COLLAPSE
Challenges to Offender Reentry and Reintegration

An overwhelming majority of offenders released from prison commit another crime soon after their release and are subsequently reincarcerated. The exact reasons for such high recidivism rates are not known, but many point to the fact that the reentry and reintegration process into society is particularly difficult for released offenders. Typically, offenders have to struggle with lack of education, inadequate professional or vocational skills, and lack of services and opportunities. These challenges work against their successful reintegration into society. A number of programs and initiatives promote the successful reintegration of offenders into society. These programs often attempt to help ex-inmates find a job and a place to live and teach them to manage their time in a prosocial manner. By far, the most important and widespread prisoner reentry program in the United States is the Serious Violent Offender Reentry Initiative (SVORI). SVORI is a federally funded program designed to help recently released offenders overcome challenges related to employment, education, health, and housing. Analyses have revealed that SVORI is extremely successful at helping released offenders overcome these obstacles and remain relatively crime free. Other movements, such as social control policies and shaming, have also been found to facilitate successful reentry and reintegration of offenders into communities.

To prepare for this Discussion:

Review Chapter 12 of your course text, American Corrections: Theory, Research, Policy, and Practice. Pay attention to the challenges offenders might encounter during reentry and reintegration. Also consider the initiatives taken to facilitate prisoner reentry. Reflect on whether these initiatives, such as the Serious Violent Offender Reentry Initiative (SVORI), are effective in promoting offender reentry and reintegration.
Review the article, "What Works in Prisoner Reentry? Reviewing and Questioning the Evidence." Consider whether prisoner reentry programs help offenders reintegrate into society. Reflect on the specific characteristics of reentry programs that are most effective in the prisoner reintegration process.
Review the Office of Justice Programs’ Reentry website. Pay attention to whether the reentry resources available to offenders are successful in helping them overcome problems with reentry. Reflect on whether there are specific problems related to reentry that are not addressed by reentry programs and resources.
Of all the challenges that offenders released from prison face and that are discussed in the Learning Resources this week, identify the two that you think are the most important.
Reflect on whether the correctional system could eliminate or is currently attempting to eliminate the two challenges you identified.
Post by Day 4 a brief description of two challenges an offender might encounter during reentry and reintegration into his or her community. Explain how such challenges might be prevented or addressed via the correctional system.

Note: Include the challenges you selected in the first line of your post. You will be asked to respond to a colleague who chose at least one different challenge from the ones you discussed.

Be sure to support your postings and responses with specific references to the Learning Resources.
Learning Resources

Please read and view (where applicable) the following Learning Resources before you complete this week’s assignments.

READINGS

Course Text: American Corrections: Theory, Research, Policy, and Practice
Chapter 12, "Reentry"

Article: Petersilia, J. (2004). What works in prisoner reentry? Reviewing and questioning the evidence. Federal Probation, 68(2), 4–8 .
Use the Academic Search Premier database, and search using the article’s title.

Article: Urban Institute. (2009). Prisoner reentry. Retrieved from http://www.urban.org/publications/410354.html