The FCCJ SPECTRUM Vol. II/Spring 1994 College joins the fight against crime A partnership with the Division ofJails and Pris- ons means FCCJ will teach inmates life skills,such as how to make better decisions. While Florida's political forces try to find money to increase the supply of prison beds,Florida Comm- unity College at Jack- sonville hasjoined a partnership with the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office to help curb the demand. For years FCCJ has provided basic educa- tion,GED and high school education ser- vices to people incarcer- ated in Duval County prison and jail facilities. Now with a grant from the U.S.Department of Education,FCCJ will teach Jacksonville's prison population how to lead a life that doesn't depend on crime. The project is called life skills for the incarcerated. It teaches inmates to make bet- ter decisions and that those decisions have consequences. "We're dealing with a population of people here who never learned the basic skills oflife,"said FCCJ project coordinator Richard Anderson."The ultimate goal ofthis program is to reduce the amount of people who commit crimes after they've been released from prison." The first year ofthis three-year grant will focus primarily on the female population ofthe James I. Montgomery Correctional Center in north Duval County. Montgomery is a minimum security facility for inmates sentenced to less than a year. "One ofthe major reasons females commit crimes is because oftheir poor self- image,"said Thomas Bobbitt,chiefof prisons at the Montgomery facility."Getting an education will help them improve their self-image and with the life-skills training, help them live without resorting to crime once they are released." "Getting an education"in this program means learning basic skills as they apply to five vocational areas:office technology,health occupations,construction trades,automotive trades,and electronics and electricity. It also meansearning a high school diploma through the GED program,learning life skills and deci- sion making skills,and realizing possibilities for futurejobs through vocational evaluation. "Vocational evaluation will help the inmates with their transition to the real world," Anderson said."They'll know how to get a Social Security number.They'll know Educational opportunities help female inmates improve their self-image. Combine that with life- skills training and basic skills,and officials think they may have a formula for reducing the number of repeat offenders. • "The ultimate goal ofthis program is to reduce the amount of people who commit crimes after they've been released from prison." • how to fill out ajob application. For some reason,these people have missed that link." A one-week series ofassessments to learn more about the skills, abilities and prior education ofeach inmate is the first step in building that link for the prisoners of the Montgomery Correctional Center.This testing helps instructional stafftailor teach- ing to each individual. The one week ofassessments is fol- lowed by eight weeks ofa veryjob-like experience — for eight hours each day, inmates will attend classes. Jack Mills,chiefofcommunity correc- tions for the Sheriff's Department,said that ifthe program is successful it will be evi- dent almost immediately. "We should be able to measure behavior changes at the end ofthe class," Mills said. "We'll look for a reduction in infractions and fewer behavior problems in prison life, but our real goals are long-term behavior changes after inmates are released from prison." The program will serve 90inmates in three sessions before the end ofOctober. Anderson hopes that when the grant is renewed funding will be available to pur- chase computers for classroom use. For inmates at the James I. Mont- gomery Correctional Center,time served will soon mean time in the classroom. With funding from a U.S. Department of Education grant,FCCJ will provide basic skills training in five vocational areas and teach inmates how to lead a life that doesn't include crime. "Ifinmates in the controlled environ- ment of prison can't get along well,how can you expect them to get along in society," Anderson said."This type ofeducation helps prisoners learn that there are conse- quences to their actions. It helps them think about those consequences before they act so that,hopefully,they make choices accept- able to society." Mills said that having FCCJ as an edu- cational resource for local inmates is benefi- cial to Duval County."To have a local educational institution like FCCJ that can receive grants for training and educating our population is important,especially in a time when state funding for prison educational programs is being reduced." Some ofthose reductions are a result of the state's emphasis on funding more prison space. But Bobbitt wants the Montgomery Correctional Center to be more for the inmates than just a place to serve time. "This is something that will add worth to their lives," Bobbitt said."They're here to become better people." , OCR Text: The FCCJ SPECTRUM Vol. II/Spring 1994 