The Reentry Project is a collaborative news initiative about the challenges of—and solutions to—prisoner reentry in Philadelphia
This week:
• Can a fake court help high-risk Pennsylvania parolees?
• ‘What do you need to thrive back in your community?’
• Van Jones’ We Rise tour visits Philadelphia
• Pennsylvania training mentally ill inmates to help others on the cellblock
Read it now: The Reentry Project Weekly: August 11, 2017
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Pennsylvania training mentally ill inmates to help others on the cellblock
Way up in Northeastern Pennsylvania near the New York state border, SCI Waymart houses the state’s most seriously mentally ill prisoners – those serving time while suffering with schizophrenia, major depression and other disorders. If you go through the metal detectors and down a winding series of hot, echoing hallways in the Wayne County prison, eventually, you’ll find a classroom.
The Beyond the Walls: Prison Healthcare and Reentry Summit brings together the communities that are affected by the parallel crises of HIV and mass imprisonment. These are the stories of those affected by the prison healthcare system.
Healthy inmates can help create a healthier community
After serving their time, today’s inmates will return to their homes and community. In essence, prison health becomes public health, said Hannah Zellman, program director with Philadelphia FIGHT, the nonprofit that hosted Wednesday’s “Beyond the Walls: Prison Healthcare and Reentry Summit.” The annual summit began as a tiny conference focused on the intersection of HIV/AIDS and incarceration.
