Meeting the Challenges of Re-Entry
By: Staff Attorney Michael G. Avery
According to the Department of Correction, over 26,000 inmates are projected to be released from North Carolina prisons in 2007. Furthermore, a study done by the Bureau of Justice Statistics indicates that the national recidivism rate (the rate at which released prisoners relapse into criminal behavior) is greater than sixty percent. Of those, almost fifty percent were re-convicted within three years of their release. See Patrick A. Langan, Ph.D. & David J. Levin, Ph.D., Bureau of Justice Statistics Special Report, June 2002, NCJ 193427.
Many challenges confront those re-entering civilian life, including employment and housing, family reunification issues, drug and alcohol treatment, health care services, and transition for special populations such as sex offenders, domestic violence offenders and youthful offenders. Recently, the Department of Correction’s Office of Transition Services (OTS) held its annual conference to address some of these issues. The focus of this year’s conference was “Shaping the Future of Transition” by exploring different approaches which have proven effective in assisting people to make successful transitions and avoiding recidivism.
Prior to an offender’s release, OTS provides services “designed to help an inmate who is pending release to live independently, to work, to secure and maintain a residence, to maintain health, to assume family responsibilities, to participate in community-based spiritual activities and to engage in a law-abiding, responsible lifestyle.” See www.doc.state.nc.us/rap/OTS.htm; and www.doc.state.nc.us/transition/index.htm. Some of these services include the Going Home Initiative, Job Start, the Inmate Construction program, and a variety of apprenticeship and vocational program options.
There is also a multitude of public and private organizations providing supportive services for those inmates already released from prison or jail. As many of these organizations focus their efforts on individual communities, the variety of options available varies from community to community. A fairly comprehensive list of these resources organized by county can be obtained by writing to NCPLS.
