Prisoner Reentry:
Coming to a Community
Near You
National Crime Prevention Council
2007
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National Crime Prevention Council
The Goal of This Presentation
To inform citizens about the impact
that reentry of ex-offenders has
on their communities and present
them with information on available
strategies, resources, and
effective community responses
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National Crime Prevention Council
Objectives
Participants will
Examine the issue of ex-offender reentry in the
United States
Identify practices and programs that work to
reduce ex-offender recidivism
Look at ways to reduce crime through focused
activities on ex-offender reentry
Look at resources that could aid reentry and be
replicated in other communities across the
country
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Reentry: A Definition
Reentry (n.):
A broad term that refers to the issues
related to the transition of
ex-offenders from incarceration to
community.
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Reentry: A Definition (continued)
Reentry specifically involves using
programs that promote the effective
reintegration of ex-offenders into
communities when they are released
from prison and jail.
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Reentry
by the Numbers
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National Crime Prevention Council
According to the Bureau of Justice
Statistics, 2006
In the past 30 years, the U.S. prison
population grew from 190,000 to 2.2
million.
By June 30, 2006, the number of inmates
in the custody of state and federal prisons
and local jails reached 2,245,189.
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The Bureau of Justice Statistics,
2006 (continued)
During the calendar year 2005, 698,459
individuals were released from prison.
Jail officials reported that during the period
from July 1, 2005, to June 30, 2006, there
were 60,222 ex-offenders in alternative
programs being supervised outside jail
facilities.
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The Bureau of Justice Statistics,
2005
Probation
• The adult probation population grew 0.5 percent in
2005, an increase of 19,070 probationers.
Parole
• The nation’s parole population grew 1.6 percent, an
increase of 12,556 parolees.
• Mandatory releases from prison as a result of a
sentencing statute or good-time provision comprised
51 percent of those entering parole in 2005.
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The Bureau of Justice Statistics,
2005 (continued)
The number of adult men and women in the
United States who were being supervised on
probation or parole at the end of 2006 reached
4,946,944.
That’s nearly 5 million individuals.
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How are communities
affected by reentry?
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Initial Impact of Reentry
on Ex-Offenders
Outside world is chaotic and stressful
Initial experiences can be disappointing
and ex-offenders may take impulsive
actions that derail their progress.
The longer the time they spent in prison,
the worse their disorientation will be.
Source: John Irwin (2005) The Warehouse Prison
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Adjustments After Prison
Many of released prisoners return to prison.
A few released prisoners “make it” and do well.
Most parolees fall into a life of dependency.
Many cross back and forth, outside and inside
the law and the parole rules.
Many parolees fail to achieve minimum stability,
even in dependent situations.
Source: John Irwin (2005) The Warehouse Prison
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Quote
“I think the goal of everyone involved in the
reentry process—the individual prisoner, his
family, his community, and the agencies of
government—should be to improve the chances
of successful reintegration for each returning
prisoner. This means re-establishing (or, as the
case may be, establishing) positive connections
between the returning prisoner and his family,
the world of work, and the institutions of
community.”
Jeremy Travis, John Jay College of Criminal Justice
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Prisoner Reentry in One Baltimore
Community
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Reentry
Challenges
Housing
Public Safety
Employment
Health
Families
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Challenges to Reentry
Family relationships, if not already problematic,
are often weakened by incarceration.
Convicted felons have difficulty finding
employment and this can be aggravated by
prison experiences.
Ex-prisoners often have a lower rate of literacy
than individuals in the general population.
Unmet health and mental health needs
Housing issues
Collateral barriers related to civic participation
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National Crime Prevention Council
What Does Your Jurisdiction Do?
Are criminal records made publicly available?
Are there legal restrictions related to certain
careers?
Are there restrictions on hiring, bonding, and
licensing ex-prisoners?
Do employers have access to criminal records?
Are there restrictions on public assistance and
welfare?
Are there restrictions on public housing or
rentals?
