The RIDGE Project

We teach healthy communication, marriage strengthening, character development and job/work ethic skills to incarcerated fathers and their spouses/partners across the state of Ohio

Quick Facts:

Focus of initiative/program:
  • Children and Families
  • Employment/Job Training
  • Family/Relationship Stabilization
Inititative/program name:
Keeping FAITH (Families And Inmates Together in Harmony)
Year Established:
2000
Lead agency/organization name:
The RIDGE Project, Inc.
Population served by initiative/program:
  • Returning from prison
  • Under community corrections supervision (parole or probation)
  • Adults
  • Men
  • Women
  • People convicted of a violent offense
  • People convicted of a non-violent offense
  • Gang members
  • Tribal populations

    • The RIDGE Project

    Contact:

    Catherine Tijerina
    Co Executive Director
    The RIDGE Project
    Phone: 419-782-1511
    717 Perry St
    Defiance, Ohio 43512
    info@theridgeproject.com

    www.theridgeproject.com

    The RIDGE Project

    Initiatives and Programs

    Focus of initiative/program:
    • Children and Families
    • Employment/Job Training
    • Family/Relationship Stabilization
    Inititative/program name:
    Keeping FAITH (Families And Inmates Together in Harmony)
    Lead agency/organization name:
    The RIDGE Project, Inc.

    Funding

    Funding sources for initiative/program:
    Federal Funding

    Partners in the reentry initiative/program

    Informal Agreement Formal Agreement
    (e.g., a written contract or an MOU) with this partner.
    Community- and faith-based services providers:
    X
    Education and training providers (e.g., local public school officials, vocational instructors):
    X
    Health, mental health, and substance abuse treatment providers:
    X
    Housing officials:
    X
    Institutional corrections (e.g., DOC, jail, prison):
    X
    Law enforcement agencies (e.g., police, sheriff's office):
    X
    Members of the community (e.g., people who have been incarcerated, their families or neighbors):
    X
    Other criminal justice agencies (e.g., prosecutors, judges):
    X
    Victim advocates:
    X
    Work force development and employment agencies (e.g. business associations, unions):
    X

    Participants

    Population served by initiative/program:
  • Returning from prison
  • Under community corrections supervision (parole or probation)
  • Adults
  • Men
  • Women
  • People convicted of a violent offense
  • People convicted of a non-violent offense
  • Gang members
  • Tribal populations
    • Total number of people who have participated in initiative/program to date:
    Over 3000
    Total number of people currently participating in initiative/program:
    Approximately 425
    Total number of people who can be served at one time:
    150

    Data Collection

    Does your organization collect demographic data on participants?
    No
    Does your organization collect data about the process of your initiative/program?
    No
    Does your organization measure and/or track the outcome of participation?
    Yes
    If "yes", what kind of data? And what results has this data yielded?
    This data shows a 60% decrease in infractions while incarcerated, a 5% recidivism rate at 18 months, and an across the board increase in healthy family interactions.

    Activities

    What, if any, activities does your initiative/program include for people while they are incarcerated and how do these activities differ from those offered to the general population?
    We offer communications classes where the incarcerated father's female partner or spouse can join them for 12 two-hour sessions. We also offer a 12 week course for just the fathers that focuses on intensive character development.
    What activities does your organization engage in post-release and how do these activities differ from those offered to the general population?
    We offer a work ethic training. Most clients, when they are released, have the skills to obtain some sort of employment. What the clients lack is the ability to keep the job and excell at it so they are promoted, etc. We teach them how to keep a job. The curriculum and methodology we use has a track record of increasing ex-offender job retention by 60%.
    How are people placed into your program?
    Clients fill out an application, we work with the local institutions to approve entry into the program and clients are admitted.
    Explore the Justice Center’s Websites
    CSG Justice Center Criminal Justice / Mental Health Consensus Project Justice Reinvestment National Reentry Resource Center Reentry Policy Council