REENTRY LEADER

HORIZON is a leader in the field of preparing the incarcerated for re-entry into society, sponsoring year-long, faith-based and character-based, residential programs in prisons. Volunteer-led programs, stressing personal and family responsibility, citizenship, education and employability, are under-girded by spiritual growth. Named "A Model for the Future" by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in 2001, Horizon continues to gain experience and accumulate accolades in this uncharted field. Horizon participants also complete a Transition Plan which includes housing, medical, employment and transportation resources in the locale in which they will be living.

Horizon continues to gain experience and accumulate accolades in this uncharted field.

HORIZON OFFERS:

• International recognition

• Programs designed for a variety of security-level prison populations, all aiding re-entry to society

• Programs designed for available space within an institution

• Recruitment and training of volunteers, who facilitate most of the programs

• Work with administration to meet the needs of both the institution and inmate population

• Bring together corrections, other governmental agencies and local resources to secure adequate funding

• Reporting and accountability to funding agents

• Local public relations for the program

• A nationally recognized and approved program

HORIZON'S FIVE TRACK GOALS

Personal Responsibility
Family Responsibility
Education 
Employability
Citizenship

THE FACTS

• Recent research and awards for Horizon projects since 1999 are clear evidence that Horizon faith-based communities work to ease the re-entry process. Success has been measured in the betterment of prison environment, family reconciliations, society’s adjustment to the incarcerated, and even the almost intractable recidivism. Secular teachings delivered by volunteers within a faith context work!

• Horizon has limited capacity for expansion without financial sponsorship.

• Federal faith-based and community initiatives offer financial support for secular deliverables from faith communities. Horizon is positioned to build better demonstration models designed to meet the needs of an expanding number of inmates being released to society.

KEY COMPONENTS

Re-entry begins, not in the last year of incarceration, but as a mid-stream experience – as soon as the inmate realizes he or she is not in control and is willing to change.
The project must utilize the widely diverse talents and organizations of collaborating participants, each held in mutual respect.
Programs must be presented by volunteers from the faith community surrounding the institution rather than by institutional employees.
Emotionally mature and stable inmates are used as peer facilitators, working with volunteer free-world facilitators. Inmate peer facilitators are the full-time, 24-hour, 7-days, community-standards guardians. They work without legal position or power, but woo all participants into acceptance of the positive peer culture of the community.

ARCHITECTURE OF A HORIZON DEMONSTRATION MODEL

Start a standard Horizon Faith-based Community utilizing free-world mentors, presenting courses in anger management, family reconciliation, victim awareness, dependency recovery, community responsibility and citizenship.  Add:

Education

• Average education level of the incarcerated in many state institutions is 7th grade and dropping.

• Encourage coordinated mentoring of identifiable children of program participants via Children of Promise type programs (in Florida), or The Dream Academy.

Work Skills

• Many who enter prison today have never held a real job other than peddling drugs

• Require all participants to become acquainted with Microsoft Office procedures and attain at least minimal computer skills

• Work with the Department of Labor and HUD to provide construction skills programs. The “Coral Project” builds panelized construction components for worthy not-for-profit charitable organizations in cities close to the prison, allowing inmates to give back to the community and for the community to see visible evidence of restitution

Transition

• Cooperate with Ready4Work and/or Labor Line job placement mentoring

• Coordinate transition with program providers under Access To Recovery Voucher Program

• Facilitate connection to "going home" mentors working with Restorative Justice Network of North America.

The Horizon program stresses education in all facets of life, at the academic and psycho-social levels, which Horizon prefers to consider the spiritual and soul levels. It is open to participants of all major faith traditions that are well supported in the community surrounding the prison. While the largest majority (over 95%) of the participants are Christian, no effort is made for conversion toward those who are not. To date, the experience of this multifaith approach has built bridges of respect and understanding among inmates, volunteers, staff and clergy far beyond anyone’s expectations.  See Fact Sheet.