Halfway houses are an important component of our criminal justice system, yet very little information is ever released about them. I have been working on this problem for a long time and am hoping that somebody reads this and takes action to put an end to the abuse that this problem is causing. They are absolutely necessary for many reasons, primarily because the system itself is designed to funnel people in one direction until they become permanently entrenched, then you have to find a way to get them off. Once they are addicted to drugs or alcohol, it becomes very difficult, if not impossible to change their behavior. The halfway house for addictions is the perfect vehicle to do this, and I would like to explain why.
There are two main types of halfway houses. One is the standard term, which is typically for people leaving prison or jail after serving time. These are the places that you often see when you walk down the road or drive down the highway – they are sometimes referred to as “mom and pop” facilities. In some cases, they may be run by religious organizations, or just run by people who want to provide a clean, safe environment for their residents. In other instances, they may be the homes of people returning from a long term prison or jail term. Whatever the case, these facilities must meet a number of standards before they can be classified as a halfway house.
Many states and different communities require that these prisons have specific criteria in order to qualify as a halfway house. First of all, the facilities must be equipped to deal with the needs of inmates who are suffering from serious addiction issues. Secondly, they must be licensed and regulated by the state, and they must have specific requirements for intake and rehabilitation of inmates. Thirdly, they must have licensed and supervised facilities for the treatment of their clients.
In general, the services provided by these centers are similar across the board. There is one major feature that sets apart one facility from another, however. For example, whereas a family correctional facility might offer full custodial and medical care, the penitentiary-type carceral-style halfway houses do not. Nor do they offer any kind of social-therapeutic programs, like those found at a family correctional facility.
Instead, they have residential treatment facilities where their residents meet once a week for 12-step meetings, individual counseling, individual therapy, or spiritual support. They also get one on one counseling with a professional counselor as well. The goal of these 12-step meetings is to assist their clients in managing their life, both while they are incarcerated and after they're released. And through spiritual support, they can make important life changes, too.
What separates the transitional housing halfway houses from their family correctional facilities? One thing they have in common, however, is that they tend to be much smaller than their correctional counterparts. They may have fewer than ten units, but they tend to have a significantly lower cost of living. This is because they don't have to provide all the extra services that family corrections facilities provide. This includes everything from adequate mental health care to wraparound services to home visits from therapists and social workers. Transitional centers simply can't match their costs.
