O.C. Reentry Welcomes New Leadership

NEWBURGH – Regional Economic Community Action Program’s Orange County Reentry program welcomed its new Reentry Coordinator in August. Steve Jackson builds on strong experience as a former case manager for the program, and now as coordinator has plans for the program’s services which support individuals and their families during the transition from incarceration to successful community citizenship.

Jackson worked in juvenile services in Brooklyn with teens coming home from detention centers and facilitated groups on substance abuse, peer counseling, and one-on-one mentoring, and his work involved outreach for teens on the street and through churches and events.

Jackson started with the agency six years ago as a part-time case manager helping participants with transportation, obtaining documentations such as birth certificates and driver licenses, participating in court advocacy appearances, and assisting with child support and immigration issues. As Reentry Coordinator, he’ll be mapping the direction for the program which serves 30-40 participants each month from its new location at 201 Broadway in Newburgh.

“Our new location is a more pleasant and less institutional environment. It is inviting and we plan to bring in more services that highlight entrepreneurship, finance and computer skills.

Some of our guys who have served over 30 years have never touched a computer,” said Jackson. Participants come from serving sentences that range from 1-3 years to over 40.

The reentry process starts with an alert about a potential participant from the Department of Community Supervision during a case conference with the institution’s parole liaison 30 days prior to release. Jackson works to create an aftercare plan which accounts for participant’s history of substance abuse, mental health issues, housing, and domestic violence. Upon release, he visits with participants in their homes or in his office, and works with each for typically 120 days to 6 months after their release from prison and longer if necessary.

One recent participant served time for DWI and was released to live with family. After she disclosed that the living situation was physically violent, Jackson and the participant’s parole officer moved her to a safer location. She has been working fulltime for the past two months. Another participant served 30 years in prison, he now works a few days per week at Steve’s office doing custodial work.

The program draws strength from collaborative partnerships with community partners such as Catholic Charities, Restorative Management, Center for Recovery, Cornerstone Family Healthcare, Access Supports for Living, Housing Resource Center, Hudson Valley Community Services, Northwestern Human Services, the Orange County Department of Health, and BOCES. Jackson brings certifications in Anger Management and Relapse Prevention/Urban Renewal, as well as strong client advocacy and human services experience. His mother is retired from service as a social worker with New York State, and he has cousins who work as nurses, educators, and with the NYPD and MTA.

Jackson notes the challenges participants face including struggles with employment, transportation, housing, and overcoming substance abuse. Jackson plans to incorporate recent findings and innovative developments from NAADAC, the Association for Addiction Professionals, on opiates and fentanyl use that fuel overdose deaths in Newburgh and surrounding communities. “New developments in the field help treatment providers better identify current and past drug use. Tuberculosis is an issue. I want to familiarize our participants—and staff—about the dangers. Many people within the population we serve don’t even know they have it,” said Jackson.

Jackson will continue the program Ready, Set, Work which strengthens soft skills, interviewing skills, and resume building. He notes that the small actions and behaviors we take for granted are sometimes viewed as common mistakes for his participants. “Things like arriving at an interview and having to be asked to sit down vs. knowing to do this on your own as well as a firm handshake. This will intuitively come with experience.

The program Thinking for Change works on cognitive behaviors and changes the way participants handle situations, for example thinking things through instead of impulsively getting angry. “It takes a second to be impulsive—and a lifetime to get out of trouble,” says Jackson.