The Ride Home Program
A collaboration between Stanford Law School’s The Three Strikes Project and the Anti-Recidivism Coalition, the Ride Home Program offers support to recently released returning citizens. The program provides a free ride from the prison gates to a transition house, and the best part is the driver is a formerly incarcerated person themselves. Therefore, people just released from prison have the opportunity to connect with someone who went through a very similar experience. Before arriving at the pre-approved destination, clients are assisted with their basic needs coming out of prison. This includes having a warm meal and shopping for toiletries and clothing. However, this relationship does not just span a car ride but for a lifetime as the program keeps in touch with returning citizens for follow-up counseling.
Each day people are released from prison around the country and left at their most vulnerable state with often no economic or emotional support. However, these critical few hours can define a returning citizen's reentry and the success of their life after prison. Therefore, the program provides transportation to a reentry center that provides housing, employment, and sobriety support that redefine the trajectory of an individual’s life. So far the program has assisted over 1,400 people.
Learn more about the program here: