IMPROVING EFFICIENCYAND OUTCOMES
THROUGHCOLLABORATIONS:AN NGO PERSPECTIVE
B. Diane Williams
President Emeritus
Safer Foundation

UNAFEI
SeminarTokyo, Japan

Overview

About Safer Foundation
Safer Foundation is in its 44th year of operation.
Our mission is to support, through a full spectrum ofservices, the efforts of people with criminal records
to become employed, law-abiding members of thecommunity and as a result, reduce recidivism.

 12 locations in Illinois and Iowa withadditional sub-contractors in Wisconsinand Missouri Nearly 300 employees A 63% reduction in recidivism for clients
after achieving 30 days of employment,
when compared to the IDOC overall
recidivism rate for the same time period

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MISSION DRIVEN SUCCESS

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CORRECTIONS: STATE & LOCALIllinois Department of Corrections (IDOC) 48,921 adult inmates in prison at end of June 2014
 94.1% were male with an average age of 37 years old
 Adult parolees numbered at 28,242
 90.7% were male with an average of 36 years old 10,200 IDOC staff and only 400 parole officers

Cook County Jail, largest jail system in Illinois Admits approximately 100,000 individuals annually Daily population of 9,000
 14,000 new probation cases annually 25,000 active caseloads, 86% of probationers sentenced for felonyoffenses
 Only 387 adult probation officers
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SAFER FOUNDATION’S HISTORY
44 YEARS KEEPING COMMUNITIES SAFE

Safer Foundation founders
Gus Wilhelmy and Bernie
Curran in the early days.

Bernie Curran & Gus Wilhelmy

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FISCAL POSITION

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SAFER STAFFING STRUCTURE

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CLIENT DEMOGRAPHICS

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Safer Geography and Services
Today, Safer Foundation’s network spans its operations across four states providing
various services.

Services Provided
 Case Management
 Mentoring Educational Intervention
 Service Learning
 Industry Training Employment Services
 Expungement
 Follow-Up
 Substance AbuseTreatment
 Mental Health Services

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EMPLOYMENT CHALLENGES FACING
INDIVIDUALS RETURNING TO THE
COMMUNIT Y
 Limited or no income and/or work experience Limited education and/or skills
 Mental health and/or drug/alcohol addiction issues
 Competing agency obligations and mandates Occupational bars and licensing restrictions – often
unrelated to the type of crime for which an individual wasconvicted Lack of knowledge about criminal record and its effect Lack of protection against discrimination
 Other legal and practical issues (housing, child support, noidentification, etc.)
 Overcoming stigma of having a criminal record
10SCREENING & RETENTION SERVICES MODEL

11SUCCESSFUL JOB RETENTION

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SHERIDAN PRISON MODEL

Sheridan inmates gather
their resumes at a job fair inthe facility.
Sheridan inmate interview
with prospective employers
at job fair within the facility.

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SAFER FOUNDATION POLICY ADVOCACY15LEGISLATIVE REFORMS
Supported Employment Models
Creating Certificates of Rehabilitation or improving
eligibility for pardon or restoration of rightCreating employment standards for the considerationof applicants with criminal records (Ban the Box)Helping individuals to secure state identification
Prohibiting inquiries about arrests that never led toconvictionCreating or expanding sealing/expungement
eligibility
Creating special housing program16

COLLABORATION IS KEY!
Correctional agencies (Probation/Parole) Faith and community-based organizations
 Workforce development agencies
 Educational institutions Housing organizations
 Mental/Behavioral health & health service
providers Case management/social service agencies
17PARTNERSHIP STRUCTURES“Partnership is a dynamic relationship among
diverse actors, based on mutually agreed objectives,
pursued through a shared understanding of themost rational division of labour based on therespective comparative advantages of each partner.
Partnership encompasses mutual influence, with acareful balance between synergy and respective
autonomy which incorporates mutual respect, equal
participation in decision making, mutualaccountability and transparency.”~Jennifer Brinkerhoff“Government-Nonprofit Partnership: A Defined Framework” (March 12, 2002

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SAFER SCORECARDMission•••

Internal•••

External•••

Finance•••19

SAFER’S RECIDIVISM STUDY20

ORGANIZATIONAL CHALLENGES

 Public, landlord, and employer
bias Prohibitive laws and policies
 Fluctuating economy
 Will and commitment of theindividual21

Questions?

B. Diane Williams
Emaildiane.williams@saferfoundation.org
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