After reviewing the general status of ex-offender reentry programs of American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) tribes, this report documents tribal participation in national reentry initiatives under the Second Chance Act (SCA), discusses tribal participation in reentry research and evaluation, and proposes how to start the planning and development process for improving tribal reentry services for recently released AI/AN individuals.
Numerous reentry programs have been funded throughout the Nation at the State and local levels from 2009 to 2012 under the Federal Second Chance Act (SCA); however, tribal participation is lagging in all SCA initiative areas and other federally funded reentry programs. This is because many tribes have difficulty in preparing competitive applications to meet grant requirements in the allotted time for submission. Also, poor relationships with jail or correctional facilities located off tribal lands and controlled by other authorities hinder efforts to develop reentry or jail transition programs. In addition, tribal governments and communities have many reentry readiness issues that present challenges for tribes when developing jail or correctional reentry programs. Another issue is the limited literature on tribal reentry or studies on AI/AN re-entrants. Currently, U.S. Justice Department agencies are conducting seven national reentry research or evaluation projects. Additional government and private support is needed to study reentry efforts in tribal communities in order to develop evidence-based practices that have been proven effective within distinctive tribal communities in meeting the needs of AI/AN re-entrants. The concluding section of this report provides suggestions on how to begin the development process and application of evidence-based and practice-based information. Differences in planning for AI/AN re-entrants from jail and those reentering from prison are noted. Using a community-readiness tool where reentry is discussed and strategies are outlined for jail reentry planning and for long-term correctional reentry planning. Figures, tables, and notes