What is prisoner reentry?

The process of leaving prison or jail and returning to society. Nearly all prisoners experience reentry irrespective of their methods of release or form of supervision, if any.

What are the numbers involved?

• According to Bureau of Justice reports, approximately 650,000 state and federal prisoners reenter society each year;
• About half of all former prisoners are returned to prison for a new crime or parole violation within 3 years;
• At any given time, approximately 750,000 ex-prisoners are on parole supervision;
• About 1.5 million children have a parent in prison.

Who are they?

• Ninety-one percent of released prisoners are male; 55 percent are white; 44 percent are black; 17 percent are Hispanic.
• The median age of released prisoners is 33, and the median level of education is 11th grade.
• Studies have found a high prevalence of substance abuse and physical and mental health problems.

What obstacles do they face?

• Housing: Many former prisoners are able to live, at least temporarily, with family members. But those who cannot report limited housing options and little help in finding a place to stay.
• Employment: Low levels of education, work experience and vocational skills limit employment opportunities, and many employers are hesitant to hire former prisoners.
• Health: Former prisoners are more likely to have major mental disorders and chronic and infectious disease, but many live in communities with insufficient health care facilities.
• Substance use: A majority of prisoners have extensive substance abuse histories and most identified drug use as the primary cause of their problems, but fewer than one-third receive treatment after release.
• Communities: A significant number of prisoners return to a small number of communities, many of which are facing high levels of social and economic disadvantage.

Partnerships and initiatives

• Reentry Mapping Network: Launched with the Annie E. Casey Foundation, the project partners community-based organizations and the Urban Institute to create change through mapping and analysis of neighborhood-level data related to reentry and community well-being. View a joint report.
• Council of State Governments Re-Entry Policy Council: Urban Institute is one of 10 partners of the council, established in 2001 to assist state government officials confront the growing numbers of people leaving prison and jail and reentering society. More information and the report of the RPC is available at the RPC web site.
• Reentry Roundtable: Since its inception in 2000, the Urban Institute has convened eight meetings of the Roundtable, a forum joining academics, practitioners, community leaders, policymakers, advocates, and former prisoners to push the envelope of research and practice.

Overview research (pdf files)

"Outside the Walls: A National Snapshot of Community-Based Prisoner Reentry Programs"

"Families Left Behind: The Hidden Costs of Incarceration and Reentry"

In-depth research (pdf files)

"From Prison to Work: The Employment Dimensions of Prisoner Reentry"

"Does Parole Work? Analyzing the Impact of Postprison Supervision on Rearrest Outcomes"

"Prisoner Reentry and Community Policing: Strategies for Enhancing Public Safety"

"National Portrait of SVORI: Serious and Violent Offender Reentry Initiative"

State and city reports

Reports on Maryland, Illinois, Ohio, and Texas provide in-depth studies on large groups of prisoners before and after their release.

Reports also investigate separate components of reentry within major cities. A few examples: ill prisoners returning to Cincinnati, community response to prisoners in Chicago, and family support and substance abuse among prisoners returning to Baltimore.

Reports on prisoner release data in the following six states are also available: Idaho, Georgia, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, and Virginia.

A complete list of all reports is available here.

Forthcoming research

"The Housing Landscape for Returning Prisoners in the District of Columbia"

"Principles and Practice in Housing for Persons with Mental Illness Who Have Had Contact with the Justice System"