Reentry

Prisoner reentry, the transition from life in jail or prison to life in the community, has profound implications for public safety.

Reentry programs primarily hope to increase public safety and reduce offender recidivism. A key way to accomplish that goal is to institutionalize the cross-agency and community teamwork needed to make reentry succeed. Reentry efforts must begin in the prison and be actively carried into the community after prisoners are released. Services that are tailored to prisoners' needs help them reintegrate into society. Individualizing a prisoner's needs and assessing his risks also keep the victim's perspective in mind.

Typical reentry services include housing, education, employment aid, peer mentoring or case management, health services, family reunification, and heightened surveillance.

Many practitioners agree that an active link between in-prison services and community services requires an involved mentor, case manager, or steering committee. Many of the prisoners that reentry initiatives work with must be taught how to interact with the community in the first place—that is, they were not functioning productively in the community before their incarceration.

As correctional departments face increasing costs for an expanding array of inmate needs, budgets are stretched to the maximum. In some jurisdictions, this has resulted in a reliance on faith-based organizations even though very little research has been conducted to assess offender outcomes after receipt of services by faith-based providers. A growing number of correctional administrators and community reentry experts have found that faith-based organizations can provide much-needed services to offenders through volunteers. These in-prison and community services are important because, prior to release, they may prepare prisoners to more easily use the community services that will aid in their transition after release. In addition to offering in-prison programs, faith-based organizations often help prisoners' families. Faith-based groups can provide assistance that reflects the values of the community where the offender will live upon release. Because they are part of the community, faith-based volunteers may offer invaluable knowledge and assistance to offenders who are trying to manage transportation, housing, employment assistance, and health issues.