RE-ENTRY SERVICES
The Re-entry and Transition Services Unit is responsible for the coordinated development and implementation of programs and services that will prepare incarcerated individuals for a successful return home after incarceration. This unit strategically identifies resources and services to eliminate barriers to the transition process and re-entry into the community. Effective community engagement promotes program and service planning, development, coordination, and service delivery.
The goals behind the units commitment to re-entry include its obligation to:
- Ensuring a seamless transition of offenders from the community to custody and then back to the community;
- Guaranteeing that offenders are better prepared for their transition back to the community after receiving re-entry services than at the time of their admission to the criminal justice system;
- Equipping offenders with marketable skills during their incarceration through effective programming. Prior to their release, the returning citizen is connected with regional re-entry navigators and local American Job Center;
- Community-based programs assisting in services that promote practical life skills and supporting coping skills necessary for a successful transition to the community; and,
- Enhancing offenders' awareness of the impact of their crime and providing them with opportunities to make amends for the harm caused by their crime.
The re-entry Services Unit supplements the Correctional Case Management Department by continuing the mission to serve the public interest through developing and monitoring individual case plans to support incarcerated individuals' rehabilitative efforts. Specifically, Re-entry Specialists continue the case management process to facilitate the incarcerated individual's personal growth and development, emphasizing the preparation for release.
Release Preparation/Planning Process
Exit Orientation Interviews
Re-entry Specialists conduct Exit Orientation Interviews on a daily basis. These interviews are conducted within 90 to 120 days of their projected release. Specialists set up interviews through Case Management Staff to complete a re-entry assessment to ensure the incarcerated individual receives the full spectrum of services to guarantee their successful transition and sustainability within the community.
Re-entry Assessment Form
The Re-entry Assessment Form is a needs analysis that helps the Re-entry Specialist pinpoint those service needs and areas that require community referrals. Services include the below listed:
- Birth Certificate
- SS Card
- State/Government Issued ID Card
- Voter Registration
- Department of Social Services
- Out of State Home Plan (ICOTS)
- Housing
- Community Resources
- Employment Assistance
- Medicaid/Medicare Enrollment
- Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
- Veterans Assistance
- *Behavioral Health*
- Mental Health Services
- Substance Abuse Treatment
- Assistance in Obtaining Medications
- Assistance Finding a Doctor
The Re-entry Assessment Form also looks at other important areas like assisting with financial obligations, legal issues, clothing, and transportation assistance to complete the release planning process.
Workshops and Training
During the release preparation period, the Re-entry Specialist will work with case management and other facility staff members to ensure the incarcerated individual has the opportunity to engage in additional workshops and training prior to release. Some examples of training include:
- Life Skills Training,
- Job Readiness Training,
- Financial Literacy Training, and
- Mediation.
Re-entry Release Plan
The Re-entry Release Plan is a document created to summarize the preparation process and preview the transition process.
Re-entry Resource Packet
The re-entry Resource Packet is a guide developed to help the incarcerated individual on his/her journey as they re-enter society. While all are afforded the opportunity for an exit orientation interview, some may refuse services. This packet is another opportunity for the Re-entry Specialist to connect the returning citizen to those much-needed services within the community and distribute contact information if they need to call back for help.The re-entry Resource Packet is a guide developed to help the incarcerated individual on his/her journey as they re-enter society. While all are afforded the opportunity for an exit orientation interview, some may refuse services. This packet is another opportunity for the Re-entry Specialist to connect the returning citizen to those much-needed services within the community and distribute contact information if they need to call back for help.
- Birth Certificate/Social Security Card Instructions,
- Government-issued ID Instructions,
- Housing Options,
- Resources from Social Services (e.g., Food, Cash, and Medical Assistance),
- Voter Registration Services, and
- Maryland Legal Aid Information.
After Care
In an attempt to continue the work, re-entry Specialists are conducting weekly calls utilizing motivational interviewing techniques to continue to provide support to those returning citizens who are in pursuit of self-sufficiency in their community.
Local Re-entry Program
The local re-entry Program is a strategic effort to facilitate reintegration by reestablishing personal and professional relationships and connecting with the community's local resources. The program allows incarcerated individuals that are no more than one year from release and no less than 30 days from release the opportunity to transfer to a local detention center for re-entry programming. The agreement is governed by the execution of a Memorandum of Understanding between the DPSCS and the local county's correctional facility. This initiative aims to support the transition back to the community and provide appropriate re-entry services. The re-entry Services Specialists help coordinate these transfers where eligible offenders are identified through a screening process. This requires classification to at least a minimum security status and verified connection to the jurisdiction they are returning. This connection can be familial or an employment/training opportunity.