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Reentry Programs for Inmates

How to stop ex-offenders from returning to prison is among the most hotly debated topics in criminal justice. Every year, between 600,000 and 700,000 inmates return to their communities, lacking the job and educational skills needed to avoid repeatedly offending. However, states are experimenting with a number of different initiatives. Their state prison system's philosophy dictates whether inmates can access a battery of social service programs or quickly return to the workforce.

  1. Challenges

    • State governments are increasingly recognizing the limitations of warehousing inmates.

      Fewer than half of all newly released inmates manage to stay out of trouble during their first 3 years of freedom, according to the Almanac of Social Policy. The trend toward longer fixed sentences often reduces an inmate's incentive to modify behavior. As a result, violent offenders return to communities just when they need supervision most. Even then, ex-inmates frequently have little or no connection to programs that might benefit them "See Reference 1."

    Federal Approaches

    • Recognizing the limitations of mandatory sentencing, the U.S. Department of Justice took a different approach in 2002 with the Serious and Violent Offender Reentry Initiative. This program emphasized working closely with high-risk juvenile and adult offenders to develop reentry plans tailored to their situation, the Almanac of Policy Issues reported. Inmates received drug rehabilitation, job training, and other programs as needed. To improve their prospects, returning offenders were matched with relevant social service networks in their area "See Reference 1."

    Orange County, California's Partnerships

    • Orange County, California exemplifies a local program that grew from community partnerships. County Sheriff Michael S. Corona established an Inmate Reentry Team, whose focus is helping jail inmates help themselves, the National Institute of Corrections asserts. Corona worked with local agencies to offer self-help programs that ranged from educational counseling to literacy and transportation assistance initiatives. Spending reaches $5 million per year for the programs, which are paid for with inmate telephone and commissary funds "See Reference 3."

    The Arizona Approach

    • Implemented in 2004, Arizona's "Getting Ready" program replicates the outside world's challenges from an inmate's first day in prison, the Christian Science Monitor reported in 2008. Begun in 2004, Getting Ready requires inmates to participate in educational, self-improvement, or work activities 7 days per week, the newspaper stated. Privileges are tied to how well an inmate accomplishes the specific goals they set for themselves "See Reference 2."

    Work Requirements

    • Requiring inmates to work coincides with similar expectations for welfare recipients.

      Requiring inmates to work has become a hallmark of many reentry programs. Probationers in New York are often assigned to the Center for Employment Opportunities, where they can earn $9 per hour and up, the Washington Examiner reported in 2009. Preliminary findings have been encouraging, at least for New York's program. According to the newspaper, inmates placed at the center were less likely to re-offend, have their probation revoked, or return to prison "See Reference 4."

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