DENVER — Many people think getting out of prison must be simple -- you get released and you go back to the life you lived before you were locked up.
For many former inmates, that's not the case. Colorado has one of the highest recidivism rates in the U.S., at nearly 45%.
Experts say for many people being released from prison, access to support and resources inside and outside can make all the difference.
Part 1 of this series: Prison program gives inmates 'breakthrough'
The Breakthrough program, which is offered at several Colorado prisons, is providing services starting while inmates are still incarcerated and continuing after they are released.
Alexis McKinley spent seven years locked up in La Vista Correctional Facility in Pueblo. She was initially skeptical about the program.
"After the first time of meeting everybody, that skepticism went away immediately," McKinley said.
> Part one of the effort to reduce recidivism rates in Colorado.
She now works for Checkr, a background-checking company in Denver.
"I was really scared, one to even apply," she said. "It's a background check company, right? Why would they hire somebody like me?"
McKinley was released from prison four years ago and continued with the program after her sentence.
"I contacted Breakthrough I think either my first or second day out. I was in the halfway house and I contacted them," she said.
Ashley Furst, with Breakthrough, said the continued contact their re-entry specialists provide helps keep participants from returning to prison.
"They get overwhelmed and they don't know how to troubleshoot or fix something that might be happening and they get overwhelmed and they might start using again or they might be like, it's not worth it," Furst said.
The Breakthrough program is designed to teach inmates skills they'll need to have to stay out of prison. Subjects inmates learn include starting a business, resume building, job interviewing, and social skills like learning to empathize with others.
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