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                                    Resources
                                    Resources By Area of Practice
                                    Topics In Corrections
                                    Reentry/Transition

      

                    
          
    Reentry/Transition
Reentry refers to the transition of offenders from prisons or jails back into the community. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs 641,100 people were released from state and federal prisons in 2015. Another 10.6 million cycle through local jails (Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2016).

Given that more than three- quarters of State offenders are re-arrested within five years of release (Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2018), successful reintegration of formally incarcerated persons returning to the community has become a critical aspect of correctional missions to improve public safety. Increasingly, evidence-based practices are reflected in approaches and programming, targeting people who have a medium to high risk of reoffending and tailoring services to meet certain needs has the greatest impact on lowering rates of recidivism. Breaking the cycle of reoffending and re-incarceration has many important implications for public safety and policy.

    Resource Links
          National Guidelines for Behavioral Health Crisis Care: Best Practice Toolkit
          TJC Implementation Toolkit
          Hot Topic: What are some recidivism resources at the NIC?
          Hot Topic: How can I get information on Incentives and Sanctions / Contingency Management?
          Hot Topic: Do you have descriptions of justice-involved mentoring programs?
          Preparing People for Reentry: Checklist for Correctional Facilities
          Financially Sustaining Behavioral Health-Criminal Justice Programs
          National Reentry Resource Center
          Urban Institute
          Prisoner Reentry Institute
                   NIC Resources
          Model Practices for Parents in Prisons and Jails: Reducing Barriers to Family Connections
          Sustaining Systems Change: Findings from a Transition from Jail to Community Initiative Stakeholder Survey
          A Framework for Evidence-Based Decision Making in State and Local Criminal Justice Systems
          Price
              $0.00

Reentry Annotated Bibliography

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              0
          The Reentry of Formerly Incarcerated Persons: Key Accomplishments, Challenges, and Future Directions; A Report on the National Reentry Symposium: Promising Practices and Future Directions
          Offender Reentry: The Value of Victim Involvement [Broadcast]
          "Cuff Key to Door Key": A Systems Approach to Reentry: NIC's Inaugural Virtual Conference
          Price
              $0.00

TPC Case Management Handbook: An Integrated Case Management Approach

  Amount in Stock
              0
          TPC Reentry Handbook: Implementing the NIC Transition from Prison to the Community Model

  Related Initiatives
          Transition from Prison to Community (TPC)
          Transition from Jail to Community (TJC)

  Related NIC Microsites
          Offender Reentry
            The Value of Victim Involvement [Broadcast]

This three-hour national discussion and broadcast by the National Institute of Corrections (NIC) focuses on the unique opportunities and challenges of including victims in the offender reentry process.

Learn more about Offender Reentry

Topic Categories and Resources
The following grey bars are accordions that can be expanded to show a list of "top-shelf" resources that have been hand-picked by our library team around this topic. If you would like additional research assistance on this topic, please contact our help desk. They have access to specialized databases and thousands of resources you won't find online. Click on a grey box below to browse resources in that section.
            
      Accordion    Multimedia
      
      Reconnecting Justice: Pathways to Effective Reentry though Education and Training

            
      
"Incarcerated individuals are disproportionately people of color as well as adults with low educational attainment. More than 650,000 ex-offenders are released from prison each year and recent research shows that two-thirds of those prisoners will be rearrested within three years of release.
      
  Accession Number
              032777
              Offender Reentry: The Value of Victim Involvement [Broadcast]

            
      
This three-hour national discussion and broadcast by the National Institute of Corrections (NIC) focuses on the unique opportunities and challenges of including victims in the offender reentry process.
      
