Voices of Experience

The nonpartisan Urban Institute publishes studies, reports, and books on timely topics worthy of public consideration. The views expressed are those of the authors and should not be attributed to the Urban Institute, its trustees, or its funders.

Note: This report is available in its entirety in the Portable Document Format (PDF).

Executive Summary

Government leaders, corrections officials, local organizations, and service providers have become keenly aware of the prisoner reentry challenges experienced by states and communities across the country, and they have begun to use both research and programmatic knowledge to address these challenges. This new emphasis on prisoner reentry issues prompted the National Governors Association to launch the Prisoner Reentry State Policy Academy. Established in the summer of 2003, the goal of the Academy is to help governors and other state policymakers develop and implement effective prisoner reentry strategies in an effort to reduce costly recidivism rates. Activities include an in-state policy workshop, two policy academy meetings, and customized research and technical assistance provided by the Urban Institute.

Rhode Island was one of seven states—along with Georgia, Idaho, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, and Virginia—selected to participate in the Academy. As part of their work in the Academy, the Rhode Island Department of Corrections requested that the Urban Institute conduct a series of focus groups with service providers and current and released prisoners across a variety of subject areas related to prisoner reentry. The purpose of the focus groups is to identify (1) resources and services that are available for released prisoners to assist them with reentry; (2) gaps in service delivery for both released prisoners and their families; (3) challenges that exist in serving this population; (4) barriers to coordinated service delivery across agencies and service providers; and (5) recommendations for better serving this population.

The overriding themes that emerged from the focus groups included (1) a lack of coordination between ACI and state and local service providers; (2) the belief that prisoners are not adequately prepared for reentry prior to their release; and (3) a general consensus that the demand for community services to assist released prisoners far exceeds supply. Key insights and recommendations by topic area are outlined below.

• Basic Needs. Service provider participants reported that after release, a large share of prisoners struggle to meet their basic needs, including food, clothing, housing, and transportation. Providers identified a lack of knowledge of the social services system as a reason why many released prisoners encounter problems on the outside. They also reported that lack of transportation presented an obstacle to securing housing, employment, and social services after their release. Participants recommended increased discharge planning and more work release programs and halfway houses for released prisoners.
• Employment. Both service provider and prisoner participants believed that current corrections policies make planning for post-release employment difficult. Prisoner participants consistently cited employment as their most pressing concern following release and recommended that they have access to more job search resources while incarcerated. Provider participants also noted the need for more employment counseling, since most prisoners have few, if any, job-search skills. All participants believed that the stigma of a criminal record was a tremendous obstacle to finding employment. They recommended that training in skilled trades, such as carpentry, mechanics, and plumbing, could increased the prospects of successful post-release employment.
• Family. Most prisoner participants reported heavy reliance on their families and friends for both financial and emotional support immediately following their release. Service provider participants noted, however, that the constraints of imprisonment can cause prisoners to become disconnected from their families, which can create significant reunification challenges following release. Both provider and prisoner participants recommended that corrections alter its policies to facilitate increased visitation and telephone communication between prisoners and their family members. They also recommended that family members participate in the pre-release planning process.
• Health care. Service provider participants observed that the health needs of prisoners exceed treatment capacity—both in prison and in the community. They believed that the challenges to providing health care to this population begin in prison, when many prisoners do not avail themselves of health care resources. Prisoner participants reinforced this belief, citing both long waits for in-prison health care and poor-quality health care services as reasons for not seeking treatment. Service providers felt that correc-tions staff do not try to incorporate them in the pre-release planning process. They also noted a lack of coordination among service providers that results in large numbers of in-dividuals with acute health care needs slipping through the cracks. Providers recommended that everyone—corrections staff, health care providers in the community, and soon-to-be-released prisoners—come to the table to coordinate pre- and post-release health care planning.
• Housing. Service provider participants reported that the shortage of housing in the Providence area has become an enormous problem for released prisoners. This lack of housing stems from increasing gentrification and the inability of former prisoners to receive public housing benefits or, in some cases, shelter space due to the stigma of the ex-prisoner label. Service providers reported that many prisoners lack the necessary housing-related preparation for release and, as a result, end up on the street. They also noted that, while housing providers have been very successful in collaborating, they are also all competing for the same scarce resources. Providers and prisoner participants alike overwhelmingly agreed on the need for more affordable housing and fewer restrictions on public housing in the Providence area.

Introduction

In July 2003, the State of Rhode Island became a member of the Prisoner Reentry State Policy Academy, a group of seven states selected by the National Governors Association to develop and implement effective prisoner reentry strategies in an effort to reduce costly recidivism rates. Activities of the policy academy include an in-state policy workshop, two cross-state policy academy meetings, and customized research and technical assistance provided by the Urban Institute.

In May 2004, the Rhode Island Department of Corrections (RIDOC)-known locally and referred to hereafter as the Adult Correctional Institutions (ACI)-contracted with the Urban Institute (UI) to conduct a series of focus groups with service providers, current prisoners, and former prisoners. The goal of this project was to help ACI and its partners in other state agencies gain a better understanding of the reentry challenges facing released prisoners as well as the resources and opportunities that exist to better serve this population.

In total, UI conducted seven focus groups to include the following topic areas and populations: employment, health and substance abuse, housing, family, basic needs, current prisoners, and released prisoners. Focus group participants consisted of service providers from state and nonprofit agencies, recently released prisoners, and individuals who had been returned to prison on probation or parole revocations.

This report begins with a description of the focus group methodology, including sampling and recruitment procedures and focus group protocols. The body of the report synthesizes the comments made by Rhode Island service providers, state agency employees, and current and former prisoner participants. The report is organized by five topic areas: employment, health and substance abuse, housing, family, and basic needs. In addition, a section of the report is dedicated to focus group findings from current and former prisoners. Each section synthesizes findings that resulted from the following questions:

• What resources and services are available for released prisoners to assist them in reentry?
• What are the gaps in service delivery for both released prisoners and their families?
• What challenges exist in serving this population?
• What are the barriers to coordination of service delivery across agencies and service providers?
• What recommendations do you have for better serving this population?

Throughout the report, comments are highlighted that may provide guidance to Rhode Island decisionmakers as they develop initiatives to enhance the successful reintegration of released prisoners, reduce recidivism, and increase the safety of communities across the state.

Note: This report is available in its entirety in the Portable Document Format (PDF).

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