Led by the Department of Justice, National Reentry Week is happening again in 2017. National Reentry Week events will be held during the week of April 23rd-29th, 2017, and agencies and organizations will host or attend reentry-related events . We at ED hope that your organization or agency will be able to join us in these events or consider supporting your own event.
During this year’s Reentry Week, DOJ and its partners are sponsoring activities across the country aimed at raising awareness and improving reentry outcomes, including:
· Resource fairs to connect individuals with housing, community-based reentry services and opportunities to reinstate or obtain drivers licenses and learn about public benefits.
· Employment-related events to connect recently-released individuals with employers and job search resources, such as mock interview sessions, resume workshops, and workshops on financial literacy.
· Family-related events to provide individuals with information that will assist them with their release, including key information on child support modifications.
· Stakeholder meetings to facilitate coordination among parties with a stake in the reentry process, such as courts, probation, public defenders, prosecutors, community groups, etc.
· Graduation ceremonies from reentry court programs, as well as GED/HSE and Career and Technical Education training programs.
· Reentry simulations, which allowed community partners to experience the real-life issues facing reentering individuals.
Agencies also will be posting blogs, op-eds, hosting webinars, and disseminating other resources aimed at highlighting the importance of reentry.
Stay tuned for events that the Department is participating in, and feel free to contact me if you would like to participate or need more information: Sean.Addie@ed.gov.
Comments
To piggyback on what Sean said above, what is happening in your area? Let's use this space to report what how we are celebrating reentry week in our programs. In our area, there is a drug court graduation. Several individuals have completed the requirements to successful pass and complete drug court. Here is a link to information about our drug court program: http://www.cowleycounty.org/corrections
Please share your events with us.
Brooke Istas
The U.S. Department of Justice, in conjunction with other federal agencies, announced a National Reentry Week, April 23–29. The week is a cross-agency effort geared towards collaboration in helping incarcerated and formerly incarcerated individuals reenter and reintegrate with society.
Education is a vital component of an individual’s reentry. According to a 2013 study funded by the Department of Justice and conducted by the RAND Corporation, incarcerated individuals who participated in high-quality correctional education were 43 percent less likely to return to prison within three years than those who did not. Estimates suggest that for every dollar invested in correctional education programs, $4 to $5 are saved on three-year reincarceration costs.
As part of the Department of Education’s contribution to Reentry Week, Secretary DeVos is visiting Montgomery County Correctional Facility (MCCF) in Boyds, Maryland, on April 26 to observe its educational offerings and interact with the students, teachers, and other staff. The visit to MCCF includes a tour of the Model Learning Center, which offers full time education, including career and technical, and special education, and MCCF’s on-site One Stop Employment Center, which is co-located with the jail in an effort to provide incarcerated individuals with skills assessments and job searches prior to their release. This model allows individuals to use the education that they acquired at the correctional facility to obtain employment and further education after their release. These collaborative educational and employment efforts help to reduce recidivism, save money, and make communities safer.
The secretary’s visit adds to the long history of partnership between the departments of Justice and Education. By using collaborative efforts, the federal government can leverage resources and voices and move the needle on issues related to individuals impacted by the justice system who also have a need for educational services.
Source: https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/USED/bulletins/18f3aa8