  Accession Number
              029682
  
      Evaluating Reentry Programs Using Data and Science (2019)
              Recent Changes in Corrections and Reentry: Thoughts from Two Leaders in the Field (2019)
              Las Colinas Detention and Reentry Facility (2017)
              The National Reentry Symposium: Promising Practices and Future Directions (2015)
              Accordion    Community & Family Support
      
      Role of Human Services During Community Supervision (2021)
              Child Support, Debt, and Prisoner Reentry: Examining the Influences of Prisoners’ Legal and Financial Obligations on Reentry. Final Report to the National Inst...
              Incarceration, Prisoner Reentry, and Communities (2014)
              Accordion    Community Corrections
      
      Performance Incentive Funding for Prison Diversion: An Implementation Study of the DuPage County Adult Redeploy Illinois Program

            
      
"Adult Redeploy Illinois (ARI) was designed as a response to the high numbers of non-violent offenders incarcerated in Illinois’ prisons at great cost to the state. Participating ARI counties divert non-violent offenders from prison and into community corrections programs. These programs are less
              Offender Reentry: Correctional Statistics, Reintegration into the Community, and Recidivism

            
      
This is essential reading for those people working or interested in offender reentry efforts. The report looks at correctional systems in the United States, the federal government's involvement in offender reentry programs, and the Second Chance Act (P.L. 110-199). Sections of this report include
              Lessons Learned: Planning and Assessing a Law Enforcement Reentry Strategy

            
      
Accession Number
              027165

            This report describes how four law enforcement agencies, selected as learning sites, utilized the principles described in “Planning and Assessing a Law Enforcement Reentry Strategy”. Three sections follow an executive summary: collaboration-coordination and partnerships; program terms-activities and scope; and data collection and analysis-process and outcome. Also included are profiles of the four law enforcement agencies evaluated.
              Recidivism Reduction Checklists

            
      
Accession Number
              027088

            “These checklists can help familiarize state leaders with key issues related to recidivism reduction, and help them honestly evaluate strengths and weaknesses in their reentry efforts through enhanced communication and coordination.” Checklists are targeted for each of the following-executive and
  
      Building Second Chances: Tools for Local Reentry Coalitions (2022)
              Reducing Recidivism: States Deliver Results (2017)
              Exploring the Research Gaps in Residential Reentry Centers: A Compendium Guide of Resources for Reentry Professionals and Policymakers (2016)
              Probation and Parole Officer Adherence to the Core Correctional Practices: An Evaluation of 755 Offender-Officer Interactions (2013)
              Accordion    Education
      
      Reconnecting Justice: Pathways to Effective Reentry though Education and Training

            
      
"Incarcerated individuals are disproportionately people of color as well as adults with low educational attainment. More than 650,000 ex-offenders are released from prison each year and recent research shows that two-thirds of those prisoners will be rearrested within three years of release.
      
  Accession Number
              032777
              Building Brighter Futures: Tools for Improving Academic and Career/Technical Education in the Juvenile Justice System: A Pennsylvania Example

            
      
"Across the country, students in the juvenile justice system are struggling in school. Research suggests that many enter the juvenile justice system well behind grade-level. In the absence of thoughtful programming, once they enter the juvenile justice system, they may fall further behind. Too many
              Supporting Second Chances: Education and Employment Strategies for People Returning from Correctional Facilities

            
      
"This brief highlights strategies for strengthening education and employment pathways for youth and adults returning from correctional facilities and notes key questions that new research should answer. It also explores barriers to employment for people with criminal records-whether or not they have
              How Effective is Correctional Education, and Where Do We Go from Here? The Results of a Comprehensive Evaluation

            
      
This study examines the effectiveness of correctional education for adults and for juveniles, and the challenges associated with this programming. Five chapters are contained in this report: introduction; whether correctional education for incarcerated adults is effective; a systematic review of
              Evaluating the Effectiveness of Correctional Education: A Meta-Analysis of Programs That Provide Education to Incarcerated Adults

            
      
“In this report, we [the authors] examine the evidence about the effectiveness of correctional education for incarcerated adults in the United States. By correctional education, we mean the following: adult basic education (ABE): basic skills instruction in arithmetic, reading, writing, and, if
  
      Your Money, Your Goals: A Financial Empowerment Toolkit (2020)
  
