Resolana

Change Can Begin During Incarceration

Resolana provides gender-specific programming to female offenders, beginning inside the Dallas County Jail and continuing through their re-entry into the community.  Our goals are to increase readiness for change on the inside, to increase use of existing community resources on the outside and to reduce recidivism. 

CONTACT: Lesley Moheny

lmoheny@voatx.org

Service Area: Must be incarcerated inside the Dallas County Jail.

Eligibility:  Only women currently incarcerated in the Dallas County Jail are eligible to enroll.  They should submit a request, a kite, requesting to participate.  There are some offenses that preclude participation by jail rules.

Services: Resolana clients plan for their release from the Dallas County Jail while addressing the root causes of their incarceration, often addiction and trauma.

  • Case management
    Relapse prevention planning and information for supportive community reentry services are provided before women are released from the Dallas County Jail.
  • Mental health psycho-educational
    These groups aim to educate women on the association between unresolved trauma experiences and drug abuse problems. We offer life skills classes that teach healthy communication, self-esteem, anger management, and healthy relationships. Licensed therapist also teach dialectical behavioral skills– mindfulness, emotion regulation, distress tolerance, and interpersonal effectiveness.
  • Recovery programming
    Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous, and Al-Anon provide weekly support groups in the pod.
  • Domestic Violence and Survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse
    Group classes are offered each week by Family Place in the pod.
  • Parenting classes
    Weekly classes are offered in the pod by Family Compass and Hope Cottage.
  • Wellness classes
    Physical activity is essential to acheiveing a helathy outlook on life. Particpants may take part in yoga, exercise, and/or dance classes given by a certified volunteer instructor.
  • Creativity classes
    Women learn through creative expression to explore and discover thoughts, emotions, and behavior as well as values that drive their goals for a better future.
  • Spiritual awareness
    Optionalfaith-based classes are offered by VOA Texas ministers and bibliodrama workshops are given by licensed professional counselors.
  • Mentoring
    Post-release program that involves recruiting, training and matching volunteers from the community with Resolana women who are court ordered to drug treatment at John Creuzot Judicial Treatment Center.
  • Intensive Case Management
    Post-release we help with obtaining replacement birth certificates, social security cards, identification, as well as interview clothing, transportation, sober living rent assistance, emergency food, and recovery support.
  • Job readiness/Financial Fitness
    Women learn how to give a good interview and wisely handle money earned.

“Resolana gives women the tools to use their time in the Dallas County Jail productively, with the goal of making it their last stint in custody,”

Dallas County Sherriff Lupe Valdez


Resolana graduates talk about how the VOA Texas program has impacted their lives and changed them for the better.

FACTS

  • The rate of female incarceration is increasing at twice the rate of men; an increase primarily associated with poverty and drug use.
  • A majority of incarcerated women are victims of violence, sexual abuse and corresponding trauma.
  • Most incarcerated women are mothers with multiple minor children, children who are 8-10 times more likely than their peers to end up in jail or prison themselves.
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