Are there restrictions on parental rights?
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Housing Challenges
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Housing Challenges
In the last 20 years, the number of
people who are homeless has swelled
from more than 440,000 to 840,000
nationwide.
Ten to 20 percent of those released
from prison or jail were homeless
before incarceration.
Source: The Re-entry Policy Council
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National Crime Prevention Council
Housing Challenges (continued)
Programs that help ex-offenders find
housing often face the same challenges.
• Finding affordable rental housing
• Maximizing the use of existing housing
resources
• Identifying and eliminating the barrier or
stigma of ex-offenders in order to receive
housing
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Most Ex-offenders Return to Just a
Few Neighborhoods
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Public Safety
Challenges
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Public Safety Challenges
Many returning prisoners have extensive
criminal histories.
A substantial number of released prisoners are
reconvicted or rearrested for new crimes, many
within the first year after release.
Those with substance abuse histories and those
who engage in substance abuse after release
are at high risk for recidivism.
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Public Safety Challenges
(continued)
Two of three people released from state prison
are rearrested within three years.
American taxpayers went from spending
approximately $9 billion per year on corrections
in 1982 to $60 billion in 2002.
Although investment in corrections has greatly
increased, recidivism rates have remained
virtually unchanged over the past 30 years.
Source: The Re-entry Policy Council
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Employment Challenges
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Employment Challenges
While prisoners believe that having a job is an
important factor in staying out of prison, few
have a job lined up after release.
Few prisoners receive employment-related
training in prison.
Participation in work-release jobs in prison may
have a positive impact on the likelihood of
finding full-time employment after release.
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Employment Challenges:
Incarceration
Dissuades employers from hiring someone with
a criminal history
Disqualifies some ex-offenders for specific
occupations that require ongoing training and
education
Makes it difficult to keep skills up-to-date
Limits work experience
Abets behaviors that may be unacceptable in the
workplace
Source: www.vera.org
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Employment Challenges
(continued)
Prisoners who do find work after release may
not have full-time or consistent employment.
Lack of transportation is a significant barrier to
employment.
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Health
Challenges
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Health Challenges
A substantial number of prisoners have been
diagnosed with a physical or mental health
condition.
More prisoners report being diagnosed with a
medical condition than report receiving
medication or treatment for their condition
while incarcerated.
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Health Challenges (continued)
Securing health care is a major concern
for many released prisoners.
The vast majority of returning prisoners do
not have any form of medical insurance.
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Substance Abuse and Reentry
A majority of prisoners have extensive
substance abuse histories.
Prisoners identify drug abuse as the primary
cause of many of their past and current
problems.
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Substance Abuse and Reentry
(continued)
Consensus in the field holds that individualized
in-prison treatment, in concert with communitybased aftercare, can reduce substance use and
dependency.
Ex-offenders with a history of substance use and
those who engage in substance use after
release are at high risk to recidivate.
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Family
Challenges
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Family Challenges
Most prisoners believe that family support is an
important factor in helping them stay out of prison.
While most prisoners have some regular contact with
family members during their prison term, relatively
few receive family visits.
More than seven million children under the age of 18
(approximately 10 percent of the U.S. population)
have a parent in state or federal prison, jail, on
probation or parole, or reentering society after a
period of imprisonment.
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Family Challenges (continued)
A parent’s incarceration can
have mixed effects on a
child.
One of the greatest
challenges of keeping
families connected is the
distance between home and
prison.
