-- In Elkhorn—Walworth County Literacy Council. Visit www.walworthcoliteracy.com or call (262) 957-0142.
-- In Janesville—Janesville Literacy Council. Visit www.janesvilleliteracycouncil.org or call (608) 756-3125.
-- In Beloit—Stateline Literacy Council. Visit www.statelineliteracycouncil.org or call (608) 362-5207.
Aarus Mister, right, just released from prison in April, talks with Charles Jones from Veteran's Employment Service at the service fair at the Rock County Job Center in Janesville.
JANESVILLE — After Kyle Atwood was released from the Rock County Jail on Thursday, he sought help with his transition back into the community.
“I’m just trying to better myself and see what’s out there and what’s available,” said Atwood, 30. “Basically, I need all the help I can get.”
He and other former jail or prison inmates found help at the first annual offender re-entry service fair at the Rock County Job Center.
The Rock County Criminal Justice Coordinating Council organized the event to help former inmates and their families adjust to life on the outside.
Thirty-six organizations offered former inmates help with health care, education, housing, employment, banking and church services.
Elizabeth Pohlman McQuillen, a Rock County criminal justice planner and analyst, said the fair could reduce recidivism.
“People released from jail or prison sometimes feel like second-class citizens, and they don’t realize people are out there to help them,” she said. “You kind of feel like you’re out there on your own.”
The idea for the fair came from a similar program in Madison. The Rock County fair was open for a few hours Thursday afternoon.
Organizations had booths. Former inmates scrolled up and down the aisles, grabbing pamphlets and talking with representatives.
Twenty minutes after it began, about 25 former inmates had arrived.
Aarus Mister, 30, was released from prison in April. He said he has been in prison three times, most recently for a parole violation on disorderly conduct and battery charges.
He attended the fair in hopes of finding work. He said employers don’t want to hire someone with a recent criminal record.
“It tends to be frustrating and discouraging,” Mister said.
Tom Gubbin, a corrections field supervisor, said employment is the No. 1 need for former inmates.
A job gives offenders financial security, responsibility and a place to be every day.
“In my book, when somebody is working, that solves so many problems,” he said.
Atwood surveyed the booths at the fair. He said he is ready to turn around his life after serving a three-month sentence for using drugs and alcohol while on probation for battery.
“I’m highly motivated,” he said. “I’ve got three kids—two twin daughters and a son.”
Local literacy councils provide opportunities both for people who want to teach and those who want to learn.
-- In Elkhorn—Walworth County Literacy Council. Visit www.walworthcoliteracy.com or call (262) 957-0142.
-- In Janesville—Janesville Literacy Council. Visit www.janesvilleliteracycouncil.org or call (608) 756-3125.
-- In Beloit—Stateline Literacy Council. Visit www.statelineliteracycouncil.org or call (608) 362-5207.