Programming – Page 2

Document Category: Programming

Theme: Housing

This web-based resource shares personal experiences and insights from returning individuals about their transition related to community reintegration, securing housing, mental health services, substance use disorder treatment, employment, healthcare, and family reunification support. The conversations, a unique partnership between American Institutes for Research (AIR) and JustLeadershipUSA (JLUSA), featured a series of facilitated group discussions with individuals returning to the community from across the United States that occurred between August and October 2022.

Breaking Down Barriers: Lessons from Housing and Justice System Collaborations

Affordable housing is fundamental to successful reentry. To help policymakers build sustainable pathways to housing, The Council of State Governments Justice Center, in partnership with the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Assistance, conducted the first national survey of state Departments of Corrections reentry coordinators, receiving responses from 37 out of 50 states plus the District of Columbia. This national report outlines current practices, highlighting areas where policymakers can direct efforts to increase connections to housing.

Using Supported Employment to Help People with Behavioral Health Needs Reentering Communities

The ability to find and secure employment, particularly with a livable wage, is one of the most critical aspects to helping people lead safe and healthy lives. Unfortunately, many people leaving prison and jail face barriers and stigmas associated with their incarceration that prevent them from obtaining employment. Supported employment services, customized for people with behavioral health needs, can help address these challenges and provide the assistance needed for people with behavioral health conditions to obtain and sustain gainful employment as they reenter communities. This brief highlights four ways that reentry and community supervision programs can use supported employment services to prepare people with behavioral health needs for successful reentry.

The Hidden Costs of Reentry: Understanding the Barriers to Removing a Criminal Record

NIJ hosted a webinar to discuss under-researched aspects of reentry: expungement of criminal records and the impact of those records. This webinar includes a presentation of ongoing research projects examining the impact of legal aid for expungement and past research projects studying the accuracy and permanency of criminal records and the prevalence of collateral consequences of conviction. A Q&A session will conclude this webinar. Video Run Time: 1 hr., 29 mins.

Providing Services in a Jail-Based American Job Center

This issue brief series explores lessons from the evaluation of the Employment and Training Administration’s Linking to Employment Activities Prerelease (LEAP) grants, funded by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Chief Evaluation Office. LEAP pilots the creation of jail-based American Job Centers (AJCs) to support the successful reentry of participants and directly link them to community-based AJCs upon release. The evaluation looks at approaches to providing services before and after incarceration across 20 sites based on site visits, phone interviews, focus groups, and grantee performance reports.

Managing Risk in Jails

This manual will help jails both to understand risk and its implication for jails and to develop a formal, effective risk management program that uses all of the jail’s basic resources (i.e., human, financial, property, partners, and reputation” (p. v). Chapters following an introduction are: understanding risk and its implications for jails; jail risk management issues and strategies; developing a risk management program; and organizational investments for managing risk. Appendixes provide recommended resources, worksheets (Risk Register, Risk Control Implementation Schedule, and Risk Control Action Plan), and evaluating financing options.

Canines (and Cats!) in Correctional Institutions: Legal and Ethical Issues Relating to Companion Animal Programs

Approximately one in 107 adults in the United States is incarcerated in some type of correctional institution. Many correctional institutions have adopted a philosophy of “restorative justice” to not only manage inmates while incarcerated, but also provide them with the opportunity to develop skills needed to succeed once they are released. The recent trend of establishing companion animal programs is consistent with this philosophy. This Article focuses on the legal and ethical issues involved with keeping companion animals in this very specific institutional environment. First, the Article analyzes various types of programs that correctional institutions have established and assesses common benefits of and challenges for the programs. Second, it considers programs that may allow for inmates to have their “own” animals in a facility, including the question of whether service or assistance animals must be accommodated. Third, the Article evaluates the risks to humans involved with these programs and makes recommendations to ensure the safety of the participants to reduce the liability to the institutions and organizations involved. Fourth, it considers the ethical implications of having companion animals in these environments – focusing on whether it is an appropriate placement for companion animals and providing guidance for those who wish to consider implementing or supporting such programs.

Step-down Programs and Transitional Units: A Strategy to End Long-term Restrictive Housing

This brief will examine the concept of step-down or transitional programs, including their goals, different ways in which they can operate, key components of effective programs, and common pitfalls that should be avoided to promote their success.

Jail-based reentry programming to support continued treatment with medications for opioid use disorder: Qualitative perspectives and experiences among jail staff in Massachusetts

Individuals with opioid use disorder released to communities after incarceration experience an elevated risk for overdose death. Massachusetts is the first state to mandate county jails to deliver all FDA approved medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD). The present study considered perspectives around coordination of post-release care among jail staff engaged in MOUD programs focused on coordination of care to the community.

Programs That Support Behavioral Health

This document provides a listing of 19 Bureau of Justice Assistance programs that support behavioral health initiatives, and includes descriptive paragraphs and links to relevant websites.