      Accessing Pell Grants for College Programs in Correctional Settings
              Expanding Access to Postsecondary Education in Prison (2017)
              Prison Education: Maximizing the Potential for Employment and Successful Community Reintegration (2017)
              Why Prison Education Matters (2017)
              Reducing Inmate Misconduct and Prison Returns with Facility Education Programs (2017)
              Reentry Education Framework Guidelines for Providing High-Quality Education for Adults Involved in the Criminal Justice System (2016)
              Making the Grade: Developing Quality Postsecondary Education Programs in Prison (2016)
              Nondegree Credentials in Correctional Education: Status, Challenges, and Benefits (2016)
              Reentry Education Model Implementation Study Promoting Reentry Success Through Continuity of Educational Opportunities (2015)
              Highlights from the U.S. PIAAC Survey of Incarcerated Adults: Their Skills, Work Experience, Education, and Training: Program for the International Assessment ...
              Just Learning: The Imperative to Transform the Juvenile Justice System: A Study of Juvenile Justice Schools in the South and the Nation (2014)
              Education and Reentry: The Gifts They Bring (2013)
              Recommendations to Improve Correctional and Reentry Education for Young People (2013)
              Accordion    Employment & Housing
      
      Reducing Recidivism and Improving Other Outcomes for Young Adults in the Juvenile and Adult Criminal Justice Systems

            
      
This brief, from the CSG Justice Center, is designed to help state and local officials better support young adults in the justice system. It identifies these young adults’ distinct needs, summaries the limited research available on what works to address these needs, and provides recommendations for
              Best Practices for Increasing Access to SSI/SSDI upon Exiting Criminal Justice Settings

            
      
Accession Number
              027546

            “The Social Security Administration (SSA), through its Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) programs, can provide income and other benefits to persons with mental illness who are reentering the community from jails and prisons. The SSI/SSDI Outreach
              Guidelines for the Successful Transition of People with Behavioral Health Disorders from Jail and Prison

            
      
The Behavioral Health Framework developed to “help professionals in the corrections and behavioral health systems take a coordinated approach to reducing recidivism and advancing recovery” is explained (p. 2). Sections of this publication cover: building effective partnerships through a shared
              The Federal Bonding Program: A US Department of Labor Initiative

            
      
Accession Number
              027729

            “Failure to become employed after release is a major factor contributing to the high rate of recidivism. Having a record of arrest, conviction or imprisonment functions as a significant barrier to employment since employers generally view ex-offenders as potentially untrustworthy workers and
              Integrated Reentry and Employment Strategies: Reducing Recidivism and Promoting Job Readiness

            
      
“Employment providers are already serving large numbers of individuals released from correctional facilities or who are required to find jobs as conditions of their probation or parole. Yet the corrections, reentry, and workforce development fields have lacked an integrated tool that draws on the
  
      Providing Another Chance: Resetting Recidivism Risk in Criminal Background Checks (2022)
              Opening Doors, Returning Home: How Public Housing Authorities Across the Country Are Expanding Access for People with Conviction Histories (2022)
              Reducing Homelessness for People with Behavioral Health Needs Leaving Prisons and Jails (2021)
              Employment of Persons Released from Federal Prison in 2010 (2020)
              Recruitment, Assessment, and Retention in the Direct Care Workforce for Individuals With Criminal Records: A Comprehensive Model Approach (2021)
              Integrated Reentry & Employment Strategies: Pilot Project Process Evaluation Report (2019)
              Work and Opportunity Before and After Incarceration (2018)
              One Strike to Second Chances: Using Criminal Backgrounds in Admission Decisions for Assisted Housing (2017)
              Assessing Housing Needs and Risks: A Screening Questionnaire (2017)
              Mentoring as a Component of Reentry: Practical Considerations from the Field (2017)
              Myths & Facts (2017)
              Back to Business: How Hiring Formerly Incarcerated Job Seekers Benefits Your Company (2017)
              Opening Doors: How to Develop Reentry Programs Using Examples from Public Housing Authorities (2017)
              Reentry and Barriers to Employment: Lessons From Casey’s Investments (2016)
              Correctional Industries: A Guide to Reentry-Focused Performance Excellence (2015)
              Best Practices in Green Re-Entry Strategies (2011)
              Accordion    Financial Obligations
      
      Child Support and Reentry (2021)
              Monetary Sanctions, Legal And Collateral Consequences, And Probation & Parole: Where Do We Go From Here? (2020)
              The Steep Costs of Criminal Justice Fees and Fines (2019)
              Shackled to Debt: Criminal Justice Financial Obligations and the Barriers to Re-Entry They Create (2017)
              Your Money, Your Goals: Focus on Reentry (2017)
              Accordion    General
      
