CORRECTIONAL FACILITIES COMMITTEE
TENNESSEE CORRECTIONAL
FACILITIES COMMITTEE OF ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS
PRE-RELEASE CONTACT PROGRAM
OVERVIEW
Preamble: Alcoholics Anonymous is a fellowship of men
and women who share their experience, strength, and hope with each other that
they may solve their common problem and help others to recover from alcoholism.
The only requirement for membership is a desire to stop drinking. There are no
dues or fees for AA membership, we are self-supporting through our own
contributions. AA is not allied with any sect, denomination, politics,
organization or institution; does not wish to engage in any controversy;
neither endorses nor opposes any causes. Our primary purpose is to stay sober
and help other alcoholics achieve sobriety.
PRE-RELEASE CONTACT PROGRAM:
Object: To bridge the gap from correctional
facilities to Alcoholics Anonymous.
Purpose: Two fold: First, to provide the inmate with
a temporary contact for recovery in AA. Second, to
inform the inmate about our “singleness of purpose”
and what AA does and does not do.
Pre-Release Contact Guidelines
The temporary contact program is designed to help
alcoholics in correctional facilities make the transition from confinement to
the AA program.
As you know, the most “slippery” place in the journey
to lifelong sobriety is in the first 24 hours after release. In order to bridge
the gap, AA members have volunteered to be Pre-Release contacts to introduce a
released inmate to the outside AA.
The pre-release contact may write the inmate before
they leave the facility, provide them with AA literature and a local meeting
list, take them to a variety of meetings after leaving the facility, introduce
them to other alcoholics, insure they have phone numbers of several AA’s, talk
with them about sponsorship and guide them in selecting a sponsor.
Apre-release contact volunteer should be enjoying a
comfortable, stable sobriety, preferably for a year or more. They need not have
any experience with correctional facilities. The qualifications are alcoholism
and recovery in AA. The intent is to provide the newcomer with help for a short
period of time to bring them into solid AA membership.
Be familiar with the memo, “Information on Alcoholics
Anonymous”, particularly the section on what AA does and does not do.
In all contact or activities with the correctional
facilities, it is extremely important to be punctual, look your best, avoid
profanity, and follow their rules.