CHANGED CHOICES INC
P O BOX 34367, CHARLOTTE, NC 28234 changedchoices.org

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Organizations Filed Purposes: TO PROVIDE FOR INCARCERATED WOMEN, WHO DEMONSTRATE A HIGH CAPACITY FOR COMPLETE REHABILITATION, A HOLISTIC APPROACH THAT WILL ENABLE THEM TO REACH THEIR FULL POTENTIAL BY MAKING POSITIVE CHANGES IN THEIR LIVES.

RE-ENTRY(CARE II): CHANGED CHOICES HEART IS A COMPREHENSIVE APPROACH TO RE-ENTRY(CARE) THAT BEGINS SERVING WOMEN WHO ARE CURRENTLY INCARCERATED (CARE I) WITH AT LEAST TWO YEARS OF THEIR SENTENCE AHEAD OF THEM. IN THE RE-ENTRY PHASE (CARE II) OF THE CORE PROGRAM, CHANGED CHOICES PROVIDES HOLISTIC SERVICES TO WOMEN AS THEY RE-ENTER THE CHARLOTTE, NC COMMUNITY. WE ARE PROUD THAT LESS THAN 4% OF OUR CLIENTS RETURN TO PRISON AS COMPARED TO A 38% RECIDIVISM RATE FOR WOMEN OVERALL IN NORTH CAROLINA. VOLUNTEERS ARE A CRITICAL PART OF OUR SUCCESS STORY. WHILE CLIENTS ARE INCARCERATED, WE CONNECT THEM WITH VOLUNTEER MENTORS, PEN PALS, COUNSELORS AND EDUCATORS WHO CREATE A POSITIVE, LOVING SUPPORT SYSTEM THAT MANY OF OUR CLIENTS HAVE NEVER HAD. HEALTHY CONNECTIONS WITH OTHERS PROMOTE HEALTHY DEVELOPMENT, LEADING TO HEALTHY CHOICES. THE OBSTACLES FOR WOMEN RETURNING HOME FROM PRISON ARE DAUNTING, SO A COMPREHENSIVE APPROACH ALLOWS CHANGED CHOICES TO LOOK AT THE COMPLETE WOMAN AND UNDERSTAND THE CONNECTION OF CRIMINAL THINKING TO EVERY ASPECT OF THE SELF: PHYSICAL, MENTAL, EMOTIONAL, AND SPIRITUAL. WE UNDERSTAND THAT WOMEN DO NOT COMMIT CRIMES IN ISOLATION, AND WE TAKE INTO ACCOUNT RELATIONSHIPS WITH FAMILY, LOCAL COMMUNITY AND SOCIETY. BY ATTENDING TO EACH WOMANS UNIQUE NEEDS AND TAKING THE TIME NECESSARY TO BUILD A NETWORK OF RELATIONAL SUPPORT FOR HER, WE ESTIMATE THAT OUR SMALL AGENCY SAVES THE STATE AT LEAST $3 MILLION PER YEAR. MORE IMPORTANTLY, WE GIVE WOMEN A CHANCE TO REACH THEIR POTENTIAL AND EQUIP THEM WITH THE TOOLS TO BECOME POSITIVE, CARETAKING MOTHERS TO THEIR CHILDREN. AS CLIENTS ARE NEAR THE END OF THEIR SENTENCE, CHANGED CHOICES WORKS TO ENSURE THAT THEY HAVE A WRITTEN RE-ENTRY PLAN IN PLACE. TOOLS FOR WOMEN IN RE-ENTRY INCLUDE PROFESSIONAL COUNSELING, TRANSPORTATION, HOUSING, FAMILY SUPPORT, SUBSTANCE ABUSE REFERRALS AND CASE MANAGEMENT. WOMEN GAIN A SENSE OF SECURITY, CONFIDENCE, AND WELL-BEING THAT EMPOWERS THEM TO MAKE POSITIVE DECISIONS, BREAK DYSFUNCTIONAL PATTERNS, AND PRACTICE EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION WITH THEIR CHILDREN, FAMILIES, AND FUTURE EMPLOYERS. AS CLIENTS BECOME ESTABLISHED IN THEIR NEW LIVES,OUR SERVICES GRADUALLY DECREASE. WE CONSIDER IT A MARK OF SUCCESS WHEN CLIENT-GRADUATES RETURN TO OFFER SUPPORT OR ENCOURAGEMENT TO ANOTHER WOMAN WHO HAS BEEN RECENTLY RELEASED. EACH YEAR, APPROXIMATELY FIFTY WOMEN RECEIVE WRAP-AROUND SERVICES THROUGH CARE II.

