Our Programs

Pre-Release

Where the journey takes shape.

Pre-Release is Arouet’s in-prison program, supporting preparation, resilience, and future planning.

Preparation for reentry begins long before release. Inside Perryville Prison, Arouet’s pre-release programs support women as they build practical skills, strengthen resilience, and begin planning for life beyond incarceration.

PRE-RELEASE AT AROUET

Preparing for reentry from the inside

Preparation for reentry starts long before release. Inside Perryville, Arouet’s pre-release programs help women build practical skills, confidence, and a plan for life beyond incarceration.

Key areas of focus

Workforce Readiness

Learning alongside others with shared lived experience.

Financial Foundations

Practical tools for budgeting, benefits, and stability

Wellness & Resilience

Learning alongside others with shared lived experience.

Peer
Connection

Learning alongside others with shared lived experience.

For women facing longer sentences and higher custody settings, Arouet offers deeper, more intensive support through Bend Don’t Break, an initiative focused on resilience, accountability, and long-term growth.

SECOND CHANCE CENTER

Building skills, confidence, and connection before release

Through programming at the Second Chance Center inside Perryville, women begin preparing for reentry long before release. Workshops focus on practical skill building, personal growth, and strengthening support systems that carry forward into life beyond incarceration.

Programming is designed to support both readiness and resilience, helping participants build confidence, explore new possibilities, and reconnect with their sense of agency as they plan for the future.

  • Wellness & Resilience
  • Workforce Readiness
  • Financial Literacy
  • Mentorship and Peer Connection

Voices From the Journey

Thank you all for letting be seen and heard. No one has ever gone to the trouble of making sure we were counted among the people who matter - but Arouet has! Thanks
S. Sainz
As I get ready to come home, it is comforting to be able to have a support system. You guys took a chance on me even when no one else would and you have kept your word and been there for me. Bend Don't Break has really given me a hope I never thought I would hve had. Now I know that leaving here won't be as scary as I thougth.
Shacoia M.
Thank you guys for never forgetting me. I know I have struggled and it has never mattered what I was going through I could always reach out. I am so thankful you understand and care about me even when I am lost or feel broken
Deja W
I have to say Wow!! First time I ever was in a cap and gown. Thank you Arouet Foundation Arouet Community for making this happen. You ALL are amazing and for me personally you have brought such professionalism and encouragement for me to keep going, and in my life. Thank you for doing the things you do for women like us. #wedorecover #secondchances
Kathy M
It felt so good to walk into Arouet and have everyone welcome me and accept me. It was the first time in a really really long time that I felt like I could be me and that I belonged somewhere! Thank you to everyone who welcomed me and gave me the chance to begin a life I can finally be proud of~
Mellisa D

BEND DON’T BREAK

A peer-led program focused on resilience, reflection, and growth

Bend Don’t Break is an intensive, peer led program designed for women in high custody settings who face longer sentences and greater challenges. The program creates a structured, supportive space for reflection, accountability, and emotional growth.

Key areas of focus

8-week
cohort

Guided Instruction

Weekly
Practice

Peer Accountability

Participants move through three guided stages of self examination:

  • Where you were
  • Where you are
  • Where you're going

Each stage encourages honest reflection on mindset, behavior, and decision making, while building tools for change.

Facilitators with lived experience foster trust and connection, while weekly accountability and practice outside the classroom reinforce lasting personal growth.

IMPACT & OUTCOMES

Bend Don’t Break outcomes

3 cohorts

43 participants

100%

graduation rate

98%

reduction in negative interactions

35

on the waitlist for the next cohort

Your support helps women prepare for reentry before release.

Support Pre-Release Pathways