The NAACP Prison Project began on May 25, 1972 when the first NAACP prison branch was organized at the U.S. Federal Penitentiary in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania. The program has grown to 47 branches with a combined membership of over 4,000 members located in various states from California to West Virginia.
The NAACP Prison Program is designed:
- Reduce the inmate recidivism rate
- Assist in providing voter registration and voter education
- Address disparate treatment of inmates
- Address disparities in the criminal justice system
- Develop collaborative partnerships to assist in providing services to inmates (skill set training, tutoring, pre-release counseling, etc.)
- Identify and assess appropriate offender re-entry programs
- Assist in national, state and local efforts to re-enfranchise former inmates
- Reactivate former prison branches and organize new prison branches
The by providing mentoring, education and trade skills for inmates, it is the goal of the program that upon release, former inmates do not find their way back behind bars.
Locally, the Treasure Valley NAACP and the Idaho Department of Corrections will work together to provide additional features to the existing inmate programs, including:
- Provide educational classes in English, math, and reading (focusing in ABE and GED pre-work)
- Creative writing workshops
- Job-securing seminars with an emphasis on resume writing and tips for the interview process