Report of the Re-Entry Policy Council
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Virtually every person incarcerated in a jail in this country—and approximately 97 percent of those incarcerated in prisons—will eventually be released.
According to recent estimates, nearly 650,000 people were released from prison in 2004, while over 7 million different individuals were released from jails across the US. Re-entry is the process of transition that these individuals, who are predominantly male and disproportionately nonwhite, make from prison or jail to the community.
Ensuring successful re-entry means both safer communities and the improved use of tax dollars.
But realizing better outcomes for people released from prison and jail requires efforts that address their myriad needs.
To assist policymakers and practitioners seeking to improve the likelihood that adults released from prison or jail will avoid crime and become productive, healthy members of families and communities, the Council of State Governments (CSG) established the Re-Entry Policy Council. The Policy Council comprises 100 key leaders at the local, state, and national levels, including: state legislators; criminal justice policymakers and practitioners; workforce development and employment services officials; housing providers and housing system officials; representatives of health, mental health, and substance abuse treatment systems; victim advocates; people who have been incarcerated and their families; and ministers and others working in faith-based institutions.
The Report of the Re-Entry Policy Council provides hundreds of recommendations, which reflect the common ground reached by this wide-ranging, diverse group of leaders—Republicans and Democrats alike—who collectively represent every region of the country.
The policy statements in the Report of the Re-Entry Policy Council reflect the numerous opportunities for action available to a person, agency, or coalition interested in improving the likelihood that a person will safely and successfully transition back to the community.