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What Really
Works To Help
Ex-offenders
and Ultimately
To Reduce
Crime
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Seven Domain Areas
1. Employment—work, training, vocation,
education
2. Family/marital—support from family
3. Associates/social interaction—positive
interaction with noncriminal associates
4. Substance abuse—intensive, outpatient,
AA/NA, sponsor
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Seven Domain Areas
(continued)
5. Adjusting to a new environment—home,
budgeting, social services, leisure, health
6. Personal/emotional—mental health, coping
skills, decision-making
7. Attitudes and beliefs—religion, law-abiding
behavior
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The Prisoner Reentry Initiative
and
Promising Programs
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Three Phases
Phase 1: Protect and prepare
Phase 2: Control and restore
Phase 3: Sustain and support
www.reentry.gov
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Phase 1:
Protect and Prepare
Institution-based programs
Designed to prepare ex-offenders to reenter
society
Services include education, mental health and
substance abuse treatment, job training,
mentoring, and full diagnostic and risk
assessment
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Phase 2:
Control and Restore
Community-based transition programs
Work with ex-offenders before and immediately
following their release from correctional
institutions
Services include education, monitoring,
mentoring, life-skills training, assessment, jobskills development, and mental health and
substance abuse treatment
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National Crime Prevention Council
Phase 3:
Sustain and Support
Community-based long-term support programs
Connect individuals who have left the
supervision of the justice system to a network of
social services agencies and community-based
organizations
Ex-offenders receive ongoing services and
mentoring relationships
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Program Examples for
Phase 1
Protect and Prepare
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Richland County Reentry Court
Richland County, Ohio
Richland County Reentry Court
Dave Leitenberger, CPO/Program Director
50 Park Avenue East
Mansfield, OH 44902
419-774-5564
419-774-6365 (fax)
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National Crime Prevention Council
Richland County Reentry Court
America’s first and largest reentry court.
To date, 575 clients have participated in
this reentry program.
Of the first 213 clients from 2000 to 2003,
• 124 clients graduated from the program
• Nine (4 percent) were terminated having been
charged with a felony offense within their first
year
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Richland County Reentry Court
(continued)
Focuses on the management of criminal
ex-offenders with court oversight through
the various stages of the criminal justice
system
•
•
•
•
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Arrest to conviction
Sentencing
Incarceration to release
Supervision to termination
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East of the River Clergy Police
Community Partnership
(ERCPCP)
Faith-based Transitional Housing Program
Donald Isaac
Executive Director
Main Office
4105 First Street, SE
Washington, DC 20032
202-373-5767
202-373-5769 fax
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East of the River Clergy Police
(continued)
Provide supportive housing to previously
incarcerated individuals
Work with government,
financial entities, faith-based
institutions, and corporations
to secure transitional and
independent housing for
eligible reentrants
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East of the River Clergy Police
(continued)
Partners
Federal Bureau of Prisons
Faithworks
Enterprise Foundation
Bank of America
United Bank
Faith-based community
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The Dangerous Mentally Ill
Offender Program (DMIO)
Community Protection Unit
Department of Corrections
PO Box 41127 MS 41127
Olympia, WA 98504
360-586-4371
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National Crime Prevention Council
DMIO (continued)
How It Works
Identify ex-offenders who can be classified as
dangerous and mentally ill.
A mental health provider is contacted and the
prerelease transition process starts.
About six months before release, treatment is
given based on need (i.e., counseling services
and drug rehabilitation).
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Program Examples for
Phase 2
Control and Restore
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Fort Wayne/Allen County,
Indiana Reentry Court
201 W Superior Street
Fort Wayne, IN 46802
260-449-7252
260-449-7308 fax
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Fort Wayne, IN, Reentry Court
(continued)
The Elements
Case management
Electronic monitoring
Rewards and sanctions
Home visits
Drug testing
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Fort Wayne, IN, Reentry Court
(continued)
Activities and Programs That Support the
Elements
Transitional programs (e.g., anger management)
Remedial education
Employment readiness
Job development
Mental health/health services
Substance abuse treatment
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Fort Wayne, IN, Reentry Court
(continued)
The Results
Significantly lower re-arrests
Significantly lower new
charges
Savings of $2 million (based
on the 209 ex-offenders in
the program)
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Federal Bureau of Prisons
Residential Reentry Centers
(RRCs)
www.bop.gov/locations/cc/index.jsp
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Federal Bureau of Prisons RRCs
(continued)
How It Works
The Federal Bureau of Prisons contracts with
Residential Reentry Centers (RRCs), also
known as halfway houses.
