What Works in Reentry

• NCJ Number: 252738
• Author(s): David B. Muhlhausen; Chief Terri McDonald; Grant Duwe; John Wetzel; Alix McLearen
• Date Published: October 2018
• Length: 14 pages
• Agencies: NIJ
• Publication Type: Report (Technical Assistance); Report (Grant Sponsored); Instructional Material (Programmed)

Annotation

This is the video and transcript of the "Research for the Real World" seminar, which was held October 29, 2018 to address the role and importance of institutional and community corrections, along with rehabilitative and reentry services in crime prevention and public safety.

Abstract

In the video, David B. Muhlhausen, the Director of the National Institute of Justice (NIJ), describes the nature and findings of NIJ-funded research on what works in reentry programming. John Wetzel, Secretary of Corrections of the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections, talks about the important role of institutional corrections in preparing inmates to become responsible and beneficial members of a community after their release. Terri McDonald, Chief Probation Officer of the Los Angeles County Probation Department, discusses the importance of determining at intake what people need to help them change their offending behavior. This involves cooperation among correctional, substance-abuse, mental-health, and family-services agencies and personnel in providing assessment and services needed to assist offenders in living responsible and crime-free lives in their communities. Grant Duwe, the Director of Research and Evaluation for the Minnesota Department of Corrections, discusses the importance of focusing on the faithful implementation of corrections reentry programs that have proven their effectiveness through evaluation research. In addition, he discusses the importance of ensuring that offenders participate in programs that match their criminogenic needs and that they participate for the period of time needed to show intended results. Alix McLearen, the acting Assistant Director of the Reentry Services Division for the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP), discusses how the BOP's programming prepares inmates for release, what is done to track their progress, and how residential reentry centers help inmates transition back into their communities.