Formerly and Currently Incarcerated People

This page is loaded with links for folks in transition.

There are a lot of links on this page, and links to other pages, too. We include tons of information because reentry is different for every person.

The shift is a big one, but please remember: many of our most highly treasured stories are redemption stories!

For those of you who are currently incarcerated and have access to Corrlinks, please sign up for our newsletter: [email protected].

This page is also for Family, Friends, Advocates, Non-Profits, Ministry, Case Managers, and everyone who is supports people through the transition!

In a hurry today? You can print the Fair Shake flyers, plus add a state resource list, for a total of 5 pages (one stamp!) to send to folks preparing for release:  Fair Shake flyers

Employment

EmploymentLooking for information to help you find a job? Check out our Find A Job page!

If you’re getting ready to apply or interview, check out our Prepare For Work page!

 

Housing Search

Transitional Housing is supportive housing that helps fight the homeless problem in today’s society. Transitional housing is generally for a limited time period. Stays can be from two weeks to twenty four months.  https://www.transitionalhousing.org/


They provide an online directory of shelters in cities where they found help for those needing shelter. https://www.shelterlist.com/

Low Income Housing:  Find affordable rentals & housing options for low income families and individuals.  https://www.lowincomehousing.us

National Reentry Network for Returning Citizens

National Reentry Helpline: 844-916-2577

thenationalreentrynetwork.org

2-1-1

A FREE national resource service available by phone or internet to help folks in need find resources they seek 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.  They list resources for food, shelter, employment, education, housing, mental and physical health, specific services for veterans, special needs and reentry, a safe path out of physical and/or emotional abuse. A service of United Way. www.211.org

Find Help

https://company.findhelp.com

America’s leading social care network, which features more than 300,000 human-verified programs that provide help to millions of people across the country.

Fair Shake Resource Directory

Find food, employment training, free stuff, housing, health care, family support, more than 12,000 resources and 450 reentry publications and links in our FREE  Resource Directory!

New to Computers?

Need help with your computer skills? Learn
more about using your computer on our

Building Computer Skills page!

Keep your documents safe(ish) in the cloud!

Google online storage

Banking

FRSH Banking  

Created specifically for people who have been incarcerated. The website says “We offer FREE bank accounts with debit cards to EVERYONE no matter what you did in your past. No fees (incl. no overdraft fees). No minimum balance.  FRSH is forcing individuals to move from awareness to responsibility, to action. ”

Check them out here: myfrsh.com/banking

myFRSH, LLC
14555 Dallas Pkwy, #100
Dallas, TX 75254

 

Operation HOPE

Operation HOPE has a series of programs to support your path to improving your credit, reducing debet, increasing savings, buying a home or starting a business. Our programs and services, which serve youth and adults, are offered at no cost to you.

Operation HOPE
91 Peachtree Street NE, Suite 3840
Atlanta, GA 30303
888-388-HOPE (4673)

operationhope.org

 

InCharge

InCharge

InCharge offers a free credit counseling service that provides help with budgeting, solutions for becoming debt free and tips to successfully manage your money. The goal of credit counseling is to provide a solution that helps you achieve debt relief and get on a financially healthy path. The service can be done over the phone or online.

You may be able to:

* Lower your interest rates
* Reduce monthly payments
* Credit scores are not a factor
* Eliminate fees and over-limit charges
* Stop harassing calls from debt collectors
* Consolidate credit bills into one monthly payment
* Build a realistic budget and financial plan you can follow

InCharge Debt Solutions
5750 Major Blvd, Suite 300
Orlando, FL 32819   https://www.incharge.org/

Vital Documents

Social Security

Supplemental Security Income

Apply for SSI

Reentering The Community After Incarceration

More Publications

Social Security Card

https://www.ssa.gov/ssnumber/

social-security-card-info.pdf

This is the ss-5 form.

https://www.ssa.gov/forms/ss-5.pdf

social-security-card-form-ss-5.pdf

Write For Vital Records – All States

Certificates of Birth, Death, Marriage, Divorce

http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/w2w.htm

vital-records.pdf

DMV Request Outline:

There are many reasons you may wish to write to the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) to request relief.  Perhaps you have very old parking tickets, or your license was suspended, et al.  You may find some leniency from the DMV to help you drive again, especially to get to work. This form has been created by folks in the FCI Sandstone Career Resource Center and is meant to be used as a template or outline for you to use to create your own.

DMV Change Request Outline

Tax FAQ’s from the IRS

Get Right With Your Taxes

Improve Your Financial Outlook!

Check out the Money Management page!!

Improve your Credit Score

Build a Budget Worksheet

 

 

Ann.Crd.Reportwww.annualcreditreport.com

Get a free copy of your credit report every 12 months from each credit reporting company. Ensure that the information on all of your credit reports is correct and up to date!

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Wherever you are on your financial journey, you can prepare yourself to make informed financial decisions with these resources.

www.consumerfinance.gov/consumer-tools/

Ver página en español

Educate Yourself!

Need more math skills? Concerned
about your grammar? Looking to
pick up more knowledge or skills?
Visit our
Educate Yourself! page.

