Announcement for 08/31/10

Reentry at the Local Level

1. Classification, Screening, and Assessment
   

   Incarceration presents a special opportunity for determining an individual’s unique social and health needs and public safety risks upon which to base a comprehensive reentry plan. First, jails can use a classification system to determine an individual’s security level. The National Institute of Corrections, for example, has promoted the use of objective classification systems that consider factors such as an individual’s offense, prior criminal history, and institutional behavior for the purpose of assigning individuals as a high, medium, low, or pre-release security levels.

   Second, screening and assessment procedures can be implemented to supplement the objectives of classification as well as for the broader goal of creating individually tailored reentry plans. Given the large number of individuals many jails process on a daily basis, combined with the fact that many of these same facilities are strapped for both time and money, there is a real need for a brief, yet effective, process that will highlight problem areas (including substance abuse, mental health, and violence) and use indicators of risk to determine treatment needs. Access to relevant information from previous encounters with the justice system should also be considered in drafting reentry plans. These procedures are particularly important during pretrial services, as early screening and assessment of problems is necessary for shorter incarceration periods. For longer stays, multiple scheduled assessments can take place, so reentry programs can be modified as needs change and progress is made.

2. Reentry Plans
   

   Though assessments themselves are merely informational compilations, they serve as the basis for reentry plans that address an offender’s risks and needs. Reentry plans channel the several phases of justice system, organized rehabilitation—time spent in jail, the moment of release, and the indefinite period of reintegration—in a controlled manner. Whereas prisons have the benefit of time, jails have to structure their approach to reentry planning in accordance with their much more transitory character. Inmates detained for short periods need to have their plans created promptly, alongside instantaneous communication with community agencies and social networks that can assist in reaching goals. For inmates staying longer, more detailed plans are feasible. The case management model, whereby corrections professionals responsible for the prisoner’s rehabilitation continue managing the offender post-incarceration with the aid of community actors, is a powerful organizational tool that can enhance information sharing and performance measurement capabilities.

3. Jail-based Intervention and Community In-reach
   

   A third target for intervention concerns prerelease training programs, which can include in-reach services provided by community based organizations. Jails frequently lack necessary resources, such as funding or availability of on-site professionals, to implement programs addressing all inmate needs. Jail-based programs, however, can mitigate this deficiency; single-session, standalone courses in interview preparation or financial management, for example, can be offered to a wide variety of inmates in a standardized manner. On the other hand, addressing needs that require a continuity of care, such as mental health or substance abuse, jails can contract with community providers to create community in-reach programs. Used primarily by large jails, these programs help facilitate steady, unbroken courses of action beginning during incarceration and extending post-release. Jails may include families and other sources of reentry support prior to release to provide inmates with a sense of comfort and security in anticipation of the difficult transition phase.

4. Moment of Release
   

   The hours and days immediately after release from jail are critical to successful reentry. Several basic needs present themselves in an urgent, abrupt manner—housing, medicine, mental health services, clothing, and transportation from the correctional facility. Before release, jails can assist inmates by showing inmates how to access these services with a detailed itinerary. Providing reentry literature, transportation, and contact information for service providers are just a few ways that jails can eliminate the unpredictability of post-incarceration life.

5. Continuity of Care
   

   A reentry program is not positioned for success unless there is a methodical follow-up to the preparations made in jail. A hallmark of effective reintegration is continuity of care for services, training, treatment, and case management. New methods of care should be implemented for new problems arising post-incarceration. Unlike prisons, jails are locally administered and usually release inmates directly back into their areas of residence, where community agencies can be prepared to accommodate both inmates’ needs and public safety. Furthermore, for inmates requiring community supervision, there is ample opportunity for cooperation between probation departments and jails in establishing prerelease contact to complement regularly scheduled post-incarceration meetings.

To learn more about the Urban Institute's Transition from Jail to Community Initiative, and to download a copy of Life After Lockup: Improving Reentry from Jail to the Community please visit www.jailtransition.com/Toolkit.