Camden County Helping Former Inmates Rejoin Society

Antonne Henshaw spent 30 years in jail in Camden County. For many inmates, rejoining society can be extremely difficult, and they can end up back in jail. Camden County is among those attempting to make it easier for former inmates to rejoin society and never see the inside of a prison again.

Dozens of formerly incarcerated Camden County residents were introduced to an array of services as they prepare to re-enter society at the Reentry Resource Forum in Camden, county officials said on Thursday. These services and resources are often difficult for former inmates to obtain, officials said.

Those services include assistance obtaining a driver’s license, intakes and screenings for drug or alcohol treatment, and employment resources to help attendees re-enter the workforce now that they’ve returned to the community. In addition, Camden employer EMR conducted interviews on the spot to hire individuals who attended the event.

“Our goal is to lower and eliminate the barriers faced by our re-enter population, and to ensure that when they leave our facilities they are prepared to be successful in their community,” Camden County Freeholder Director Louis Cappelli, Jr. said. “If we get these services into someone’s hands early, and we keep at it with appropriate follow-ups, then we can significantly reduce the rate of recidivism in our facilities, and greatly increase the quality of life of our former offenders looking to live a better life.”

“For me, it's about producing people who can be an asset to the community,” Henshaw said. “The people who once harmed it can help it heal. You don’t have to be defined by your past if you’re willing to take control of your future.”

The Camden Coalition of Healthcare Providers, Volunteers of America, Genesis, and Oaks Integrated Care operate reentry programs within the Camden County Correctional Facility. Collectively, all of these reentry programs put individuals in a better position to be successful once released. These programs exponentially increase the odds that one can break the continuous cycle of arrest and incarceration.

The county has also been working for the last decade to reduce the jail population. Since 2009, the average daily population at the Camden County Jail has been reduced by 55 percent, from 1,686 to 756, officials said. The average length of a stay in jail is 24.

The Reentry Resource Forum is a result of Camden County’s participation in the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Safety and Justice Challenge. Camden County was one of 13 jurisdictions nationwide selected to participate in the $148 million initiative to reduce over-incarceration by changing the way America thinks about and uses jails.

Read more here: Camden County Joins National Jail Reform Initiative

Through the challenge, the county obtained the resources and expertise needed for this and similar events. Through the Challenge’s Innovation Fund, Camden County receives support and expert technical assistance in designing and implementing local reforms.

Camden County Jail Warden Karen Taylor said it is necessary to provide post release reentry services to prevent inmates from ending up back in jail.

"If we do not prepare them, they will return to us," Taylor said. "If we want to reduce recidivism, it's incumbent on the correctional facility and the community as a whole to make sure they have the tools, the map and the guide to successfully re-enter their communities."