Financial Aid

Federal Student Aid Information Center
P.O. Box 84
Washington, D.C. 20044
1-800-433-3243
https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/

A NOTE ABOUT PELL GRANTS

From the US Dept. of Education: The Department intends to implement the legislative changes to allow eligible students in college-in-prison programs to access federal Pell Grants beginning on July 1, 2023.   Federal Pell Grants are usually awarded only to undergraduate students

 

solEducation not found in school:

The School of Life

The School of Life explores unconventional education to assist people in the quest for a more fulfilled life.

SOLWatch the introduction video here ->

Here are some topics we thought might interest you:

Self: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwxNMb28XmpckOvZZ_AZjD7WM2p9-6NBv

Relationships: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwxNMb28XmpcEwc0qydf2jSszQFSht81E

Work + Capitalism: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwxNMb28XmpehnfQOa4c0E7j3GIj4qFEj

You can find more on the School of Life on the Educate Yourself page!

 

Fair Shake Ownership Manual

Our Reentry Ownership Manual is loaded with reentry information including tools and materials for building bridges of transformation and trust.

Fair Shake Ownership Manual

 

Individual Pages in the Packet

Looking for Books?

Check out our Free Books Programs page!

Mental and Physical Healthswellness-1

Visit the Swellness Page!

Visit the Building Mental Strength! Page

https://app.fairshake.net/swellness/ 

Physical Health Page (just getting started!)

 

FREE INSURANCE: Parks Insurance offers free insurance for returning citizens as they start to navigate the world and life after incarceration.  https://parksinsured.com/forms/

HelpYourselfTherapy.com

HelpYourselfTherapy.com is a website that offers free, confidential, practical advice from a therapist. The Self-Therapy model is easy to understand and self-disclosure is never needed. Everything is completely confidential. Click on the link below to view the list of topics from the website.

http://helpyourselftherapy.com/topics/index.html

For Veterans – Check out the Veteran’s Page!

https://app.fairshake.net/veterans-page/

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE!

The veteranFed veteranss’ page was created to assist veterans who have been Incarcerated as well as their families. The programs and resources on this page can help reduce the pressures associated with reentry. Our hope is that you will find these resources helpful in providing relief as you face the challenges of finding and supporting an effective  way of life after incarceration.Thank you for your service to our country.

The Transition Assistance Program (TAP) was established to meet the needs of veterans during their period of transition into civilian life by offering job-search assistance and related services. The guide books below were created specifically to support you by applying considerations from your service life to your job seeking. Check in with your local TAP program to find out about jobs that are available near you. To locate your local support office, click on this link: http://www.benefits.va.gov/vow/tap.asp

Personal Appraisal & Career Exploration

Job Search Strategies & Interviews

Reviewing Job Offers & Support and Assistance

Become a Fair Shake Member!

  • Personal Web Page
  • Data Storage
  • Save your Resources
  • Tutorials

Become a Member, It’s FREE!

HousingHUD

We receive very little housing information, especially on a national scale.  Recently, however, the two-part document came to us from a HUD representative.  So began my attempt to connect you to HUD.

 

 HUD regional locations

Two Part Reentry HUD Housing Requesthud book

Since HUD does not offer any documents (that I could find) of their locations (the book does not even offer office locations, only links and email addresses) please ask your people outside to investigate further.

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
451 7th Street S.W.,
Washington, DC 20410
Telephone: (202) 708-1112

https://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/HUD

HUD Programs

Looking to get an Interstate Compact?

ICOSInterstate Commission for Adult Offender Supervision (ICAOS)

https://www.interstatecompact.org/

According to the ICAOS website: “The Interstate Commission for Adult Offender Supervision will guide the transfer of returning citizens in a manner that promotes effective supervision strategies consistent with public safety, accountability, and victims’ rights.”

Here are two documents that can help you get started:

Interstate Compact Overview

Interstate Compact Directory

Voting Rights

Voting rights vary from state to state. In two states, Maine and Vermont, incarcerated people can vote in prison. In all other states people in prison lose their voting rights all together. Voting rights are automatically reinstated at various times throughout the completion of the sentence.  There are no longer any states with a lifetime voting ban!

According to The Sentencing Project: Felony disenfranchisement (the loss of voting and other civil rights) is an obstacle to participation in democratic life which is exacerbated by racial disparities in the criminal justice system (and creates) a disproportionate impact on communities of color.

To find out more, please visit The Sentencing Project:

Voting in Jails:

https://www.sentencingproject.org/policy-brief/voting-in-jails/

Disenfranchisement:

https://www.sentencingproject.org/reports/locked-out-2022-estimates-of-people-denied-voting-rights/

PREPARING FOR PAROLE?

You might want to consider the info in these

Parole Board Handbooks

Ohio Parole Board Handbook 2017

New Parole Board member (State, Federal, and Military) handbook

crim con

Collateral Consequences of a Criminal Conviction

BJS

Bureau of Justice Statistics

2018 Update on Prisoner Recidivism: A 9-Year Follow-up Period (2005-2014)

BJS recidivism 9yr follow up

https://www.bjs.gov/index.cfm?ty=pbdetail&iid=6266

Currently and Formerly Incarcerated Authors Page

LWRWe’ve created this page to showcase literary accomplishments of the incarcerated and formerly Incarcerated authors. In support of these individuals and all successful transitions, we have vetted and recommended the books on our Currently and Formerly Incarcerated Authors page at: https://app.fairshake.net/incarcerated-and-formerly-incarcerated-authors-page/