St. Vincent de Paul volunteer helps Bristol County inmates transition after incarceration

DARTMOUTH – Being released from jail is something all inmates look forward to.

But it can also be an extremely stressful experience. Where are they going to? What are they going to wear? What social services do they need?

That’s where the kind-hearted volunteers from the Attleboro District Council Reentry Program of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul come in.

According to Jonathan Darling of the Bristol County Sheriff’s Office, the volunteers offer the Getting Ahead While Getting Out program for inmates at the Bristol County House of Corrections, which prepares inmates to successfully and seamlessly reintegrate back into society upon release.

Program participants celebrated inside the Bristol County House of Corrections recently during a graduation ceremony.

Led by program facilitators Tom Dwyer and Robert Mangiaratti, the SVdP team shared lessons learned during the 10-week program and shared well-wishes for the graduates.

Inmate graduates expressed gratitude to the volunteers and shared with guests some of the work they’ve done over the past few months.

The graduation ceremony was attended by Bristol County District Attorney Thomas M. Quinn, Reps. Carole Fiola and Christopher Hendricks, Rui Rosa of Catholic Social Services, and Lawrence Tracy, reentry community coordinator with the Mass. Department of Corrections. The guests shared their admiration for what the inmates accomplished and wished them well in the future.

Started in 2016 by the St. Vincent’s Attleboro Voice of the Poor Committee, the Getting Ahead While Getting Out program not only focuses on the critical 72 hours immediately after release, but also looks at short- and long-term goals and how inmates can achieve them.