NCJ Number
188914
Journal
Crime & Delinquency Volume: 47 Issue: 3 Dated: July 2001 Pages: 291-313
Date Published
July 2001
Length
23 pages
Annotation
This article discusses the movement of individuals from prison back into the community.
Abstract
Reflecting unprecedented prison expansion, the scale of prisoner reentry has reached new heights. A focus on reentry sheds light on the consequences of America's shifting sentencing policies, the changes in parole supervision, and the concentrated impact of removal and return of prisoners on disadvantaged communities. Prisoners today are not prepared for reintegration and are not connected to community-based social structures. The article examines linkages between prisoner reentry and the related social policy domains of health policy, family and child welfare policy, workforce participation, civic participation, and racial disparities to show the potential for more systematic reintegration policies. The article also discusses the implications of a reentry perspective for developing new strategies for prisoner reintegration. The article concludes that the reentry perspective suggests new ways of thinking about the bases for the concept of parole, a new mandate for corrections, and a new mission at the local level to join public and private capabilities to increase positive outcomes of the reentry process. Figures, table, references