JAC's COVID Conversion For Its ReEntry Clinics!

Thank you to everyone who has helped JAC serve reentering citizens during the COVID-19 crisis! With your help, we have been able to provide direct legal services virtually, outdoors and indoors.

In July, we moved our Re-Entry Legal Clinic back indoors with temperature checks, mask requirements and provided each client with a complimentary hand sanitizer. As COVID-19 numbers in Louisiana continued to climb, our re-entry clinic in August was held indoors to citizens with negative COVID results within 48 hours or initial vaccinations received based on the City of New Orleans indoor COVID protocols.  During this period, we provided legal advice on child support/custody, traffic matters, driver’s licenses, and Transportation Worker Identification Cards to 16 formerly incarcerated people thanks to our volunteers and partners’ time, energy, and expertise. 

We held successful clinics with PPE and social distancing in June, July and August, and our next one is scheduled for September. 

As vaccinations are increasing, we are excited to be returning to monthly in-person Re-Entry legal clinics in New Orleans.  However, COVID-19 protocols require us to continue to modify how we provide services.  Your continued support is vital to helping us accomplish that goal.  With your support, we can allow for social distancing, provide PPE, eliminate paperwork being passed back and forth, and create virtual solutions for those who have underlying health conditions preventing them from attending clinics in person.  We are grateful for your ongoing support! 

Thank you to everyone who has helped JAC serve reentering citizens during the COVID-19 crisis! With your help, we have been able to provide direct legal services virtually and outdoors.

In October, we moved our ReEntry Legal Clinic outside. We provided legal advice on child support/custody, traffic matters, driver’s licenses, and Transportation Worker Identification Cards to 24 formerly incarcerated people in just several hours thanks to our volunteers and partners’ time, energy, and expertise. 

Our original plan was to convert all of our clinics to outdoor spaces, but we soon learned that pivoting to a virtual solution was more feasible. Our second outdoor clinic was foiled due to a hurricane and our third outdoor clinic was cancelled after all the lights were knocked out!  So, with your support, we worked with the East Baton Rouge public library to host our first virtual Re-Entry Legal clinic in February! The library assisted us with setting up Zoom appointments for people needing legal services so that we could meet with them online. We held successful clinics in February, March, and April, and our next one is scheduled in May. 

Now that vaccinations are available, we are excited to be returning to monthly in-person Re-Entry legal clinics in New Orleans.  However, COVID-19 protocols require us to continue to modify how we provide services.  Your continued support is vital to helping us accomplish that goal.  With your support, we can allow for social distancing, provide PPE, eliminate paperwork being passed back and forth, and create virtual solutions for those who have underlying health conditions preventing them from attending clinics in person.  We are excited to be slowly returning to “normal” and are grateful for your ongoing support!