As part of READI Chicago’s re-entry pathway, READI Chicago staff deliver cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) to men at the Cook County Jail.
Participants enter READI Chicago through three pathways—referrals from the University of Chicago Urban Labs, community referrals, and re-entry. About 50 men have been connected to READI Chicago upon release from prison or jail through the re-entry pathway, in addition to the more than 100 returning citizens connected to the program through other pathways.
As part of READI Chicago’s relentless engagement and recruitment, Corrections Project Manager Sophia Manuel and other staff deliver weekly CBT to men in the Sheriff’s Anti-Violence Effort (SAVE), a program inside the jail aimed at preventing young men from returning to jail after their release. The CBT group comprises SAVE participants who are awaiting trial, all of whom have been identified as at high risk of gun violence involvement, and who live in the six zip codes READI Chicago serves.
Participants in the jail CBT group receive an introduction to the behavioral change intervention, discussing CBT components such as cost-benefit analysis, relating their actions to their values, and methods of staying out of jail upon their release. These men say their primary goal upon release is finding a job, which is why READI Chicago is so appealing.
“I need a job when I get out because I know fast money in the short-term will just land me back here,” one participant said. “If I get a real job when I get out, the money will be slower, but I won’t end up back here. If I had a job, I’d have less free time to sell drugs or get in trouble.”
Because the majority of men in the group, and all of READI Chicago participants, are at the very highest risk of gun violence, many of them have not previously been engaged with social services and have never sought out services. Through meeting their most immediate need upon release by connecting them with a job and a steady income, the program is able to leverage the trust participants build in READI Chicago staff to help participants make connections to wrap-around services and supports that are essential to avoiding recidivism.
“Because there aren’t as many resources for guys who are on parole or re-entering society, it’s a struggle for them,” said Patrick Daniels, a READI Chicago outreach supervisor from UCAN. “We’re here to support these guys, help these guys get employment, get their driver’s license, become self-sufficient citizens. These are people who aren’t looking to go back to jail.”
By offering a long-term, 18-month transitional job and by engaging men at a critical juncture, directly prior to and after their release from jail, READI Chicago is able to start the shift in thinking that is at the core of CBT during a natural shift in environment and thinking. By providing the safety net of employment and infusing principles of CBT throughout the program, READI Chicago works to reduce the likelihood of recidivism among these key populations.
While the majority of the men agreed to the jail CBT group in the hopes of having a job ready for them upon release, they are aware that this will only be the case for half the group, because of the randomized control trial. However, whether they’re selected to participate in READI Chicago or not, the men still feel that the group is worth their time.
“Even if I don’t get the job, at least I’m learning something here,” one participant said. “This is a privilege. It gives you something to look forward to, something to occupy your time.”
The men said the environment and space created by the CBT group are unique in jail. It is so easy to focus only on the negative of their situation, they said, that it is helpful having a place to focus on positivity and the future.
“Being in a small group like this, you get to open up more and talk about stuff you can’t in front of everyone else in here,” one participant said. “This is stuff you already know, but they help you realize it. I would have kept doing the same thing when I got out, but this lets me think about something else and think things through.”