Provide assistance to inmates who are nearing
release
Setting is structured and supervised
Services include counseling, financial services,
and job placement
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Federal Bureau of Prisons RRCs
(continued)
Focus Areas
Accountability
Employment
Housing
Substance Abuse Treatment and
Counseling
Medical and Mental Health Treatment
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Program Examples for
Phase 3
Sustain and Support
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EXODUS Transitional Community
161 East 104th Street
New York, NY 10029
917-492-0990
917-492-8711 fax
info@etcny.org
www.etcny.org
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EXODUS Transitional Community
(continued)
Based in Harlem, NY
Staff consists of ex-offenders
Exodus forms a contract of agreed-upon goals
and objectives with the ex-offender, consisting of
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
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Employment readiness training
Job placement
Computer training
Life coaching
Substance abuse and anger management
Mentoring children of incarcerated parents
Evaluating the Exodus model
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EXODUS Transitional Community
(continued)
Other services include
HIV/AIDS education
and referrals
Speaker’s bureau of
formerly incarcerated
individuals
Services for exoffenders’ families
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National Crime Prevention Council
EXODUS Transitional Community
(continued)
The Results
The Exodus staff consists of ex-offenders
or individuals directly affected by
incarceration and/or HIV/AIDS in their
immediate families.
Each case manager thoroughly follows the
ex-offender and works with him or her
according to the contract’s goals and
objectives.
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Reentry and Faith-based
Organizations Brainstorm
What organizations are working in your
community?
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Additional
Reentry Programs
and Initiatives
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Citizen Circles Initiative
The Citizen Circles concept originated in Ohio
and is managed by the Department of
Corrections.
It focuses on the seven domain areas.
It helps create partnerships that promote positive
interaction and accountability for ex-offenders
upon release.
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Citizen Circles (continued)
Accepting responsibility
Accepting recommendations
Community service
Law-abiding goals
Productive community
behavior
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Citizen Circles (continued)
There are also circles in
other states, including
Wisconsin.
For more information, email
DRC.CitzenCircles@odrc.state.oh
.us.
www.drc.state.oh.us/web/citizen/citizencircle.htm
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DOJ-AmeriCorps*VISTA
12-City Reentry Program
The goals of this initiative are to
Reduce ex-offender recidivism and crime and
promote successful reentry into society
Build capacity for reentry and mentoring
initiatives
Advance a scalable model of leveraging
volunteers
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DOJ-AmeriCorps*VISTA
12-City Initiative
(continued)
Philadelphia, PA
Providence, RI
Cleveland, OH
Dayton, OH
Portland, OR
Washington, DC
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Chicago, IL
Charleston/ N. Charleston, SC
Dallas, TX
Indianapolis, IN
Miami, FL
Oakland, CA
National Crime Prevention Council
DOJ-AmeriCorps*VISTA
Sampling of Accomplishments
Developed a curriculum focusing on practical
life skills for returning ex-offenders
Put together resource handbook/online
database for formerly incarcerated persons
Developed an employment database that
includes employers willing to employ exoffenders
Created a multilingual software program for an
online resource directory
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Other Agencies With Reentry
Initiatives
Department of Labor
• Workforce Investment Board
• Ready 4 Work
• Prisoner Reentry Initiative Demonstration Grants
National Institute of Corrections
Law Enforcement Coordinating Councils
(LECCs)
Administration for Children and Families
(ACF)
•
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Mentoring Children of Prisoners
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Questions
and
Answers
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Resources
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Resources:
Government-sponsored or -supported
Websites
The Reentry Policy Council was formed with two
specific goals in mind.
