Social Reintegration is a term that most people have never heard, yet, in the world of criminal justice and reform, it is incredibly important. Some of the keys to success in Social Reintegration include, “…measures taken to encourage and promote contact with family, friends and the community, to which almost all prisoners will one day return.” The “how to” of this particular endeavor is complicated, but a certain step in this process is to facilitate contact between current offenders and compassionate community members in order for PATCH moms to feel more confident in forming positive relationships after leaving incarceration.

In an effort to help facilitate this kind of growth in its participants, in October of 2017—and for the very first time—PATCH invited (and cleared through correctional center protocols) volunteers to its PATCH Offender Organization Banquet. Over the course of the two-hour event, the 60 attendees participated in a program, enjoyed a catered meal, and made connections, which in some cases, were years in the making. And while the occasion was an obvious highlight for the PATCH offender participants, the most glowing reviews were received by some of the volunteer drivers, who finally had the opportunity to meet the mother of PATCH children whom they had known and served for years. As one volunteer put it…

“This event was the highlight of my year.”

“Parenting Programs Like PATCH are Useful” suggests MO Department of Corrections report

A recent report from the Missouri Department of Corrections shows that PATCH participants have been less likely to return to prison than other females with dependents. The report, which spans from 2010 through 2017, found that PATCH graduates returned to prison almost 10 percent less frequently than other inmates with dependents. But that is not the end of the good news, as David Oldfield, Director of Research and Evaluation for the Missouri Department of Corrections points out, “Most of the Patch offenders [who] returned to prison within two years of release have been returned for technical violations and you can see that because the incarceration rate is 25.3%, but the new conviction rate is only 8.9% (and that includes new probations).” Director Oldfield commented further that, “The recidivism rates for the females in your Patch program are lower than the average recidivism rates for all releases of females with dependents for all time periods from six months after release to three years.”

So what does all this mean?

It means that over the past eight years PATCH participants have been less likely to return to prison for any reason (and less likely to commit new crimes) than their non-participating counterparts. Greater numbers of PATCH participants will certainly bring added clarity, but according to the numbers thus far, PATCH’s impact has been demonstrably positive and this recent report is certainly–as Director Oldfield described–“…promising news for the PATCH program…”.