PRE-RELEASE: APPROXIMATELY 223,000 FEMALES ARE INCARCERATED IN THE UNITED STATES, A POPULATION GROWING AT TWICE THE RATE OF MALE INCARCERATION IN RECENT DECADES (PRISONPOLICY.ORG, 2019). EIGHTY PERCENT OF THESE WOMEN ARE MOTHERS, JUST ONE REASON OF MANY THAT THIS TREND HAS STAGGERING FINANCIAL AND HUMAN COSTS. ACCORDING TO THE BUREAU OF JUSTICE STATISTICS, MORE THAN SEVENTY-FIVE PERCENT OF WOMEN IN JAILS HAVE EITHER SUBSTANCE ABUSE OR MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES. SIXTY-EIGHT HAVE BEEN VICTIMS OF CHILD ABUSE AND SEVENTY-ONE PERCENT WERE VICTIMS OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE. YET CHANGED CHOICES HAS DEVELOPED AN EFFECTIVE APPROACH TO THIS PROBLEM BY CREATING A HOLISTIC WEB OF WRAPAROUND PROGRAMS AND SERVICES OF SUPPORT FOR WOMEN. THIS BEGINS DURING INCARCERATION THROUGH: A CARD-WRITING MINISTRY TO SEND PRAYERS AND WORDS OF ENCOURAGEMENT TO WOMEN; MENTORING THROUGH VOLUNTEER PEN PALS; ACCESS TO A DEDICATED CARE MANAGER WHO PROVIDES ONGOING SPIRITUAL/EMOTIONAL SUPPORT AND CASE MANAGEMENT; PEER-COACHING THROUGH A SERIES OF EVIDENCE-BASED INTERACTIVE JOURNALS DESIGNED TO HELP WOMEN PROCESS TRAUMA AND OVERCOME CRIMINAL THINKING ERRORS; STIPENDS TO THOSE WHO ARE INDIGENT TO PROVIDE FOR THEIR BASIC NEEDS, ALLOWING THEM TO COMMUNICATE WITH FAMILY MEMBERS AND PRIORITIZE EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS OVER PRISON-WAGE JOBS. FOR ENTRY TO OUR WRAPAROUND CARE PROGRAM, CHANGED CHOICES SEEKS WOMEN DEMONSTRATING A TRUE DESIRE TO CHANGE, WITH TIES TO MECKLENBURG COUNTY, AND A MINIMUM OF TWO YEARS OF INCARCERATION AHEAD OF THEM. THROUGHOUT THIS TIME WE WORK WITH EACH WOMAN TO DEVELOP HEALTHY VALUES AND ATTITUDES; TO UNDERSTAND THE PAST AND PRESENT ISSUES THAT CAUSED THEM TO MAKE NEGATIVE CHOICES; TO DEVELOP THEIR DECISION-MAKING ABILITIES; TO RECOGNIZE THEIR POTENTIAL AND TO PREPARE THEM FOR SUCCESSFUL RE-ENTRY. WHILE THE WOMEN IN OUR PRE-RELEASE PROGRAM ARE INCARCERATED, THEIR FAMILIES RECEIVE SUPPORT. THIS MAY INCLUDE FREE PROFESSIONAL COUNSELING, FOOD, HOME FURNISHINGS, CLOTHING, SCHOOL SUPPLIES, CHRISTMAS GIFTS GIVEN ON BEHALF OF MOM, BIRTHDAY GIFTS AND REFERRALS TO AGENCY PARTNERS FOR ADDITIONAL SERVICES. WHEN POSSIBLE, VOLUNTEERS ASSIST WITH TRANSPORTATION TO FACILITATE VISITS BETWEEN CHILDREN AND THEIR MOTHERS IN PRISON. CHANGED CHOICES SERVES 40-50 WOMEN PRE-RELEASE EACH YEAR; AND APPROXIMATELY 80 CHILDREN OF CARE CLIENTS.

MCSO: CHANGED CHOICES EXPERIENCE WORKING WITH INCARCERATED WOMEN AFFIRMS RESEARCH THAT SHOWS INCARCERATED WOMEN HAVE UNIQUE NEEDS BASED ON THEIR RACE, CLASS AND GENDER. A NATIONAL PROFILE THAT OUTLINED CHARACTERISTICS OF WOMEN IN PRISON SHOWED THAT THESE WOMEN COME FROM FRAGMENTED FAMILIES WITH OTHER FAMILY MEMBERS WHO HAVE JUSTICE SYSTEM INVOLVEMENT, ARE LIKELY SURVIVORS OF PHYSICAL AND/OR SEXUAL ABUSE, AND WERE THE PRIMARY CARETAKER FOR YOUNG CHILDREN AT THE TIME OF THEIR ARREST. ON AVERAGE, WOMEN AND GIRLS IN THE JUSTICE SYSTEM HAVE COMPLEX HISTORIES OF TRAUMA, ADDICTION AND DYSFUNCTIONAL RELATIONSHIPS. OUR APPROACH FOR OUR CLIENTS AND THE MANY WOMEN WITHIN THE MECKLENBURG COUNTY SHERIFFS OFFICE IS REFLECTIVE OF THE NEED FOR WOMEN TO DEVELOP HEALTHY RELATIONSHIPS AND TO THEN MATURE AND GROW THROUGH THESE RELATIONSHIPS. EACH YEAR, CHANGED CHOICES SERVES WOMEN INCARCERATED IN THE MECKLENBURG COUNTY JAIL WITH EVIDENCE-BASED PROGRAMS, PROFESSIONAL COUNSELING, AND CLASSES INCLUDING PARENTING, SELF-CONTROL, RESPONSIBLE THINKING, SKILLS FOR SUCCESSFUL LIVING, SOCIAL VALUES AND OTHERS.CHANGED CHOICES ALSO RECRUITS, TRAINS AND SUPPORTS VOLUNTEERS SERVING IN THE CHAPLAINS UNIT WHO TEACH BIBLE STUDIES, LEAD MOMS IN PRAYER AND PROVIDE ASSISTANCE TO THE CHAPLAINS.

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