“It’s so nice that someone still cares--no matter where we are in this world,” one DC inmate writes to Visitors' Services Center, a unique organization that assists inmates from incarceration through re-entry. Helping people charged with breaking the law can be unpopular work, and VSC makes no excuse for criminal behavior. But they also know that most prisoners will return to the community and that successful reintegration begins on day one of incarceration--if inmates can maintain ties to the outside world. Helping them meet family emergencies, deal with an unresponsive attorney, locate lost property, process a tax return, arrange voter registration, call a family member, notify an employer, or just ask a neighbor to feed a dog--these are some of the 15,000 requests a year to which VSC responds. A quarterly newsletter, The Look-Out, offers answers to commonly asked questions on drug treatment programs, job skill training, and housing opportunities. Books, recording equipment, and tapes let inmates stay in touch with family, and after release ex-offenders can drop by to get a transportation token, have a bowl of soup, write a resumé, make a phone call, or find a place to stay overnight. Winner of the Justice Potter Stewart Award in 2005, VSC has earned your caring support.

Ann Cuningham Keep, Executive Director 1422 Massachusetts Avenue, SE Washington, DC 20003 202 544-2131 www.vscdcjails.net