Police chiefs | formerly incarcerated people | pretrial service administrators | probation officials...

• Non-profit, non-partisan membership association of state government officials

• Funded largely through state dues• Represents all three branches of state government:

legislature, judiciary, and executive branch• 4 regional offices• Provides non-partisan setting to discuss controversial

criminal justice topics outside of the public spotlight

What is the Council of State Governments?

• Bipartisan: Republican and Democrat elected officials• Cross-system: Includes key stakeholders from workforce

development, corrections, housing, health and human services, community corrections, and law enforcement

• Consensus-Based: Focuses on areas where agreement can be reached

• National: Comprises representatives from all over the country


What is the Re-Entry Policy Council?

Coordinated by Council of State Governments

Project Partners

Association of State Correctional Administrators • American Probation and Parole Association • National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials • National Association of State Alcohol and Drug Abuse Directors • National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors • National Association of Workforce Boards • National Center for State Courts • Corporation for Supportive Housing • Urban Institute • Police Executive Research Forum

police chiefs | people with criminal records | pretrial service administrators | probation officials | state legislators | substance abuse treatment providers | workforce investment chairs | judges | district attorneys | prosecutors | state alcohol and drug abuse directors | county executives | crime victims | public housing administrators | victim advocates

state corrections directors | public defenders | court administrators | workforce development officials | researchers | sheriffs | supportive housing providers | state mental health directors | parole officials | housing development officials


• Prisoner re-entry and homelessness are intertwined challenges.

• Prisoner re-entry presents opportunities to prevent and end cycles of homelessness.

• Public safety and housing partners across the United States have developed promising strategies to address these challenges.


Key Points

• The number of people released from prison has increased 350 percent over the last 20 years.

• Two million people are in prison and jail at any time; 97 percent of them will be released into the community.

• Over 1 in 32 people is incarcerated or on probation or parole supervision in the community.


Intertwined challenges

• Also in the last 20 years, the number of people who are homeless has swelled to more than 440,000 to 840,000 people nationwide on any given night.

• Nearly half have spent 5 or more days in jail.

• 10-20 percent of those released from prison or jail was homeless prior to incarceration.



71 percent of people released from prison expect to live with their families, many of whom are unprepared or ill-equipped to receive them.

People who do not find stable housing after release are likely to return to jail or prison, at high cost to the community.

55 percent of prisoners have children under 18; incarcerated women in particular face challenges in finding housing for themselves and their children upon release.







Key Points

• President’s Prisoner Re-Entry Initiative• Re-Entry Policy Council and its Report• Corporation for Supportive Housing

Returning Home Initiative• Mentally Ill Offender Treatment and Crime

Reduction Act grants


Opportunities for Assistance and Partnership

• Bipartisan support for federal re-entry legislation:– House of Representatives (HR 1704, introduced April

2005): Chris Cannon (R-UT), Danny Davis (D-IL), and 104 others

– Senate (S 1934, introduced October 2005): Sam Brownback (R-KS), Joe Biden (D-DE), and 16 others

• Key Points of the Second Chance Act of 2004:– $100 million grant program for state re-entry initiatives– National Resource Center– Federal Interagency Task Force– Amends some statutory roadblocks to re-entry


Legislative Preview





Key Points

• Partner with your state Department of Corrections, community corrections agencies, and local jails.

– Assess and identify people who are at risk of becoming homeless significantly prior to their release date.

– Cross-train staff to understand the housing options and limitations for people who have been released from prison or jail.


Promising Strategies

• Consider individuals leaving prison or jail who have histories of homelessness as part of the homeless priority population, to facilitate their access to supportive housing made available under the McKinney-Vento Act.

• Encourage housing providers in your community to consider applicants individually.

• Provide assistance to people in the months following release to sustain stable housing.



• St. Andrew’s Court (Chicago, IL)SRO provides second-stage re-entry housing and support services

• Alliance Apartments (Minneapolis, MN)Transitional and permanent efficiency apartments for residents who agree to work and live sober

• Housing Assistance Rental Program (Salt Lake County, UT)PHA contracted to place people released from jail and other special populations directly into scattered-site rental properties




Contact the Re-Entry Policy Council

Katherine Brown Tel: (646) 383-5722Fax: (212) [email protected] or [email protected]

www.reentrypolicy.org

Police chiefs | formerly incarcerated people | pretrial service administrators | probation officials...

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