REENTRY

The resident moves into reentry on a case to case basis. The expected time it takes, however, to start reentry should vary from 12 to 18 months. Residents respond differently to the program. Some move quickly while others take more time. Also, a resident's histories of drug taking and misbehavior, as well as depth of woundedness do have a bearing on his rate of recovery.

Reentry is done gradually so as not to cause a resident to stumble and fall by a premature return to society. Every resident must return to school or get a job before graduation. The center commits itself to place its residents in school and in the workplace through its contacts in education and business.

In reentry, much of the structure found in the treatment phase is reduced so as to allow the resident to start making adjustments to the outside world. This is when he slowly begins to function on his own once again as the highly-controlled environment of the center is gradually lessened. The resident begins to make short home visits, then longer ones. Then he enrolls in school or gets a job, but returns to the center in the evening.

Even as the resident reenters society, he continues to have responsibilities in the house and be subject to various tools of the house (seminars, group encounter, prayer, etc.) which are needed to support him as he gains more and more freedom away from the center even as the staff monitor how he handles his new-found liberty.

Finally, the resident reports to the center only on weekends. He rejoins the center family, refreshes his spirit, is reminded of what he has learned and acts as a role model.

After 6 months of weekend reporting he is "graduated" from the program. Still he is encouraged to return to the center regularly to help as a role model and to attend refresher sessions.

The Program | Treatment