The Opportunities with AmeriCorps for Reentry Success’ (OARS) program goal is to promote public safety by reducing recidivism through increased opportunities for offenders while providing opportunities to AmeriCorps participants to complete meaningful service to their country. OARS AmeriCorps program addresses the Corporation's strategic focus areas of economic opportunity.

Offenders who are not rehabilitated do return to society and that in turn affects all stakeholders including, but not limited to, offenders, their families and children, the workforce, communities to which offenders return, courts, the judicial system, law enforcement, prison management, and taxpayers. With the help of eleven AmeriCorps members volunteering full-time inside minimum to maximum security prisons across the state of New Mexico every day, the OARS program contributes to an increased impact in economic opportunity though innovative programming. The OARS program is unique in its partnership between AmeriCorps and the New Mexico Corrections Department to provide opportunities for inmates inside state run prisons.

AmeriCorps members in OARS ready male offenders for successful transition to the community. AmeriCorps members do this by facilitating workshops and courses and at times mentoring inmates in employability skills, literacy, family reunification, financial literacy, evidence-based cognitive education courses, as well as life skills workshops on topics such as health practices, parenting, fear and racism, nutrition, active listening voting rights and civic engagement, resume and cover letter writing, and interviewing techniques. These solution driven services provided by OARS help to further the Corporation’s mission of improving lives, strengthening communities, and fostering civic engagement through service and volunteering. The 11 members this year have so far exceeded 4 of 5 performance measures and the program is only half way complete.

In just a half a year, the OARS program has made a significant impact through innovation as well as best practice. This program is innovative because it places AmeriCorps members within a state prison system in order to help people who are currently incarcerated begin the transition process back into society and increase their economic opportunity for successful employment. This program also utilizes best practice in education as OARS uses only evidence-based programs to help habilitate and create economic opportunity for all program participants.

832 economically disadvantaged minimum to high level security inmates have seen improved access to services because of this program in only six months. 246 of those male inmates are seeing improved access and knowledge aimed at contributing to their enhanced financial literacy after spending 583 contact hours with AmeriCorps members so far. They work their way through a 10 phase financial literacy course consisting of such topics as credit management, household budget management, banking, credit unions, and savings plans, just to list a few. The passing rate for the course is 100% so far.

In addition to their full-time one-on-one work with inmates the AmeriCorps members have also taken the time to participate in 11 outside service projects, create a newsletter, recruit volunteers, host guest speakers inside the prison, and work toward a documentary about their program and experience.