Authored by Mary K. Shilton. This resource was developed by the Mother-Child Community Corrections Project and was supported by a cooperative agreement awarded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), Office of Justice Programs (OJP), U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ).

This article reviews prison work programs, and their effect on recidivism into crime. The author reviews the three main types of prison work programs, including jobs in prison, vocational training, and job search assistance prior to release.

Two-thirds of prisoners are rearrested within three years of release. Industry-specific work programs in prison have shown to greatly reduce recidivism -- however, only 7 percent of inmates are currently working in such programs. From the Urban Institute's Reentry Roundtable, this paper outlines how prison work in industries is vital to reducing recidivism.

From the Urban Institute's Reentry Roundtable, this article reviews employment and earnings rates among ex-offenders which are, for the most part, very low. Authors explore the barriers that ex-offenders face in reentering society and returning to self-sufficiency.

This article from the Urban Institute provides information on the status of housing from prisoners returning to society. While some are able to reside with family members, housing can pose a significant barrier for others. This article reviews the barriers facing ex-offenders and housing, and offers promising housing services available.

The Legal Action Center (LAC) has completed a comprehensive study of the legal barriers in all 50 States that people with criminal records must overcome in order to lead productive, law-abiding lives and successfully rejoin society. The research finds that people with criminal records seeking reentry face a daunting array of counterproductive and debilitating roadblocks in almost every aspect of life.

This Web article features Polk County Decategorization that works in conjunction with the Iowa Department of Corrections and administers the youthful offender portion of the Serious and Violent Offender Reentry Grant. The program provides a supportive and cohesive transition for juveniles aging out of the juvenile system and returning to the community.

Posted on the Department of Justice (DOJ) Web site, this report describes the Fortune Academy Residence and Service model for housing ex-offenders that could be implemented by the agency and replicated by other organizations across the country. The model features emergency and longer-term housing and includes a broad range of supportive services designed to stabilize the residents and assist them in building skills and attitudes to enable them to transition successfully from incarceration to the community.

This Urban Institute report draws from the insights and comments of the authors and participants in the Youth Reentry Roundtable entitled "The Youth Dimensions of Prisoner Reentry: Youth Development and the Impacts of Incarceration and Reentry," held May 28-29, 2003, in San Francisco, California. The report describes youth reentry and its policy relevance to communities nationwide, and identifies critical facts about youth reentry, including the specific programming and policy challenges that must be addressed.

This American Correctional Association article focuses on a pilot aftercare program that targets high-risk male and female offenders ages 14 to 21 and the work of Barbara Templeton, a community resource supervisor for the West Virginia Division of Juvenile Services. The program combines intensive aftercare services and judicial supervision in an effort to hold juveniles accountable and promote positive behavior through frequent home and school visits, monthly court reviews, and graduated sanctions and rewards.