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The Collaborative on Reentry Meets to Discuss Strategic Corrections: Alternatives to Incarceration and No Entry Strategies The second quarterly meeting of the Collaborative on Reentry was held on June 15th, which focused on education and employment for persons with criminal records. There were over 100 attendees at the meeting. A detailed agenda can be accessed here. General Counsel for the Office of the Governor, Theodore Chung, opened the meeting by encouraging those working in the field of reentry to collaborate and to recognize the great opportunities we all have for reshaping the lives of individuals impacted by the criminal justice system. The newly appointed Director of the Illinois Department of Corrections, Michael P. Randle, introduced himself to the group and answered questions from the audience regarding strategies to improve community corrections, collaboration with faith-based organizations, and best practices he hopes to incorporate based on his previous work as Assistant Director of the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction. There were separate panel discussions focused on education and employment. Panelists spoke about current efforts to improve or expand programming in each of their fields. During the lunch hour John Fallon from the Corporation for Supportive Housing gave a virtual tour of the new website, www.reentryillinois.net, an online reentry services guide. Rebecca Janowitz also presented the new reentry guide, “Another Chance,” created by the Cook County Sheriff’s Office to improve outcomes for individuals upon release. The day ended with the group participating in four breakout sessions on the topics: Access to In-Prison Education Programming, Restoration of Post-Secondary Correctional Education, Promoting Employment for People with Criminal Records and Eliminating Barriers, and Engaging the Business Community as Partners in Reentry. NOTE: The links to external sites below worked when this page was created. If you experience problems with the links, we suggest that you visit the source website indicated and search that site directly for the resource referenced. Binder materials: 1. Background Materials: Education
2. Background Materials: Employment
3. Day-of materials (attached as PDFs):
Additional materials: 1. Illinois Prisoners’ Reflections on Returning Home, The Urban Institute, September 2003: http://www.urban.org/UploadedPDF/310846_illinois_prisoners.pdf 2. Illinois Prisoners’ Reentry Success Three Years after Release, The Urban Institute Research Brief, August 2008: http://www.urban.org/UploadedPDF/411748_reentry_success.pdf 3. Chicago Prisoners’ Experiences Returning Home, The Urban Institute, December 2004: http://www.urban.org/UploadedPDF/311115_ChicagoPrisoners.pdf 4. Family Support is Key to Staying out of Prison Say Ex-Offenders in Chicago, The Urban Institute News Release, December 2004: http://www.urban.org/publications/900762.html 5. An Overview of NIC’s Transition from Prison to the Community Initiative, 2007: http://www.nicic.org/Library/017520 6. Key Components of Effective Prisoner Reentry Programs: A Guide to Matching national Service Programs with Weed and Seed and Other Citywide Initiatives on Prisoner Reentry: http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/ccdo/programs/vista_reentry_handbook.pdf 7. Learning to Reduce Recidivism: A 50-State Analysis of Postsecondary Correctional Education Policy, The Institute For Higher Education Policy, November 2005: http://www.inpathways.net/recidivism.pdf 8. How Well Can Urban Labor Markets Absorb Welfare Recipients?, The Urban institute, June 1999 : http://www.urban.org/publications/309077.html 9. Annual Review of Programs – Fiscal Year 2008, Illinois Department of Corrections Office of Adult Education & Vocational Services: |