Indiana Inmates Receive $1,200 Checks to Facilitate Smooth Re-entry into Society After Release

The Indiana Department of Correction helps people who were just freed from jail get back on their feet so they don’t have to go back to jail.

Some former prisoners are getting a $1,200 check from the department to help with the costs of going back into society.

A $250,000 funding from the Duke Energy Foundation will pay for this. It was given to the Hoosier Initiative for Re-Entry Program, or “HIRE.”

One man who used the program says it helped him get ready for his new job at a Floyd County property management company.

“I was able to learn about my addiction, myself, and then also gain skills and technical skills to help me now,” Landon told WLKY.

Rothbauer went to jail in Indiana in 2015 for theft and drug abuse. He says that being in jail gave him the tools he needed to change his life.

“I saw opportunity to study, a lot of time on my hands to read books– and to learn what was going on and what was going wrong,” said Rothbauer.

While he was in jail, the HIRE program taught him everything from how to make a resume to how to do work while he was there.

“We’re able to help get them [inmates] ready to go to those interviews, succeed in those interviews, and potentially and hopefully get into those job positions as soon as they’re able to,” HIRE Regional Director Kristal Shriner stated.

Shriner says that the program’s goal is to make it easier for people who have been in prison to get back to normal life.

Rothbauer said that the school gave him the skills and mindset he needed to start his new job three months ago.

“At the lowest point in my life, you know, they came in to teach me to be the best version of myself and gave me tools to help me succeed upon release,” said Rothbauer.

The HIRE program helps almost 200 people, and when they get out of jail, the Indiana Department of Correction will send them a $1,200 check.