For far too long, millions of Americans have been shut out from the supports they need to successfully reintegrate into their communities after leaving prisons or jails. For even the most motivated individual, having a criminal record creates serious barriers that prevent access to many services and opportunities, including housing, education, and employment.
Put simply, despite much progress in the past two decades, our country’s reentry supports remain inequitable and insufficient. They also exacerbate existing racial disparities in employment, health care, treatment, and housing access. This fragmented reentry system has real, negative impacts for people who seek to rebuild their lives after incarceration; according to a Bureau of Justice Statistics study, nearly three-quarters of people released from prison were arrested within five years, and nearly half returned to prison for a parole or probation violation or a new sentence. While these numbers are alarmingly high, we know they can be reduced.
A successful transition after incarceration can be challenging and complex. It encompasses more than just staying out of jail or prison; it also includes reuniting families, providing access to stable employment and safe and affordable housing, getting needed care and treatment, and ensuring other rights and opportunities that can sustain a person’s reintegration over a lifetime. The Reentry 2030 movement was developed to help address these issues; it asks leaders from all 50 states to take action and pledge to a decade-long initiative to make successful reintegration a reality for everyone.
“Each individual exiting jail or prison deserves to reintegrate into their communities successfully,” said Dr. Nicole Jarrett, director of Corrections and Reentry at The Council of State Governments (CSG) Justice Center. “With Reentry 2030, we aim to build on the successes from the Second Chance Act and similar initiatives to work for a future of reentry that feels more human-centered, coordinated, transparent, and equitable.”
Reentry 2030 will provide resources, tools, and supports to help every state design and implement an ambitious plan to:
- Scale-up access to stable housing, education, employment skills training, behavioral health treatment, health care, and other supports for people with criminal records.
- Clear away unnecessary barriers to opportunities and economic mobility.
- Advance racial equity by using data to understand and address disparities in access to services, quality of services, and outcomes.
As part of the Reentry 2030 launch earlier this month, the CSG Justice Center, with support from Arnold Ventures and in partnership with the U.S. Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Assistance, Correctional Leaders Association, and JustLeadershipUSA, convened key thought leaders from across the country to discuss these strategies. The event, Advancing Successful Reintegration for Every Person: Reentry 2030 National Launch, fostered dialogue between federal and state leaders, people with lived experience in reentry, and advocates about the state of reentry and the needed changes. Together, they set a vision for a future of reentry that is human-centered, coordinated, transparent, and equitable.
“At Arnold Ventures, we’re working to advance a fundamental shift in supervision policies—from catching or enabling failure to facilitating and promoting success,” said Dylan Hayre, director of Criminal Justice at Arnold Ventures. “Reentry 2030 envisions systems change along a similar trajectory. Reforming supervision systems is critical so that people under supervision who are trying to get back on their feet, or on their feet for the first time, are wholly seen and supported through all the challenges and opportunities that are part of reentry and reintegration.”
Learn more about how Reentry 2030 will amplify state efforts and create significant advances in reentry and reintegration on a national level by visiting www.reentry2030.org.
About the author
