NCJ Number
85698
Date Published
1982
Length
21 pages
Annotation
Parole provides a structure and coordinates resources for an offender's reentry into the community, and work release and halfway house programs help relieve financial needs upon release; the use of exinmates in social service assignments also aids reintegration.
Abstract
Although some are questioning the value of parole to the extent of recommending its abolishment, parole systems still provide the major organizational matrix to foster and conduct a variety of program elements designed to help the exinmate reenter the community effectively. The big effort in coming years must be to increase the intensity and extent of the helping process at the time of reentry to help resolve the problems associated with return to the community. Halfway house programs have been widely applied as a way of enabling exprisoners to live in the community while developing their earning power. Work release programs, which are sometimes used in combination with halfway houses, also enable the exprisoner to reenter the community without the handicap of being unemployed. A promising reentry approach that has been underused is the use of exprisoners in social service assignments. The benefits gained by the person who renders a useful service to another have been proven, and these benefits for exinmates can be experienced through their involvement in restitutional community service programs, regular employment in service occupations, or through voluntary exoffender organizations. Seventeen references are listed.