The Bridges program offered a multi-phase program focused on four main service areas: academic enrichment, socio-emotional learning (SEL), workforce readiness training, and mentorship and case management services. Participants began the program by attending a group orientation session and taking the Test of Adult Basic Education and an online financial training. Following the financial training, participants began the first of three phases of Bridges services.

Six months before justice-involved adults were scheduled for release from prison, individuals were transferred to one of two facilities in Racine, WI. In these facilities, social workers would provide case management workups, which included an assessment of needs; risks; child support; credit; and personal documentation issues, such as a lack of driver’s license or Social Security number.

Through this program, people who were incarcerated were released early, transferred to a residential facility, and required to find employment. If participants had difficulty finding work, the program referred them to community resources that helped develop job-search skills. The average participant took part in work release for slightly more than four months. This program served people who were incarcerated and who were assessed for low recidivism risk, had served at least half of their prison sentence, and were within eight months of their release date.

Before release, participants who were incarcerated received 16 hours of job search training and additional job search assistance from job training and job development specialists. In the week before release, participants were assigned a retention specialist and received a portfolio with a resume, an EMPLOY program certification, job leads, and additional supports such as bus fare and clothing for interviews. Retention specialists conducted 4 follow-up meetings with participants over the 12-month period after their release.

AF was a small-group, one-week program in which participants (veterans with felony histories) described their work aspirations, drafted resumes, and discussed employment challenges. After AF, participants moved into IPS, a program founded on a set of core principles—including small caseloads and rapid job searches—with the intention of helping people find and keep jobs. During IPS, supported employment specialists (SESs) provided individual job search services and worked with local employers to find positions for participants.