The Bureau of Justice recently reported that over 180,000 veterans are currently incarcerated in State and Federal facilities in the U.S., with one in five having reported seeing combat during their military service. Justice involved veterans tend to serve longer term sentences and commit more serious felony crimes. Veterans report addiction, difficulty adjusting to civilian life, and severe economic hardships as contributing factors to their crime. There is limited research on recidivism among justice involved veterans, and as a result, there is limited specialized programming for this population.
Assessing Pre-release conditions of justice involved veterans is incredibly important when preparing for post-release success. Justice involved veterans have extensive medical, mental health, and substance use disorder treatment needs. The GEO Continuum of Care® has partnered with The Jack Brewer Foundation to advocate for and support the rehabilitation and financial empowerment of our incarcerated veterans across the county.
GEO Continuum of Care® (CoC) facilities will host The Jack Brewer Foundation’s Business, Transitioning and Leadership program, and students will have the opportunity to benefit from a technology-based, blended learning approach. Students will meet with Jack and CoC staff each week to develop the critical foundations of personal and professional success.
Business career planning and development is particularly important for justice involved veterans. Incarcerated Veterans are uniquely close and share a bond of service. The Jack Brewer Foundation and GEO are using that comradery to create a pre-release model for post release success. The program is centered around support and helps students realize that they are not alone, but a very important part of something much greater.
The course will rebuild and redefine the future of each participant. Students will learn new skills through real world application. Students will learn to work through unfamiliar and difficult situations as an individual and as a collaborative team. This behavioral health approach to learning is uniquely designed to meet the needs of individuals with a history of addiction, trauma, and violence. The groups will provide social support, reentry planning, and most importantly a safe creative space.
Graduates of the Business, Transitioning and Leadership program will receive initial scholarship funds to secure their path to financial freedom. We stand ready to welcome them home brave and free.
Thanks to a seed donation from The Alan Quesnel Family Foundation, The Jack Brewer Foundation has established a fund with the purpose of providing financial resources to incarcerated Veterans who complete the program and are released from prison. In partnership with the GEO Continuum of Care®, The Jack Brewer Foundation will assist our veterans in opening banking and trading accounts, as well as coordinating with their existing re-entry housing, transport and counseling programs.
Over 140 veterans were part of the program kick off at GEO’s South Bay Correctional and Rehabilitation Facility in Florida on Friday, May 14, 2021. The program is available to all veterans who participate in GEO’s Continuum of Care® programming. Executive Vice President of the GEO Continuum of Care®, Derrick Schofield, and the CoC team joined Jack Brewer in celebrating the launch of the program and its participants.
