The Lancaster County RMO has just graduated the 100th person from the RMO Reentry Course that's been running at Lancaster County Prison since January, 2011.  The twelve-hour pre-release program covers money management, healthy relationships, parenting and family responsibilities, health and mental health, addiction, relapse and wellness, housing, transportation, and community resources. 

The curriculum was originally developed by the Minnesota Department of Corrections and has been used successfully with every transitioning inmate in Minnesota prisons and jails for over ten years. The curriculum is also listed as a recommended curriculum by the National Institute of Corrections. 

Recent participants have said about the program: 

"It's one of the best groups available in my opinion."

"The topic and material was very helpful to help us be successful in our lives and to teach us."

"I'm setting my goals - this program is helping me."

"Gives hope where once feeling I had none."

Participants receive a certificate of completion that is also sent to their judge, PO, and put in their file at the prison.

The focus is on empowering program participants with tools and knowledge to help them be successful upon their release from prison. It seems to be working, as evidenced by the recidivism outcomes for program participants:

• 26% overall recidivism rate for participating inmates (through March 2013)

o 10% reincarcerated for new charges
o 14% reincarcerated for PV's
o 2% reincarcerated for child support

Lancaster-Lebanon IU-13 in partnership with the Lancaster County Reentry Management Organization has received a US Department of Education grant for reentry education that will enable us to expand access to adult education, GED preparation classes, occupational skills trainings, and career and education planning for people being released from prison back into Lancaster County. The grant will also allow for expansion of GED preparation and adult education services already offered by IU 13 inside Lancaster County Prison. This two year grant begins on July 1, 2013 and will continue until June, 2015. Lancaster County received one of only three grants awarded across the entire United States. Other grant recipients are community colleges in Wisconsin and Kansas.

Planning is currently underway for the expansion of these services under the grant. Questions can be directed to Trish Link at  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.  or Melanie Snyder at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

For more information about the US Department of Education's Reentry Education Model, see: http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ovae/pi/AdultEd/reentry-model.pdf

The Children of Incarcerated Parents Network of Lancaster County is a coalition of institutions, agencies, and individuals with a concern for children who have a parent who is incarcerated. The Network provides information to the public about the issue, seeks funding when it is available, and supports the local providers that actually do provide services. COIPNLC itself is not a direct service provider.

Monthly meetings provide opportunities for members to network with their peers on issues COIP face and how we might support the child and his/her caregiver.

The COIP Network has just launched their new website at http://www.coipnlc.com/

Be sure to check them out, and if you're interested in becoming involved in their work, contact Bob Cooper at 717-872-7794 or  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

In 2008, K. was released from prison, having had a history of opiate addiction. He lived at the Transitional Living Center in Lancaster for several months, and completed several employment training programs at PA CareerLink of Lancaster County, including Ready2Work, welding and blueprint training. His welding instructor was so impressed with K. that he hired K. as a part time student teacher, then helped K. get a full-time job with a local manufacturing company. But in June, 2012, K. was laid off from his job, and with no income to pay his rent, he was evicted from his apartment. Things spiraled downward from there.

By August, K. was living in a tent under a bridge, unemployed, with no drivers license, and struggling with his opiate addiction.

Knowing that he'd been able to get help through CareerLink before, K. came back to CareerLink. There, Todd Blankenstein, one of CareerLink's Reentry Employment Specialists, recommended that K. enter the RMO's intensive case-management based program.

In September, 2012, K. entered the RMO program, where he was assigned to an RMO case manager, and provided with transitional housing through the Transitional Living Center, so that he had stable housing before engaging in a job search. His RMO case manager helped K. develop a comprehensive Service Plan and set goals for himself.

Later that month, he was placed in a landscaping job through the help of Todd Blankenstein and Andrew Sheely at CareerLink.

K's situation started to improve as he started working and saving money. Though he was laid off from the landscaping job late in the fall, he was able to quickly get placed in another job in construction, and continued to save money toward getting his own apartment and becoming self sufficient.

Though he relapsed briefly in December, 2012, K. and his RMO case manager worked with his D&A provider to develop a strict accountability plan to get him back on track. Since that time, K. has been doing very well with his recovery, is making payments against his fines and costs, and recently moved into permanent housing through TLC.

K. has set new goals for himself: to focus over the coming year on making sure he's self sufficient enough and maintaining his recovery enough to obtain his own apartment, be on his own and stay clean.

To meet those goals, he deposits money regularly into a housing savings account, he goes to the TLC front desk at least 3 times per week to request to be drug tested, and he attends weekly recovery programs. 

