Crime Prevention Crime Prevention PRISIONERS REENTRYPRISIONERS REENTRY

©This TCLEOSE approved Crime Prevention Curriculum is the property of CSCS-ICJS CRIME PREVENTION II

Institute for Criminal Justice Studies

Prisoner Reentry: Coming to a Community

Near You

National Crime Prevention Council

2007

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

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

Reentry: A Definition

Reentry (n.):

A broad term that refers to the issues related to the transition of

ex-offenders from incarceration to community.

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.

Reentry by the Numbers

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.

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.

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.

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.

How are communities affected by reentry?

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

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

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

Prisoner Reentry in One Baltimore Community

ReentryChallenges

HousingPublic SafetyEmployment

HealthFamilies

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

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?

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

Housing Challenges

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

Most Ex-offenders Return to Just a Few Neighborhoods

Public Safety Challenges

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.

• 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

Public Safety Challenges(continued)

Employment Challenges

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.

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

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.

Health Challenges

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.

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.

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.

Substance Abuse and Reentry(continued)

Consensus in the field holds that individualized in-prison treatment, in concert with community-based 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.

FamilyChallenges

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.

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.

What Really Works To Help Ex-offenders

and Ultimately To Reduce

Crime

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

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

The Prisoner Reentry Initiativeand

Promising Programs

Three Phases

• Phase 1: Protect and prepare

• Phase 2: Control and restore

• Phase 3: Sustain and support

www.reentry.gov

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

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, job-skills development, and mental health and substance abuse treatment

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

Program Examples for Phase 1

Protect and Prepare

Richland County Reentry CourtRichland County, Ohio

Richland County Reentry Court Dave Leitenberger, CPO/Program Director50 Park Avenue EastMansfield, OH 44902419-774-5564419-774-6365 (fax)

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

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• Arrest to conviction• Sentencing• Incarceration to release• Supervision to termination

Faith-based Transitional Housing ProgramDonald Isaac

Executive DirectorMain Office

4105 First Street, SEWashington, DC 20032

202-373-5767 202-373-5769 fax

East of the River Clergy Police Community Partnership

(ERCPCP)

Work with government,

financial entities, faith-based institutions, and corporations to secure transitional and independent housing for eligible reentrants

 

Provide supportive housing to previously incarcerated individuals

East of the River Clergy Police (continued)

East of the River Clergy Police (continued)

Partners

• Federal Bureau of Prisons• Faithworks• Enterprise Foundation• Bank of America• United Bank• Faith-based community

The Dangerous Mentally Ill Offender Program (DMIO)

Community Protection Unit Department of CorrectionsPO Box 41127 MS 41127 Olympia, WA 98504 360-586-4371

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).

Program Examples for Phase 2

Control and Restore

Fort Wayne/Allen County, Indiana Reentry Court

201 W Superior Street  

Fort Wayne, IN 46802   

260-449-7252   

260-449-7308 fax

Fort Wayne, IN, Reentry Court (continued)

The Elements

• Case management

• Electronic monitoring

• Rewards and sanctions

• Home visits

• Drug testing

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

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)

Federal Bureau of PrisonsResidential Reentry Centers

(RRCs)

www.bop.gov/locations/cc/index.jsp

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

Federal Bureau of Prisons RRCs(continued)

Focus Areas• Accountability

• Employment

• Housing

• Substance Abuse Treatment and Counseling

• Medical and Mental Health Treatment

Program Examples for Phase 3

Sustain and Support

EXODUS Transitional Community

161 East 104th Street New York, NY 10029917-492-0990 917-492-8711 fax

info@etcny.org www.etcny.org

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 • Employment readiness training • Job placement • Computer training • Life coaching • Substance abuse and anger management • Mentoring children of incarcerated parents • Evaluating the Exodus model

EXODUS Transitional Community (continued)

• Other services include HIV/AIDS education and referrals

• Speaker’s bureau of formerly incarcerated individuals

• Services for ex-offenders’ families

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.

EXODUS Transitional Community (continued)

Reentry and Faith-based Organizations Brainstorm

What organizations are working in your community?

Additional Reentry Programs

and Initiatives

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.

Citizen Circles (continued)

Accepting responsibility

Accepting recommendations

Community service

Law-abiding goals

Productive community

behavior

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

DOJ-AmeriCorps*VISTA12-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

Philadelphia, PAPhiladelphia, PAProvidence, RIProvidence, RICleveland, OHCleveland, OHDayton, OHDayton, OHPortland, ORPortland, ORWashington, DCWashington, DC

DOJ-AmeriCorps*VISTA12-City Initiative

(continued)

Chicago, ILChicago, ILCharleston/ N. Charleston, SCCharleston/ N. Charleston, SCDallas, TXDallas, TXIndianapolis, INIndianapolis, INMiami, FLMiami, FLOakland, CAOakland, CA

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 ex-offenders 

• Created a multilingual software program for an online resource directory

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)• Mentoring Children of Prisoners

Questionsand

Answers

Resources

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 re-entry related issues, or funding re-entry projects

www.reentrypolicy.org

Resources: Government-sponsored or -supported

Websites• Justice Reinvestment Initiative, The Justice

Center, Council of State GovernmentsThe initiative develops a strategy based on fiscally sound, data drivencriminal 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 communitiesto which people in prison often returnStep 2: Provide policymakers with options to generate savings and increase public safetyStep 3: Quantify savings and reinvest in select high-stakes communitiesStep 4: Measure the impact and enhance accountability

http://www.justicereinvestment.org/

Resources: Government-sponsored or -supported

Websites (continued)

• Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency in Washington, DC

• Provides information, programs, and resources for ex-offenders returning to the Washington, DC, area

• www.csosa.gov

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

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

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

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

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

Resources: Faith-basedWebsites (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

Resources: Faith-basedWebsites (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

AmeriCorps*VISTA

• Through the Corporation for National and Community Service

• Over 6,000 AmeriCorps*VISTA membersnationwide

• Serve in hundreds of faith-based and community organizations and public agencies

• www.nationalservice.org

Resources: Volunteer-based Websites

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

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.

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.

The National Crime Prevention Council

2345 Crystal Drive

Fifth Floor

Arlington, VA 22202

202-466-6272

FAX 202-296-1356

www.ncpc.org

Presenter Contact Information

I NSTI TUTE CR I M I NAL JUSTICE STUDI ESCen ter Safe Com m u n ities & Sch oo ls

TEX AS STATE UNI VERSI TY

I NSTI TUTE CR I M I NAL JUSTICE STUDI ESCen ter Safe Com m u n ities & Sch oo ls

TEX AS STATE UNI VERSI TY

350 N. Guadalupe, Suite 140, PMB 164San Marcos, Texas 78666.

877-304-2727 www.cscs.txstate.edu