College joins the fight against crime A partnership with the Division ofJails and Pris- ons means FCCJ will teach inmates life skills,such as how to make better decisions. While Florida's political forces try to find money to increase the supply of prison beds,Florida Comm- unity College at Jack- sonville hasjoined a partnership with the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office to help curb the demand. For years FCCJ has provided basic educa- tion,GED and high school education ser- vices to people incarcer- ated in Duval County prison and jail facilities. Now with a grant from the U.S.Department of Education,FCCJ will teach Jacksonville's prison population how to lead a life that doesn't depend on crime. The project is called life skills for the incarcerated. It teaches inmates to make bet- ter decisions and that those decisions have consequences. "We're dealing with a population of people here who never learned the basic skills oflife,"said FCCJ project coordinator Richard Anderson."The ultimate goal ofthis program is to reduce the amount of people who commit crimes after they've been released from prison." The first year ofthis three-year grant will focus primarily on the female population ofthe James I. Montgomery Correctional Center in north Duval County. Montgomery is a minimum security facility for inmates sentenced to less than a year. "One ofthe major reasons females commit crimes is because oftheir poor self- image,"said Thomas Bobbitt,chiefof prisons at the Montgomery facility."Getting an education will help them improve their self-image and with the life-skills training, help them live without resorting to crime once they are released." "Getting an education"in this program means learning basic skills as they apply to five vocational areas:office technology,health occupations,construction trades,automotive trades,and electronics and electricity. It also meansearning a high school diploma through the GED program,learning life skills and deci- sion making skills,and realizing possibilities for futurejobs through vocational evaluation. "Vocational evaluation will help the inmates with their transition to the real world," Anderson said."They'll know how to get a Social Security number.They'll know Educational opportunities help female inmates improve their self-image. Combine that with life- skills training and basic skills,and officials think they may have a formula for reducing the number of repeat offenders. • "The ultimate goal ofthis program is to reduce the amount of people who commit crimes after they've been released from prison." • how to fill out ajob application. For some reason,these people have missed that link." A one-week series ofassessments to learn more about the skills, abilities and prior education ofeach inmate is the first step in building that link for the prisoners of the Montgomery Correctional Center.This testing helps instructional stafftailor teach- ing to each individual. The one week ofassessments is fol- lowed by eight weeks ofa veryjob-like experience — for eight hours each day, inmates will attend classes. Jack Mills,chiefofcommunity correc- tions for the Sheriff's Department,said that ifthe program is successful it will be evi- dent almost immediately. "We should be able to measure behavior changes at the end ofthe class," Mills said. "We'll look for a reduction in infractions and fewer behavior problems in prison life, but our real goals are long-term behavior changes after inmates are released from prison." The program will serve 90inmates in three sessions before the end ofOctober. Anderson hopes that when the grant is renewed funding will be available to pur- chase computers for classroom use. For inmates at the James I. Mont- gomery Correctional Center,time served will soon mean time in the classroom. With funding from a U.S. Department of Education grant,FCCJ will provide basic skills training in five vocational areas and teach inmates how to lead a life that doesn't include crime. "Ifinmates in the controlled environ- ment of prison can't get along well,how can you expect them to get along in society," Anderson said."This type ofeducation helps prisoners learn that there are conse- quences to their actions. It helps them think about those consequences before they act so that,hopefully,they make choices accept- able to society." Mills said that having FCCJ as an edu- cational resource for local inmates is benefi- cial to Duval County."To have a local educational institution like FCCJ that can receive grants for training and educating our population is important,especially in a time when state funding for prison educational programs is being reduced." Some ofthose reductions are a result of the state's emphasis on funding more prison space. But Bobbitt wants the Montgomery Correctional Center to be more for the inmates than just a place to serve time. "This is something that will add worth to their lives," Bobbitt said."They're here to become better people." , Z ArchiveInABox,JAX,FCCJ Spectrum,Scans,1994 Spring,1994 Spring 1 Page 1, 1994 Spring 1 Page 1