His case manager describes K. as "an all-around excellent TLC citizen."

To learn more about the importance and impact of supportive reentry programs like the RMO, we invite you to attend one of two very special events in Lancaster County on Wednesday, April 24th:

"Pull of Gravity: An Intimate Portrait of Reentry" - documentary film, speaker's panel and reentry services "expo" where agencies that offer programs and services for returning citizens and their families will have display tables with literature and professionals to talk with.

11:00AM - 1:00PM
The Ware Center of Millersville University
42 North Prince St
Lancaster, PA 17603

To register for the 11am-1pm event, go to:

http://www.eventbrite.com/event/5727962490

7:00PM - 9:00PM
Clair Performance Hall at
Charles R. and Anita B. Winter
Visual and Performing Arts Center
Millersville University
60 West Cottage Ave
Millersville, PA 17551

To register for the 7pm-9pm event, go to:

http://www.eventbrite.com/event/5802622801

The Pull of Gravity events are free and open to the public. ADVANCE REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED. Don't miss this unique opportunity!

For more information about the film, see: http://www.pullofgravityfilm.com/#.

PLEASE NOTE: the documentary contains strong and graphic language, not suitable for children.

Christopher is 42 years old and has been in active addiction to alcohol and cocaine for over 25 years. He has been incarcerated multiple times, most recently for 11 months for DUI at Lancaster County Prison.

As he neared the end of his sentence at the Lancaster County Prison in early 2012, he successfully completed the 12 hour RMO Reentry life skills course, which covers topics including managing money, housing, transportation, getting along with yourself and others, parenting and family responsibilities, community and legal resources, probation and parole requirements, addiction, relapse and wellness, healthcare and mental health. Through that course, Christopher realized he needed to make significant changes in how he was living his life. "I can't keep doing this," he said, referring to the cycles of addiction and incarceration where he'd been trapped for so long.

Upon completion of the RMO Reentry course, Christopher requested to be referred into the RMO's intensive case-management based program. Christopher and his RMO case manager, Carissa Irwin at the Transitional Living Center, developed a comprehensive Service Plan & goals for Christopher. They then met weekly to review how he was doing working toward those goals.

Christopher immediately began attending employment skills training workshops at the PA CareerLink of Lancaster County. With support from the CareerLink's Reentry Employment Specialist, Todd Blankenstein, Christopher completed the Ready2Work program and began an intensive job search process.

By late June, 2012, Christopher got a full time job with benefits as Front Desk Clerk and night auditor at a hotel. He continues to work at that job and is hoping to move up the ladder with that company.

In the meantime, Christopher has completed all mandated drug and alcohol treatment programs and the required Alcohol Highway Safety Program, along with numerous extra life skills programs at TLC and elsewhere. He has also successfully paid off all of his fines & costs. As soon as he started his job, he began saving money for his own apartment & in October, 2012, Christopher moved into permanent housing through TLC.

In October, 2012, Christopher accompanied the RMO Executive Director to a reentry conference at Widener University and he served as one of the featured speakers on a panel where he talked about what being involved in the RMO had done for him. Christopher's PO agreed to allow his speaking gig at the reentry conference to fulfill his remaining hours of community service obligations.

At the Reentry Conference, Christopher told the audience, "Without the RMO, I know I would almost certainly be either in state prison or dead."

To learn more about the importance and impact of supportive reentry programs like the RMO, we invite you to attend one of two very special events in Lancaster County on Wednesday, April 24th:

"Pull of Gravity: An Intimate Portrait of Reentry" - documentary film, speaker's panel and reentry services "expo" where agencies that offer programs and services for returning citizens and their families will have display tables with literature and professionals to talk with.

11:00AM - 1:00PM
The Ware Center of Millersville University
42 North Prince St
Lancaster, PA 17603

7:00PM - 9:00PM
Clair Performance Hall at
Charles R. and Anita B. Winter
Visual and Performing Arts Center
Millersville University
60 West Cottage Ave
Millersville, PA 17551

The Pull of Gravity events are free and open to the public. ADVANCE REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED. Don't miss this unique opportunity!

For more information about the film, see: http://www.pullofgravityfilm.com/#.

PLEASE NOTE: the documentary contains strong and graphic language, not suitable for children.

To register for the 11am-1pm event, go to:
http://www.eventbrite.com/event/5727962490

To register for the 7pm-9pm event, go to:
http://www.eventbrite.com/event/5802622801