(BOP) - FCC Oakdale's Reintegration Housing Unit (RHU) helps protective custody inmates learn to live in open prison populations. Specifically, inmates are taught about anxiety management, relationship building and self-confidence.
RHU targets inmates who have difficulty functioning in the prison environment and have fears of being around other inmates. Participants complete three phases of programming which lasts for a minimum of 6 months in a dedicated unit, apart from the rest of the inmate population.
Plans are underway to expand the program to additional sites.
Inmate Thomas McDonald, one of the graduates and currently a program mentor in the RHU, explained that the unit provides a "safe environment to learn how to think rationally, and overcome adversity. It taught me about my hidden strengths and to equip me to make a positive reintegration back to society."