The Volunteers of America Chesapeake in Lanham was recognized this month by the Prince George’s County Department of Family Services for starting a program to help inmates get back on their feet after jail.

The organization earned the “Creative and Collaborative Mental Health Provider” award for starting, in conjunction with the county, an AfterCare for Inmates program in July 2010 while continuing to maintain about 25 other mental health services.

AfterCare for Inmates aims to reduce recidivism by assisting recently released inmates in finding jobs, securing housing and learning life skills, said Franklyn Baker, the chief operating officer of Volunteers of America Chesapeake. The program also provides inmates with counseling for psychiatric issues.

AfterCare for Inmates consultants are “designed to be a bridge between (inmates) exiting the penal system and reintegrating into the community,” Baker said.

“When they scan the horizon of other providers doing the same thing, we have shown the ability to be as creative and collaborative as possible,” Baker said.

Many of Volunteers of America Chesapeake’s other programs in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan region work with mentally ill and homeless clients.