NCJ Number
205469
Date Published
November 2003
Length
86 pages
Annotation
This report describes the process of inmate reentry in Ohio by examining the policies that influence reentry, the characteristics of inmates released from Ohio prisons, the efforts to prepare inmates for release, the geographic distribution of released inmates, and the social and economic climates of the communities that house some of the highest concentrations of released inmates in the State.
Abstract
Inmates released from Ohio prisons in 2001 were predominantly male and almost evenly divided between Blacks and Whites. Approximately three-fourths were between the ages of 20 and 39, and similar proportions of the released inmates had served time for drug offenses and violent offenses, with 12 percent having served time for a technical violation committed while on postrelease supervision. Excluding technical violators, almost two-thirds of the release cohort in 2001 served 1 year or less in prison. Less than half (44 percent) had been incarcerated at least once prior to the 2001 release. Of those released in 2001, 17 percent were returned to prison within 1 year. The new Release Preparation Program, which inmates enter 6 months prior to release, includes employment readiness and other workshops designed to ensure that inmates will continue to receive needed services after release into the community; however, this new reentry strategy and the release preparation program have not yet been fully implemented and not all released inmates currently receive the full-range of prerelease and post-release programming. The Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction (ODRC) is currently working to develop the following core programming areas for inmates involved in reentry: educational and vocational services, substance abuse programming, mental health services, specialized services for sex offenders, and programs based in the concepts of restorative justice. For each of the specialized programming areas, the ODRC has sought to establish partnerships or contracts with government agencies, halfway houses, and other service providers in the community. Ninety-five percent of inmates released in 2001 returned to communities within the State, with Cuyhoga County having the highest percentage (22 percent) of returns. Of those returning to Cuyhoga County, 79 percent returned to Cleveland (4,237 released inmates). Many of the neighborhoods to which the inmates returned in Cleveland were more economically and socially disadvantaged than the average Cleveland community. This report is the first stage of a comprehensive research project on reentry in Ohio and raises a number of questions that will be answered in later phases of the research. Future research is described in this report. Extensive figures