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Nationwide, more than 600,000 individuals are released from state or federal prison each year. Within three years, two-thirds will be rearrested, and nearly half returned to prison for a new crime or parole violation. In response, criminal justice officials are focusing on reentry as an issue that affects public safety, economic revitalization, and the well being of families and neighborhoods. Reentry courts, like the Harlem Parole Reentry Court, use community-based services like drug treatment and job training as well as strict judicial supervision, to help ex-offenders successfully transition back to life at home. To read more, visit Rethinking Reentry, a regularly-updated blog about how this project is working to reduce recidivism and enhance public safety in Upper Manhattan.
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The Harlem Parole Reentry Court, a component of the Harlem Community Justice Center, helps parolees from the Harlem community who have been imprisoned for non-violent, drug-related offenses make the transition from life in prison to responsible citizenship. To promote accountability, participants are required to return to the court frequently to meet with case managers and parole officers and appear before the judge, who closely monitors their compliance with court orders. In this podcast, staff from Harlem discuss their work.
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A Parolee's Experience
About a week before Debra left prison, she learned that she would be part of a new reentry program in Harlem involving frequent court appearances and participation in a drug treatment program, among other activities. Debra had never heard of parole reentry before. “At first I was really mad,” she says. “I had never done parole in my life, but I knew you weren’t supposed to go to court or in front of a judge. I was really angry that I had to go every week.”
Six months later, she completed the program and had an entirely new perspective: “Putting me in the parole reentry program was the best thing they ever could have done for me and my life,” she says. “I think they should put more people in it. If you’re coming home to do the right thing, it’s the place to be.”
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FEATURED PUBLICATION
Reentry: Needs Assessment and Strategic Plan
The Upper Manhattan Reentry Task Force, a collaboration of government agencies, community-based organizations, and academic partners, has released a comprehensive needs assessment and recommendations to enhance law enforcement and community partnerships, workforce development efforts, and launch a public education campaign to lessen the stigma reentrants face when seeking employment.
Do Reentry Courts Reduce Recidivism? Results from the Harlem Parole Reentry Court
By Zachary Hamilton
A growing number of jurisdictions nationwide are seeking to adapt the drug court model to returning ex-offenders. In a first-ever rigorous test of a specialized reentry court, the Center found that the Harlem Parole Reentry Court produced a significant reduction in re-convictions, yet also led to increased technical violations. While results indicate a promising court model, policy implications regarding "supervision effects" are discussed as well.
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