1. To develop bipartisan policies and principles for
elected officials and other policymakers to consider as
they evaluate re-entry issues in their jurisdictions
2. To facilitate coordination and information-sharing
among organizations implementing re-entry initiatives,
researching re-entry trends, communicating about reentry related issues, or funding re-entry projects
www.reentrypolicy.org
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Resources:
Government-sponsored or -supported
Websites
Justice Reinvestment Initiative, The Justice
Center, Council of State Governments
The initiative develops a strategy based on fiscally sound, data driven
criminal justice policies to break the cycle of recidivism, avert prison
expenditures, and make communities safer.
Step 1: Analyze the prison population and spending in the communities
to which people in prison often return
Step 2: Provide policymakers with options to generate savings and
increase public safety
Step 3: Quantify savings and reinvest in select high-stakes communities
Step 4: Measure the impact and enhance accountability
http://www.justicereinvestment.org/
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Resources:
Government-sponsored or -supported
Websites
(continued)
Court Services and Offender Supervision
Agency in Washington, DC
• Provides information, programs, and resources for exoffenders returning to the Washington, DC, area
• www.csosa.gov
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Resources:
Government-sponsored or -supported
Websites (continued)
U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of
Justice Statistics
• Offers the latest information, research, statistics, and
trends in various areas, including prisoner reentry
• www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs
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Resources:
Research-based Websites
The Urban Institute
• Gathers and analyzes data, conducts policy
research, evaluates programs and services,
and educates Americans on critical issues
and trends
• www.urban.org
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Resources:
Research-based Websites
(continued)
Public Private Ventures
• A national nonprofit organization that seeks to
improve the effectiveness of social policies and
programs
• www.ppv.org
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Resources: Research-based
Websites (continued)
Reentry Strategies Institute (RSI)
• A nonprofit organization dedicated to
engaging frontline service providers, donors,
and employers in support of successful,
scalable reentry programs throughout the
United States; their primary focus is
organizing, training, and research
• www.reentrystrategies.org
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Resources: Faith-based Websites
www.reentry.org
• Provides information and resources for
chaplains and ministers who work with
ex-offenders
www.reentrymediaoutreach.org
• Provides media resources to community and
faith-based organizations that will facilitate
community discussion and decision making
about solution-based reentry programs
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Resources: Faith-based
Websites (continued)
The Pew Charitable Trusts
• Serves as a resource and provides expert,
unbiased information on policy and legal
developments concerning faith-based
organizations involved in social services
• www.religionandsocialpolicy.org
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Resources: Faith-based
Websites (continued)
The Faith and Service Technical Education
Network (FASTEN)
• Offers informational resources and networking
opportunities to faith-based practitioners,
private philanthropies, and public
administrators who collaborate effectively to
renew urban communities
• www.fastennetwork.org
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Resources: Volunteer-based
Websites
AmeriCorps*VISTA
• Through the Corporation for National and
Community Service
• Over 6,000 AmeriCorps*VISTA members
nationwide
• Serve in hundreds of faith-based and community
organizations and public agencies
• www.nationalservice.org
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Resources: Publications
When Prisoners Come Home: Parole and
Prisoner Reentry by Joan Petersilia (Professor
of Criminology at the University of California,
Irvine), Oxford University Press, February 2003
• This publication can be ordered
through Oxford University Press at
www.oup-usa.org
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Resources: Publications
(continued)
Successful Transition and
Reentry for Safer Communities:
A Call to Action for Parole by
Peggy Burke and Michael Tonry,
The Center for Effective Policy,
2006
• This document can be
downloaded from the American
Probation and Parole’s website,
www.appa-net.org.
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NCPC’s Reentry Listserv
• Sponsored by the National Crime
Prevention Council and the Corporation for
National and Community Service
• To join, send an email to
join-reentry@lists.etr.org.
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National Crime Prevention Council
The National Crime Prevention
Council
2345 Crystal Drive
Fifth Floor
Arlington, VA 22202
202-466-6272
FAX 202-296-1356
www.ncpc.org
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Presenter Contact Information
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