NCJ Number
242184
Date Published
February 2013
Length
130 pages
Annotation
This report describes study findings and offers recommendations for maximizing the effectiveness of reentry services for the 160,000 people who pass through the L.A. County Jail annually.
Abstract
Findings show that people held in jail, upon release, expect to encounter obstacles related to employment, housing, and substance use; only 6 people out of the 80 people interviewed reported receiving reentry services while in the jail; those people who did have contact with services in the jail reported that they found them to be helpful; despite the Los Angeles Sheriff Department's (LASD's) recent initiatives to bring community service organizations into the jail to provide reentry support (known as jail in-reach), many service providers report problems securing funding and LASD authorization to provide in-jail services; budgetary constraints and understaffing adversely affect reentry services; the main LASD reentry services provider, the Community Transition Unit, had a 1-to-1,000 ratio of staff to potential clients (people held in the jail) at the time of data collection; most community-service providers lack sufficient capacity to evaluate the effectiveness of the reentry services that they provide; and there is limited communication and coordination between the LASD, other government agencies, and the range of community-based service providers. Recommendations build on the LASD and community-service providers ongoing efforts to enhance supportive services for people leaving the jail and returning to their communities by addressing three core areas for improvement: reentry service delivery and engagement, operations and efficiency, and coordination. Figures and appendixes