From Here To The Streets

by Joseph Chiappetta, Jr.
The idea for this book began in early 2004 when I was asked to come into an Employability Class as a guest speaker to discuss small business ownership, real estate and credit repair. My father and I have been involved in these activities for years so I had a lot of material to offer. When I got up and started talking to the twenty or so students, I noticed something that really shocked me; they were all taking notes and listening. I never thought that this kind of information would be received so well in such a negative environment. It honestly inspired me! After a 45-minute lecture I answered questions for another hour and continued to answer them all the way back to my housing unit.

The teacher asked me back again and I eventually became one of the facilitators of the class. During the next two months I noticed a lot of room for improvement in the curriculum. The course itself was outdated and missing many important elements. I spent hours discussing these observations with the teacher. She, of course, was already aware of the issues. Under her supervision, we revamped the entire course and wrote a detailed outline for future classes. The Unit Deputy Warden assigned me the task of merging Pre-Released Materials with the Employability Program. This task was completed in September 2005.

To date, that unit’s “Pre-Release and Employability Class” has graduated hundreds of inmates. Many of those inmates are approaching release or are already out. I believe that they are better equipped to succeed by having taken this course. It was after these successes that I wrote an actual book that covered all the relevant topics and could be used as a course book/manual or as a stand-alone self-help resource. “From Here To…The Streets” was first published by Tafford Publishing as a self-help book and teaching manual for prison inmates, family, friends and prison staff/teachers. The first edition was published in 2006. Later I realized that there was still room for improvement, so I wrote the current 2007 Special Edition.

From Here to the Streets is both a book and a website. The website has one purpose and one purpose only…to give felons reentering the community, their families and friends, and prison workers nationwide vital information, tools, and networking resources to ensure that they have the best chance for success with prerelease, reentry, employment and other transitional related issues. The site contains all of my published works and also gives visitors the opportunity to post new information or items as they become known. This site is the result of 5 years of active researching and hands on experience teaching, creating programs and mentoring offenders within the AZ Department of Corrections. This work also represents the hard work from ADOC staff, teachers and inmate facilitators who have truly made a difference by continuing to support this cause despite the high rates of recidivism and sometimes restrictive nature of teaching within a secured facility.

To download a free PDF visit From Here..to the Streets

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