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Prisoner Reentry

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The transition from incarceration to life in the community has implications for public safety at large and for the communities into which the former prisoners are introduced. RAND research has explored how to prevent recidivism through correctional education, the public health issues of prisoner reentry, and the question of prisoner rehabilitation.

Report

How to Incentivize Employers to Hire Ex-Offenders

Jan 15, 2018

People with criminal records are marginalized in the labor market. What policies might incentivize employers to hire them? Some options include tax credits and replacement guarantees if an ex-offender proves to be unsuitable once hired.
Commentary

Support for Postsecondary Education in Prison

Dec 15, 2016

Correctional educational programs can reduce incarceration costs and recidivism. But it's critical that former inmates can connect with reentry services in the community to complete their education.

Explore Prisoner Reentry

Report

Higher Education Programs in Prison Reduce Recidivism

Evidence shows that correctional education programs are effective—and cost-effective—at improving employment outcomes for participants and at helping to keep them from returning to prison. But given limited budgets, how can the long-term funding of these programs be sustained?

Aug 28, 2019
Report

Report

Los Angeles County Office of Diversion and Reentry's Supportive Housing Program: A Study of Participants' Housing Stability and New Felony Convictions

Los Angeles County is home to the largest jail system in the world and an acute homelessness problem. This report presents generally favorable early interim findings about an initiative that provides housing coupled with case management.

Jul 25, 2019
Report

Results of the Co-Design of Services for Health and Reentry (CO-SHARE) Study

Individuals returning to the community from jail often face difficulties accessing services that improve reentry and reduce recidivism. RAND reviewed a pilot study in Los Angeles County, the Co-Design of Services for Health and Reentry (CO-SHARE), that encouraged returning individuals and service providers to collaborate on improving health and reentry services.

Jul 24, 2019
Commentary

North Carolina Program Helps Former Prisoners Make It on the Outside

To avoid the all-too-common fate of ending up back in prison, incarcerated adults need skills and credentials they typically don't have. Helping them overcome the challenges of reentry is a net gain for them and for the communities to which they return.

Jul 11, 2019
News Release

News Release

Creating Prison-Based College Program That Continues After Release Presents Challenges, but Can Have Success

Creating a prison-based program where incarcerated individuals can take college classes and then work toward a degree upon release can be successful, but many obstacles challenge the success of such efforts.

May 22, 2019
Report

Lessons from a Prison-Based College Program That Continues After Release

A prison-based program offered individuals college classes during the final two years of their incarceration and support for another two years after release to help them achieve their degree or certificate goal. How well did the program work?

May 22, 2019
Report

Managing the Seriously Mentally Ill in Corrections

This report presents the challenges and needs associated with how individuals with serious mental illness become justice-involved and how to achieve better outcomes before and after these individuals come under correctional control.

Apr 2, 2019
Blog

State of the Union: Insights from RAND

To shed light on a wide range of topics that figured in President Trump's second State of the Union address, we've rounded up insights from some of RAND's objective and nonpartisan research, analysis, and expertise.

Feb 6, 2019
Report

Report

Local Evaluation Report for Los Angeles County's Mentally Ill Offender Crime Reduction (MIOCR) Program

RAND researchers assessed a Los Angeles County program to improve outcomes for individuals suffering from mental health disorders who are returning to the community after incarceration.

Sep 7, 2018
Report

Report

Los Angeles County Juvenile Justice Crime Prevention Act: Fiscal Year 2016–2017 Report

This annual report to the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors evaluates the Juvenile Justice Crime Prevention Act, which offers programs to high-need juvenile probationers and at-risk youths.

Aug 8, 2018
Journal Article

Does Providing Inmates with Education Improve Postrelease Outcomes? A Meta-Analysis of Correctional Education Programs in the United States

Meta-analysis demonstrates the potential value in providing inmates with educational opportunities while they serve their sentences.

Jul 3, 2018
Journal Article

Education for Incarcerated Juveniles: A Meta-Analysis

Though the evidence base about what works in juvenile correctional education remains incomplete, the existing research does suggest promising directions for future programmatic investments.

Jul 3, 2018
Periodical

Periodical

RAND Review: July-August 2018

This issue spotlights RAND's Gun Policy in America initiative and RAND's evaluation of Housing for Health, a Los Angeles County program that has moved some of its most chronically homeless and vulnerable residents into permanent housing.

Jul 2, 2018
Report

Bridge to Opportunities: Connecting Probationers to High-Wage Jobs

Probation agencies face significant challenges to helping their clients find jobs, and earn living wages. One program focused on the construction industry aimed to improve the earning potential of individuals on probation in Sacramento County, California.

May 25, 2018
Research Brief

What Policies Are Most Effective at Incentivizing Employers to Hire Ex-Offenders?

Ex-offenders are less likely to be hired than members of other disadvantaged groups, and former felons with poor economic outcomes are more likely to return to criminal activity. A survey of 100 employers examined how they responded to incentives to hire people with felony criminal records.

Feb 8, 2018
Journal Article

Journal Article

A Propensity Score Analysis of a Community Resettlement Programme for Women Prisoners

By evaluating a voluntary sector, community-based "through-the-gates" resettlement programme for women, we add to the limited evidence base on interventions for women offenders..

Dec 18, 2017
Report

An Alternative Future for the Corrections Sector

Experts agree that the main role of the U.S. corrections sector should be to help improve offenders' behavior. Better staff training, the elimination of operations that generate revenue, and a cultural shift to prioritize rehabilitation over punishment could help.

Oct 26, 2017
Report

Report

Los Angeles County Juvenile Justice Crime Prevention Act: Fiscal Year 2015–2016 Report

This annual report to the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors evaluates the Juvenile Justice Crime Prevention Act, which offers programs to high-need juvenile probationers and at-risk youths.

Aug 18, 2017
Multimedia

Why Prison Education Matters

In this Events @ RAND podcast, our panel of experts discuss the costs and benefits of using education to stop the prison revolving door, and the effectiveness of programs like The Last Mile, which prepares inmates for reentry by providing them with marketable skills.

Apr 6, 2017

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RAND Topic:
Prisoner Reentry

Topic Synonyms:
Re-Entry Services

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