release and transition process. This plan, known as Incarcerated Veterans Re-Entry Services and Resources,  is in place and functioning, on a limited basis,  in all fifty States.  However, it seems that the limits are not the fault of the VA this time.  In order for the plan to be successful, it requires the cooperation and active participation of the community based State and local housing and employment organizations, faith-based organizations,  the correctional facilities, and veterans service groups.  The identification and organization of all of these groups takes time.  Some of these organizations needed to restructure their bylaws to include incarcerated veterans as possible targets for their services, others needed to re-allocate funds from other programs of equal importance, to meet the challenge.  And some of these possible resources are less then willing to associate themselves with this population.  It was a massive endeavor.

 

The VA plan calls for the establishment of a system of outreach networks with an Incarcerated Veterans Re-Entry Specialist at the hub.  This phase is complete and functioning.  These reps are usually centered around a VA Medical Facility and are charged with identifying, categorizing, and communicating with the veterans incarcerated in their service area.  These Re-Entry Specialist have developed state-specific resources guides which identify steps that veterans can take prior to their release.  These guides also provided the contact information of local VA staff and other government and community organizations who may be available to the incarcerated veteran.  These reps are also expected to coordinate with Veteran Service Organizations, State and local governmental organizations, and private, contracted service providers to coordinate and consolidate services. One of the most in-demand service, and one that was all but impossible to find, was housing, specifically half-way housing for veterans who have identifiable drug and alcohol treatment needs.

 

This writer was privileged to be involved in the very early stages of the development of this process when, as a staff member of a large State Correctional Institution, I was a member of a VVA post made up of veterans incarcerated, other staff members of the institution, and members from the outside community.  In this capacity, I was in a position to see the efforts of the newly appointed VA Rep, who not only worked for the Vets, but demonstrated that he really cared about them and their re-entry.

 

What benefits and services are available to veterans who are incarcerated and for those who are about to be released from custody?  What about the families of the veterans who remain in custody? Do they have any right to expect benefits? And what responsibilities do the Veterans Service Organizations have in this process.  These questions and more will be discussed in future articles on Veterans Incarcerated.