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Children and Families
ESS helps children and families in our care win their
struggles against the effects of poverty.
We work with parents to correct causes of unsafe home
environments (when possible) and with foster children to work through
any legacy effects from abuse or neglect and, if appropriate, to place
them in loving, supportive homes. Children enter our care for a variety
of reasons:
- Parents’ poor parenting skills (as reflected
by issues such as unsanitary home conditions, lack of discipline,
child not in school, medical neglect, lack of food in the house)
- Parental drug addiction, mental health issues
- Domestic violence
- Physical abuse
- Sexual abuse
ESS seeks to shape values and strengthen self-worth
of children in our care so that they say no to negative life patterns
such as truancy, bad grades, gang affiliations (which are sought in
the absence of other supportive relationships), drug involvement, and
defeatist attitudes.
To achieve this we focus on six goals – with an
aggressive emphasis during the teen years:
- Physical health:
Improve physical health and teach preventive practices
- Education: Emphasize
learning until kids believe in its power to take them up and out
- Supportive relationships:
Create strong relationships so that children feel they have supportive
places to turn to (foster family, healthy peer groups, birth parents
or relatives as appropriate)
- Goal attainment:
Have teens articulate goals and see the need to take steps to reach
them
- Decision making:
Coach teens in smart decision-making processes
- Emotional health:
Provide mental health therapy to those who need to overcome severe
emotional disturbances from their lives
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Developmentally disabled
Professionals define mental retardation as a particular
state of functioning that begins in childhood and is characterized by
limitations in both intelligence and adaptive skills. In terms of an
IQ test score, the developmentally disabled typically score at 70 or
below; in terms of adaptive behavior, they find it difficult to meet
the demands of daily living in areas such as eating and dressing, communication,
locomotion, socialization and responsibility.
One of ESS’ community residences serves the dual
diagnosis populationthose folks diagnosed with both mental retardation
and mental illness. Professionals estimate that 20-35% of all persons
with mental retardation have a psychiatric disorder, and dual diagnosis
is seen at all four levels of mental retardation. Typical psychiatric
diagnoses include affective (depression/mood), psychotic (schizophrenia),
personality (paranoia, anti-social), anxiety (panic, obsessive-compulsive),
and adjustment disorders. The co-existence of mental retardation and
a psychiatric disorder can interfere with educational or vocational
progress and may disrupt family or peer relationships, jeopardizing
residential placements.
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Prison inmates and the formerly-incarcerated
Prison inmates and ex-offenders most often come from
poor communities and experience inadequate education, daunting high
school dropout rates, high unemployment, drugs, and violence.
- About one in every 20 Americans is expected
to serve time in prison during his/her lifetime. For African-American
men, the number is greater than 1 in 4.
- More than 50% of the New York State prison
inmates come from a geographic area that contains 11 of the City’s
poorest performing schools.
- 5% of NYS prison inmates do not have high school
diplomas.
- Despite the well documented upside (see below),
only about 15% of NYS prison inmates are enrolled in academic or rehabilitation
classes.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, recidivism
(crime relapse) rates across the country range between 41% and 60%.
However, the more education inmates receive, the lower their recidivism
rates are.
- College programs in prison can reduce recidivism
rates by nearly 75% and increase economic prospects of those released
from custody by more than 50% (Office of Correctional Education, U.S.
DOE).
- Research studies conducted in Indiana, Maryland,
Massachusetts, New York and other states have all reported significantly
low recidivism rates for inmate participants in correctional higher-education
programs, ranging from 1% to 15.5%.
- Illinois reports that recidivism rates for
the typical range of 40% - 60% have been slashed to 13.1% among those
involved in post-secondary correctional education.
Investment in prison inmate education and rehabilitation
breaks the cycle of poor education, poverty, and crime, which leads
to stronger families and better role models for children. It also makes
society safer for all of us – while saving taxpayer money
long term.
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