Prisoner Reentry: Coming to a Community Near You

1. Prisoner Reentry: Coming to a Community Near You National Crime Prevention Council 2007 National Crime Prevention Council

2. 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 National Crime Prevention Council

3. 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 National Crime Prevention Council

4. Reentry: A Definition Reentry (n.): A broad term that refers to the issues related to the transition of ex-offenders from incarceration to community. National Crime Prevention Council

5. 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. National Crime Prevention Council

6. Reentry by the Numbers National Crime Prevention Council

7. 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. National Crime Prevention Council

8. 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. National Crime Prevention Council

9. 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. National Crime Prevention Council

10. 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. National Crime Prevention Council

11. How are communities affected by reentry? National Crime Prevention Council

12. 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 National Crime Prevention Council

13. 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 National Crime Prevention Council

14. 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 National Crime Prevention Council

15. Prisoner Reentry in One Baltimore Community National Crime Prevention Council

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18. ReentryChallengesHousingPublic SafetyEmploymentHealthFamilies National Crime Prevention Council

19. 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 National Crime Prevention Council

20. 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? National Crime Prevention Council

21. Housing Challenges National Crime Prevention Council

22. 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 National Crime Prevention Council

23. 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 National Crime Prevention Council

24. Most Ex-offenders Return to Just a Few Neighborhoods National Crime Prevention Council

25. Public Safety Challenges National Crime Prevention Council

26. 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. National Crime Prevention Council

27. 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) National Crime Prevention Council

28. Employment Challenges National Crime Prevention Council

29. 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. National Crime Prevention Council

30. 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 National Crime Prevention Council

31. Employment Challenges(continued) • Prisoners who dofind work after release may not have full-time or consistent employment. • Lack of transportation is a significant barrier to employment. National Crime Prevention Council

32. Health Challenges National Crime Prevention Council

33. 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. National Crime Prevention Council

34. 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. National Crime Prevention Council

35. 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. National Crime Prevention Council

36. 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. National Crime Prevention Council

37. FamilyChallenges National Crime Prevention Council

38. 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. National Crime Prevention Council

39. 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. National Crime Prevention Council

40. What Really Works To Help Ex-offenders and Ultimately To Reduce Crime National Crime Prevention Council

41. 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 National Crime Prevention Council

42. 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 National Crime Prevention Council

43. The Prisoner Reentry Initiativeand Promising Programs National Crime Prevention Council

44. Three Phases • Phase 1: Protect and prepare • Phase 2: Control and restore • Phase 3: Sustain and support www.reentry.gov National Crime Prevention Council

45. 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 National Crime Prevention Council

46. 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 National Crime Prevention Council

47. 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 National Crime Prevention Council

48. Program Examples for Phase 1Protect and Prepare National Crime Prevention Council

49. 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) National Crime Prevention Council

50. 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 National Crime Prevention Council