Pennsylvania Prison Society

Results: The Pennsylvania Prison Society serves 35,000 former offenders, incarcerated individuals and their families each year. Since its founding in 1787, the organization has helped millions of individuals affected by the criminal justice system in Pennsylvania.

Geographic areas served: Headquartered in Philadelphia, the Prison Society is a statewide organization.

Programs: Inmate family services - programs include parenting skills education, transportation services, and special family events at sci graterford. In addition, the agency responds to individual requests for information and responds to letters from inmates and their families about many issues such as reentry, health care, and visiting. The prison society has served over 9,500 family members statewide.

re-entry services and new leash on life - the prison society worked with more than 400 men and women who had nowhere else to turn. They received referrals, transportation assistance, clothing and assistance with resumes, job readiness, and health care. We have partnered with the pa department of corrections, the pa board of probation and parole, the philadelphia prison system, and numerous agencies to provide case management, job readiness and life skills training with the goal of rejoining families and neighborhoods ready to seek employment, more than 60 men received life skills training while still incarcerated and other received training soon after release in computer skills with a cognitive based orientation. Nearly 50 women received services in prison and in the society offices as well.

community outreach and education - the prison society's public education efforts focused on the prisoner reentry network as a resource and referral tool as well as health care issues faced by women. The agency appears in the press, participates in panel discussions and workshops, and collaborates on many program opportunities. The agency participated in a number of statewide conferences and coordinated four resource fairs. In addition, the agency through its chapters participated in many locally based reentry coalition efforts.