Reentry Programming Key For Post-Incarceration Success
The importance of prison reentry programming and services cannot be overstated. Playing a crucial role in the lives of individuals transitioning from incarceration back into society, they can be the difference between a life filled with new opportunities and choices, and an existence spent spinning through the revolving door of the criminal legal system.
As studies over time have reaffirmed, incarceration alone cannot guarantee long-term rehabilitation or deterrence from criminal behavior. Without adequate support and resources, individuals released from incarceration often face numerous barriers that hinder their successful return to society. These barriers include limited access to employment, housing, education and healthcare, as well as the pervasive stigma and discrimination associated with having a criminal record.
Prison reentry programs aim to address these barriers by providing a comprehensive range of services and support to individuals during the critical period of transition. These programs typically include vocational training, substance use treatment, mental health counseling, educational opportunities, and assistance with securing stable housing and employment. At the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Department, we operate on the philosophy that reentry starts on “Day One” of incarceration. Caseworkers work with each person to ensure that they have taken the necessary steps, which include a multitude of programming and services, to ensure the smoothest transition possible from incarceration to community. These steps involve connecting individuals to reentry services that include, but are not limited to the aforementioned substance use programming/treatment; education; workforce development services; housing; veterans’ services; physical and mental health and other supportive services. All of our programming initiatives are offered on a voluntary basis unless mandated by the courts.
Additionally, we work to ensure that in-custody men and women return to society in better condition than when they left it by providing an array of evidence-based programs ranging from special education; GED and HiSET preparation and testing; to college equivalency courses; and a number of holistic programs, such as yoga and meditation; along with vocational programs, like our Culinary Arts Program, Small Engine Repair classes, Urban Farming Initiative, Basic Auto 101, Carpentry, Landscaping and more. Our P.E.A.C.E. (Positive Energy Always Creates Elevation) Program focuses on men aged 18 to 24, our C.R.E.W. (Community Reentry for Women) Program serves incarcerated women, and our O.A.S.I.S. (Opioid Addiction Services Inside South Bay) and Family Matters Programs cater to individuals in need of intensive recovery and family reunification services, respectively.
These initiatives were specially created not only to address the underlying factors that contribute to criminal behavior and help to empower and equip individuals with the necessary skills and resources to lead law-abiding and productive lives post-release, but they were designed around the challenges uniquely inherent to the people in our care. An examination of our population gives profound insight into the difficulty of providing comprehensive and complete services to a transient population.
Approximately 71% of our male population and 79% of our female population is pretrial; 55% of the pretrial population is released from custody in less than 30 days; 17% of the pretrial population is in custody longer than 90 days; 28% of the population is sentenced; and, of those sentenced, 41% are released within 90 days (15% are released in less than 30 days and another 14% are released in less than 60 days).
Despite these challenges, however, a deeper dive into the data about the effectiveness of the programming and services that we offer demands that we not only continue, but expand upon them.
In a recent three-year study on recidivism among people formerly incarcerated within our facilities, individuals who participated in educational, vocational, and intensive reentry and support programs had lower rates of recidivism over three years than those who did not. Of the men and women who participated in programming, 46% to 47% did not have a new criminal incident compared to the overall recidivism percentage of 32%. Studies of similar programming in correctional settings, both locally and across the country, make clear that any meaningful effort to reduce incarceration must begin with intensive reentry programming. As revealed by an Urban Institute report, past participants of reentry programming were found to have achieved a 13% lower recidivism rate than non-participants, while another by the Massachusetts Department of Correction showed a 30% reduction in re-arrest rates among program participants.
Knitting the threads of mental health, practical health and substance use recovery services together with new job readiness skills, education and self-sustainability training, the fabric of reentry success is pulled together by the proverbial village of vitally important collaborators that include our justice partners, the courts, probation, parole and the multitude of social service and support agencies from across the Commonwealth.
Ultimately, while there are a host of other intangible factors that contribute to success for people returning to their communities post-incarceration, it is clear that a robust offering of reentry programming and behavioral health services is the key that opens the door to the kinds of opportunities that allow returning citizens to better care for themselves and their families.
To learn more about these and other services, visit: www.scsdma.org.
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