      Reducing Recidivism in Massachusetts with a Comprehensive Strategy

            
      
"This policy brief offers fodder for the state’s Justice Reinvestment leaders as they contemplate the changes necessary to increase the system’s focus on recidivism reduction and achieve results" (p. 2). Sections of this brief cover: key findings; the high cost of recidivism in Massachusetts--
              Price
              $0.00

Reentry Annotated Bibliography

            
      
"Reentry refers to the transition of offenders from prisons or jails back into the community. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs more than 650,000 people are released from state and federal prisons annually. Another 9 million cycle through local jails. Research

  Amount in Stock
              0
              The Reentry of Formerly Incarcerated Persons: Key Accomplishments, Challenges, and Future Directions; A Report on the National Reentry Symposium: Promising Practices and Future Directions

            
      
Recognizing the importance of effective reentry practices at the federal, state, and local levels, in September 2015, the U.S. Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP), and the National Institute of Corrections (NIC) co-sponsored the National Reentry Symposium: Promising Practices and
  
      5-Key Model for Reentry (2022)
              Rethinking reentry: An AEI working group summary (2019)
              Best Practices for Successful Reentry for People Who Have Opioid Addictions (2018)
              Strategies to productively reincorporate the formerly-incarcerated into communities: A review of the literature (2018)
              An Overview of Offender Reentry (2018)
              Key Factors to Promote Successful Comprehensive Reentry Initiatives (2017)
              Making People’s Transition from Prison and Jail to the Community Safe and Successful: A Snapshot of National Progress in Reentry (2017)
              Reentry MythBusters (2016)
              Prisoner Reentry Programs (2015)
              Roadmap to Reentry A California Legal Guide (2015)
              Accordion    Jails
      
      Process and Systems Change Evaluation Findings from the Transition to Jail Community Initiative

            
      
“In the past decade, attention to the challenges associated with people exiting state and federal prisons has increased tremendously. This increased attention is for good reason, as the impact of prisoner reentry on the well-being of individuals, families, and communities is well documented. Yet for
              Accordion    Programs
      
      Family Therapy in Corrections: Implications for Reentry Into the Community (2020)
              The Effectiveness of Prison Programming: A Review of the Research Literature Examining the Impact of Federal, State, and Local Inmate Programming on Post-Relea...
              Co-Design of Services for Health and Reentry (CO-SHARE): An Experience-Based Co-Design (EBCD) Pilot Study with Individuals Returning to Community from Jail and...
              Reentry court research (2018)
              Accordion    Prisons
      
      American Prisons Are Not a Revolving Door: Most Released Offenders Never Return

            
      
Accession Number
              029987

            "The dominant narrative around recidivism in America is that most released offenders go on to reoffend and return to prison. In new research, William Rhodes argues that this impression is wrong and that two out of every three released offenders never return to prison. He argues that previous
              The Effect of Collateral Consequence Laws on State Rates of Returns to Prison

            
      
"In this dissertation I [Sohoni] examine the effect of states’ collateral consequence laws in the categories of voting, access to public records, employment, public housing, public assistance, and driver’s licenses. I examine the impact of these laws on state rates of returns to prison, as measured
              Price
              $0.00

TPC Case Management Handbook: An Integrated Case Management Approach

            
      
“This handbook is designed for teams of correctional and noncorrectional staff at the policy, management, and line staff levels who have been charged with implementing improvements in supervision and case management that support an overall strategy to reduce recidivism and enhance community safety

  Amount in Stock
              0
              TPC Reentry Handbook: Implementing the NIC Transition from Prison to the Community Model

            
      
“The TPC Reentry Handbook has been developed as a resource for a broad range of stakeholders involved in improving transition and reentry practices” (p.3). Chapters comprising this manual are: transition and reentry-a key public policy issue; the Transition from Prison to the Community (TPC) model
  
      Directory of National Programs: Federal Bureau of Prisons (2017)
              Accordion    Skills Building
      
      Thinking for a Change 4.0

            
      
