The Hinda Institute has expanded in the past three years and initiated or expanded programs to make the processes of court, incarceration, reentry, and reintegration easier for our clients and their families.

After incarceration, our clients face multiple barriers, both officially sanctioned and systemic, preventing access to basic needs like housing or job opportunities. Hinda works to reduce those barriers and in doing so, makes the process of leaving prison, called reentry, smoother and more effective.

The Hinda Institute provides dedicated casework to overcome these barriers, as well as an extensive Reentry Education program, so that our clients develop coping skills and strategies. We also support our clients with referrals for their desperately-needed legal, mitigation and paralegal needs. Both these programs include a spectrum of extensive psychosocial supports, so that our clients and their families can rebuild their lives after the trauma of involvement with the criminal justice system.

This year, we have also developed a new Reentry Peer Support Program. Intrinsic to this is, social support to include developing a nonjudgmental community, and promoting involvement and inclusion in social events.

Recently, the Hinda Institute has become more involved in grassroots advocacy work in the community and beyond to further ease the prejudice our clients and families face within our communities and agencies.

Our holistic approach means that our clients and their families are supported from their initial encounters with the criminal justice system to full reintegration.

 

 

Wrap-Around Services

I encountered the Hinda Institute when my son was incarcerated in Cook County jail 3 years ago. He was assaulted upon arrival and the conditions were appalling. I felt helpless and didn't know how to deal with the prison, the court, or in reality his mental health challenges which were exacerbated in the crowded jail cell.

It seemed unbelievable to me that he had been incarcerated for such a minor incident. Fortunately, he was almost immediately met by a chaplain, and a legal volunteer.

The Hinda Institute called me, and I joined their Family Support group. A dedicated caseworker explained the prison system and helped me to find resources to survive emotionally and financially.

I was also guided through the legal system; my son pleaded guilty. Fortunately, he was released 1 year later.