99 Days to Re-Entry Success Journal

Re-entering the free world can be scary for those who lack clear goals, marketable skills, and a strong support system. During their first weeks out, many ex-offenders struggle to find food, housing, employment, and assistance with the day-to-day realities of life on the outside. Unfortunately, many don't make it beyond the first 99 days as they get re-arrested and return to life in a cage.

Most ex-offenders need help with their re-entry challenges. It's something few can do on their own through sheer willpower or wishful thinking. But they first need to help themselves by specifying realistic goals, developing a targeted plan, and then translating their goals and plan into daily activities for achieving long-term success.

Offering a helping hand, this handy weekly planning and implementation journal assists ex-offenders in dealing with key transition issues during their first 99 days, or 14 weeks, in the free world. Addressing the major hopes and fears of ex-offenders, this upbeat resource focuses on the nuts-and-bolts of implementation. It requires users to:

specify three major objectives each week

identify specific supporting daily activities

anticipate related outcomes

evaluate their progress at the end of each week

make key adjustments for the next week

Viewing re-entry as a challenging full-time job, the book encourages users to keep a weekly journal where they record exactly what they plan to do each day (a daily "To Do" list) and then evaluate their progress on a scale of 1 to 10 in accomplishing their goals for the week. They, in turn, summarize what they need to do to better accomplish their goals.

The journal also includes important sections on:

commitment

key contacts

appointments

financial planning

budgeting

personal information

documentation

re-entry resources

Used alone or in a group, this book helps ex-offenders focus on those things they need to do on a daily basis to develop a new pattern of behavior for achieving success in the free world.