Roadmap to Reentry: 3 Things States Can Do to Get Started

1. Set a Big Goal

Through Reentry 2030, states are encouraged to look beyond recidivism outcomes as measures of success. We recommend that state leaders begin by setting at least one goal related to economic mobility, housing, or health care.

Economic Mobility Goals

These goals address workforce development strategies as well as educational, certification, and licensing opportunities.

• Sample goal: By [year], 100% of people pursuing educational opportunities while incarcerated are eligible to receive tuition assistance.
• One way to get there: Lift statutory or administrative funding restrictions that prevent incarcerated students or people in the community with a criminal record from accessing career and technical education and postsecondary education.
• What one state did: Under its Reentry 2030 Strategic Plan, North Carolina expanded access to career and technical education in prisons through partnerships between the Department of Adult Correction and the Community College System, offering stackable credentials in high-demand fields and ensuring students can continue their education or training after release.

Health Care Goals

These goals focus on both physical and behavioral health needs and recognize the prevalence of chronic illnesses, communicable diseases, and serious mental illnesses among people in jail and prison.

• Sample goal: By [year], 85% of formerly incarcerated individuals meet with a community health provider within 30 days after release.
• One way to get there: Build the capacity of community-based behavioral health providers through training and funding to expand services.
• What one state did: Washington’s Reentry 2030 plan includes a goal to enroll 100% of eligible individuals in Medicaid 90 days before release, paired with pre-release health screenings and referrals. The Department of Corrections collaborates with local health jurisdictions to arrange follow-up appointments and continuity of prescriptions immediately upon release.

Housing Goals

These goals should address not only the limited availability of affordable housing but also the housing barriers that a criminal history can present.

• Sample goal: By [year], 85% of people being released from incarceration who are eligible for permanent supportive housing are in such housing within 8 months of release.
• One way to get there: Criminal justice leaders should actively participate in Continuum of Care (CoC) boards and engage in local policies and decision-making to prioritize the reentry population for housing resources available through CoCs, public housing authorities, and other housing providers.
• What one state did: The Missouri Department of Corrections partnered with the Missouri Housing Development Commission to create regional reentry housing partnerships that connect returning people to permanent supportive housing and rental assistance. The state is also expanding access to transitional housing vouchers for individuals leaving prison who are at risk of homelessness.

3. Evolve Your Approach to Reentry

Achieving the bold vision of successful reintegration for every person requires rethinking how reentry systems are designed and delivered. Reentry 2030 gives state leaders the opportunity to challenge assumptions, modernize practices, and align systems around a shared commitment to dignity, accountability, and measurable impact.

By embracing new ways of working that are rooted in collaboration and data, states can build reentry systems that are human centered, coordinated, and transparent. Choose one or more of the guiding principles below and determine how your state will bring them to life. Each includes a sample policy or practice to inspire action.

• Reentry is human centered when state leaders meaningfully incorporate the perspectives of people who have gone through the reentry process to design reentry systems with their needs and the barriers they face in mind.
• Reentry is coordinated when leaders across service systems and at the federal, state, and local levels are fully engaged in their role as part of a collective, comprehensive set of supports promoting reintegration.
• Reentry is transparent when states set public goals and report regularly and consistently on progress.

Project Credits

Writing: Jesse Kelley and Nicole Jarrett, CSG Justice Center

Editing: Leslie Griffin, CSG Justice Center

Design: Jessica Rusher, CSG HQ

Web Design: Caroline Cournoyer, CSG Justice Center

Public Affairs: Sarah Kelley, CSG Justice Center