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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.

Essay

A Novel Approach to Helping People Returning from Prison

Oct 30, 2019

Many services try to address the needs of individuals returning from prison, but they're often designed without much input from the very people who need the services. A group of county agencies, service providers, and former prisoners collaborated to identify ways to improve reentry services in Los Angeles.
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.

Explore Prisoner Reentry

Essay

Supportive Housing Can Help Keep People with Mental Illness Out of Jail

Hundreds of thousands of people with serious mental illnesses cycle in and out of American jails every year. In Los Angeles, some of them are getting diverted into a supportive housing program where they can get the treatment they need. And the results are promising.

Feb 27, 2020
Blog

State of the Union 2020: Insights from RAND

The final State of the Union address of President Trump's four-year term may be viewed through the lens of the unprecedented circumstances surrounding the evening. But the speech touched on a range of policy challenges that will remain, regardless of how politics play out in 2020.

Feb 5, 2020
Research Brief

Research Brief

Los Angeles County Jails Could Divert More Individuals to Community-Based Mental Health Services

Summarizes findings of a report in which researchers estimated the percentage of individuals with mental health disorders in Los Angeles County jails who could be diverted from traditional criminal justice processing to community-based care.

Feb 3, 2020
Blog

Iran, Mental Health and Jail, Russia: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on Iran and Iraq following the killing of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani, supporting those experiencing mental illness in jails, Russia's hostile measures, and more.

Jan 10, 2020
News Release

News Release

More Than Half of Those in Mental Health Unit at L.A. Jail Could Be Diverted to Community Programs

More than 3,300 people in the mental health population of the Los Angeles County Jail are appropriate candidates for diversion into programs where they would receive community-based clinical services rather than incarceration.

Jan 7, 2020
Report

Many Detainees with Mental Illness Could Be Safely Diverted to Community Care

In June 2019, more than 5,500 people in Los Angeles County jails were in mental health housing units and/or were taking psychotropic medications. Based on legal and clinical factors, 61 percent of these individuals were likely eligible for release into community-based treatment.

Jan 7, 2020
Report

Report

Process Evaluation of AssetPlus

A process evaluation of the roll-out of AssetPlus (assessment and planning framework used by youth offending teams) in England and Wales. Practitioners supported the ideas behind AssetPlus but faced challenges with easy use and information-sharing.

Dec 18, 2019
Blog

Veterans, Autonomous Vehicles, Digital Protests: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on preventing veteran suicide, who's responsible when a car is hacked, how digital protests can affect Fortune 500 companies, and more.

Nov 8, 2019
Periodical

Periodical

RAND Review: November-December 2019

This issue spotlights research on veteran suicide; liability implications of driverless cars; and new approaches to improving the post-incarceration experience. The Giving column highlights a million-dollar gift to fund research on homeless veterans.

Oct 28, 2019
Report

Report

Leveraging Technology to Enhance Community Supervision: Identifying Needs to Address Current and Emerging Concerns

An expert workshop of correctional administrators and researchers explored how technology can be used to address key challenges faced by community corrections agencies.

Oct 28, 2019
Blog

Synthetic Opioids, Mass Shootings, Prison Education: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap looks at fentanyl and other synthetic opioids, how to address mass shootings, higher education in prison, and more.

Aug 30, 2019
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 27, 2019
Blog

Gun Policy, Cannabis, ISIS: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap looks at gun policy in America, the cannabis market in Washington state, countering an ISIS comeback, and more.

Aug 9, 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
Blog

Iran, Prison College Programs, Fentanyl: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on Iran's nonstate partners, lessons from a prison college program, what a fentanyl ban in China means for the U.S. opioid crisis, and more.

May 24, 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 21, 2019

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RAND Topic:
Prisoner Reentry

Topic Synonyms:
Re-Entry Services

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