Accession Number
              032650

            Thinking for a Change 4.0 (T4C) is an integrated cognitive behavioral change program authored by Jack Bush, Ph.D., Barry Glick, Ph.D., and Juliana Taymans, Ph.D., under a cooperative agreement with the National Institute of Corrections (NIC). T4C incorporates research from cognitive restructuring
              Reentry Skills Building Handbook, 2015

            
      
While specifically designed for Georgia, this handbook's format is a great example of an offender reentry handbook. It is based upon the Template from the Minnesota Department of Corrections. Sections following a "GDC Offender Reentry Model" flowchart include: introduction-getting organized
              Offender Reentry: Correctional Statistics, Reintegration into the Community, and Recidivism

            
      
This is essential reading for those people working or interested in offender reentry efforts. The report looks at correctional systems in the United States, the federal government's involvement in offender reentry programs, and the Second Chance Act (P.L. 110-199). Sections of this report include
              Employment Retention Inventory Explores the Predictive Factors of Job Loss: Research Project

            
      
"As justice-involved individuals move through the criminal-justice system, correctional staff use case management tools to monitor progress. Case management involves monitoring individuals to ensure their completion of court-ordered sanctions, such as community service hours, payment of fees, or
  
      Second Chance Act Adult Offender Reentry Demonstration Projects: Collaboration and Reentry Partnerships (2018)
              An Evaluation of Seven Second Chance Act Adult Demonstration Programs: Impact Findings at 18 Months (2017)
              NCDBW Reentry Resources (2017)
              Reentering Your Community: A Handbook (2016)
              Roadmap to Reentry: Reducing Recidivism through Reentry Reforms at the Federal Bureau of Prisons (2016)
              Second Chance Act Adult Offender Reentry Demonstration Programs: Implementation Challenges and Lessons Learned (2015)
              Breaking the Cycle of Incarceration: Strategies for Successful Reentry Final Report for Labyrinth Outreach Services for Women (2015)
              Beyond Basic Needs: Social Support and Structure for Successful Offender Reentry (2014)
              Accordion    Special Populations
      
      The Reentry of Adults Convicted of Sexual Offenses: A National Survey of Reentry Professionals

            
      
Results are presented from "a national survey of stakeholders invested in the successful reentry of adults convicted of sexual offenses ... The survey findings reveal variability regarding the extent to which respondents’ beliefs about various sex offender-related matters align with current research
              Critical Elements of Juvenile Reentry in Research and Practice

            
      
Accession Number
              028156

            The research on “what works” with youth involved in the juvenile justice system has grown substantially in the last two decades. Taking account of this new research, a number of states and jurisdictions have made significant changes to their juvenile justice policies and practices. To further this
  
      After Incarceration: A Guide To Helping Women Reenter the Community (2020)
              Planning and Implementing a Reentry Program for Clients with Co-Occurring Disorders: A Toolkit (2017)
              Guidelines for Successful Transition of People with Mental or Substance Use Disorders from Jail and Prison: Implementation Guide (2017)
              Building Communities, Changing Lives: The NYC Justice Corps Community Benefit Projects (2017)
              Justice-Involved Victims of Battering with Mental Health, Substance Abuse, and Co-Occurring Disorders: Internet Resources (2015)
              Accordion    State Initiatives
      
      Extensive Evaluation Work Facilitates Reentry into the Community (2021)
              Investing Justice Resources to Address Community Needs: Lessons Learned from Colorado’s Work and Gain Education and Employment Skills (WAGEES) Program (2018)
              Accordion    Victims of Crime
      
      Voice of the Victim: A Perspective Spotlight Issue

            
      
This special issue of Perspectives is “is dedicated to promoting innovative programs, policies and protocols that improve crime victims’ rights and services in community corrections” (p. iii). Features of this issue cover: The Power of Information and Notification: A Victim/Survivor’s Perspective
              Vision 21: Transforming Victim Services: Final Report

            
      
“The Vision 21: Transforming Victim Services Final Report presents a cohesive and comprehensive framework for strategic change in the victim services field and addresses ways to overcome political, policy, and philosophical challenges in the field. OVC anticipates that this report will catalyze

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