PREPARE’s mission is to empower people to make their best case for parole and develop strong reentry plans. It began in MCIW where a full, in-person, direct advocacy program is available to any woman who requests it. Extending our services to reach the men in prison, however, is a steep climb. While there are about 500 women in MCIW, there are about 14,500 people in prison in Maryland in total.
In December 2022 PREPARE took the first step in providing complete coverage by working with the Department of Labor to place PREPARE’s Parole Materials in all the libraries in prisons from which people go up for parole. This includes both the Preparing to Prepare dividers and the Guidance for Developing a Parole Packet dividers. So at the very least, no matter how far off or how close in someone is to a parole hearing, there are targeted self-help materials available to them.
At the same time PREPARE is exploring multiple different ways of providing some level of direct advocacy to supplement the materials. The models being explored include workshops, correspondence using letters and tablets, and advocacy through a family member.
