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68 Fed. Probation 4 (2004)
What Works in Prisoner Reentry - Reviewing and Questioning the Evidence

handle is hein.journals/fedpro68 and id is 80 raw text is: Joan Petersilia University of California, Irvine MORE THAN 600,000 individuals will leave state prisons and return home this year. That is 1,600 a day, and a sixfold increase in prisoner releases since 1970. Of course, inmates have always been released from prison, and corrections officials have long struggled with how to facilitate successful transitions. But the current situation is decid- edly different. The increase in number of releasees has stretched parole services beyond their limits, and officials worry about what assistance can be provided at release. Research confirms that returning prisoners need more help than in the past, yet resources have diminished. Returning prisoners will have served longer prison sentences than in the past, be more disconnected from family and friends, have a higher prevalence of untreated substance abuse and mental illness, and be less educated and employable than their pre- decessors. Legal and practical barriers facing ex-offenders have also increased, affecting their employment, housing, and welfare eli- gibility. Without help, many released inmates quickly return to crime. State and federal governments are trying to provide help. Recent years have witnessed an explosion of interest in the phenomenon of prisoner reentry. Between 2001 and 2004, the federal government allocated over $100 million to support the development of new reentry programs in all 50 states. The Council of State Governments, the American Cor- rectional Association, The National Institute of Corrections, The American Probation and Parole Association, and The National Gov- ernors Association have each created special task forces to work on the reentry issue-as have most State Departments of Correc- tions. President Bush even highlighted the prisoner reentry issue in his 2004 State of the Union Address-the first time anyone ever remembers a president including concern for ex-convicts in such a major speech. President Bush spoke sympathetically about the dif- ficulties prisoners face in reintegration, stat- ing that, America is the land of the second chances, and when the gates of the prison open, the path ahead should lead to a better life.' He proposed a four-year $300 million initiative to assist faith-based and community organizations to help returning inmates. No one doubts that interest in prisoner reentry is high, that money is flowing, and that well-meaning people want to implement programs to assist returning inmates. But the $64,000 question still remains: Which programs should government agencies, non- profit organizations, and faith-based com- munities invest in? In short, what programs work in prisoner reentry? As states confront massive budget shortfalls, it is critical that we invest in proven programs. Asking the what works? question of correctional programs is not new. In fact, it has become rather a cottage industry. The correctional literature now contains dozens of what works? articles and books. The articles summarize research based on metanalysis (the quantitative analyses of the results of prior research studies), cost- benefit analysis, synthetic reviews, literature reviews, expert thinking, and clinical trials. The conclusions are then translated into best practices, evidence-based principles, and programs that 'work,' 'don't work or 'are promising This literature is scattered in criminology, sociology, and psychology publications-although most of it exists in agency and government reports. How can a correctional administrator make sense of it all? The analysis is frequently difficult to sort out, even for this author, who is a seasoned corrections researcher. But the question what works in reentry programs? is too important and timely to leave unad- dressed. The author reviewed this literature to condense its most important findings for correctional practitioners. The first section summarizes findings of the published lit- erature as they pertain to reentry programs. The second section questions the existing evidence and urges a broader conversation about current methods, outcome measures, and privileging practitioner expertise. What Constitutes a Prisoner Reentry Program? To answer, what works in reentry programs? we must first define a reentry program. Here lies the first difficulty: what exactly should qualify as a prison reentry program? Travis and Visher (2005) of the Urban Institute define prisoner reentry as the inev- itable consequence of incarceration. They write, With the exception of those who die of natural consequences or are executed, everyone placed in confinement is eventu- ally released. Reentry is not an option. In their view, reentry is not a legal status nor a program but a process. They write: Certainly, the pathways of reentry can be influenced by such factors as the prisoner's participation in drug treatment, literacy classes, religious organizations, or prison industries, but reen- try is not a result of program participation. In other words, every aspect of correctional 4 FEDERAL PROBATION Volume 68 Number 2

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